Older than the pyramids and steeped in mystery, Brú na Bóinne is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest prehistoric megalithic site in Europe. It’s made up of three monuments, Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth in County Meath. Its an easy day trip from Dublin and one that will transport you, at least in your imagination, to 3,200 BC. When you visit, be prepared for a trip across time, not space. The sites are quite close together. You’ll leave with more questions than answers, but the trip will be worth it, whether you come by rail and bus or by car.
Where is Newgrange?
Newgrange is located in the Boyne Valley, a part of Ireland’s ancient east that’s dotted with prehistoric sites, ruined abbeys, castles and historic sites. The closest town to the site is Drogheda and the site itself is about 31.5 miles (50.6 kms) north of Dublin. We found it was easy to find our way there by rail and bus, and it would also have been easy to drive there, but whatever means of transportation you choose, the first crucial step is to make reservations before you go. The only way to tour Newgrange and Knowth is with an official guide from the Visitors Centre.
TIP: Reservations can fill up months in advance, however, a limited number of cancelled reservations are released every day when the Visitor’s Centre opens at 9:00 a.m. Have your credit card handy and you may score a ticket if you’re quick enough.
Private tours from Dublin are also an option. They will purchase your tickets for you but you will be joining an official guided tour offered by the Visitors Centre once you arrive at Newgrange. The tours from the Visitors Centre go to Newgrange (the only site you are allowed to enter) and Knowth. Dowth can be reached by car but there are no official guided tours there and no entry to that particular passage tomb. The advantage of a private tour is that you will be able to visit all three sites, and perhaps see more of County Meath.
How to reach Newgrange from Dublin by rail and bus
We had almost given up hope of visiting Newgrange because all the tickets on the reservation system were completely sold out when we started searching in late October. Looking around on the site we found out that cancelled tickets are uploaded to be resold as soon as the Visitors Center opens in the morning. We pounced on some reservations as soon as they became available and then started to plan our visit to coincide with the time they were offered. Tours take about an hour and a half. Our reservations were for 1:30.
We crossed the Liffey River on the way from our hotel to Connolly Station in Dublin around 8:30 on a crisp, clear morning. A lovely woman at the wicket helped us buy return tickets on Irish Rail to Drogheda MacBride Station, the closest station to Newgrange. There are also self-serve booths to purchase tickets, but this was our first encounter with the Irish Rail system so we got some help.
Tip: Keep your Irish Rail ticket handy throughout your trip, not just the receipt, as you’ll have to swipe it at the barriers in the stations to exit and enter.
The train station on a weekday was a busy spot with people hustling in and out of the city for work. Our tickets were for off peak hours, after 9:30 a.m. and all day Sunday, and cost a little less than 15 Euros each. With some time to spare we picked up breakfast sandwiches and coffees at Pret a Manger, but we could have chosen from a Starbucks, Insomnia Coffee and O’Brien’s too. Other creature comforts included a pharmacy, ATM, free filtered water refill station, and super clean washrooms.
The train itself was modern and comfortable with large windows, cushy seats and shared tables. It left right on time and the trip took about an hour. There is an express train that makes the trip in half that time but we wanted to enjoy the view since the train runs along the coastline for part of the trip. Trains leave from Dublin to Drogheda about every 30 minutes. It was a pleasant trip since it was off peak and not crowded and there was free Wi-Fi on Irish rail so we could catch up on some news and email.
A Walk through Drogheda
After arriving at the OG red brick train station, we knew that we would not be able to connect with the local bus to Bru na Boinne as it doesn’t run very often. It does go directly to the Newgrange Visitors Centre though, so we decided to walk down the hill into Droghega for a look around. As we strolled down Dublin Road we saw the “Cup and Saucer” as locals like to call the Martello Tower at Millmount Fort. Built on the south bank of the River Boyne, it sits on top of a huge hill that dominates the landscape. Folklore has it that the 900 year old fort was built on the site of an ancient passage tomb of a Celtic poet. If that’s the case, and folklore often just points to something that hasn’t been discovered yet, we saw our first prehistoric passage tomb before lunch. If not, the fort and tower still make a striking statement overlooking the town. It now serves as a museum filled with regional artifacts and gets good reviews for the onsite guides.
After crossing the River Boyne, we walked up Drogheda’s charming streets full of small shops and pubs and found ourselves at the Moorland Cafe, a local institution since 1929, where we sampled some of their delicious fresh cream buns. Then we headed back down the hill to the bus stop at the Spar store across from the Drogheda Bus Station. Be sure and check the timetable closely. The bus doesn’t run very often and it is on time so plan accordingly. If you’ve purchased a Leap card, you can use it on the Route 163 bus, otherwise you can pay the fare in cash which was 3 Euros at the time. The trip takes about 40 minutes.
Tip: Check the timetable for the Route 163 bus: Bru na Boinne to Drogheda via Battle of Boyne Visitor Centre, for the latest details and connections.
What to see at Brú na Bóinne
The bus dropped us off at a small parking lot and we followed the arbour covered path to the Visitors Centre. The displays are extensive and impressive. They cover the geology and history of the area and the most up to date information on the prehistoric people of the Neolithic era. There are hands on exhibits as well as soundscapes that bring the past to life. It’s possible to visit the centre without a reservation, but you would miss the guided tour of Newgrange and Knowth.
Tip: There are no photographs allowed inside the passage tomb at Newgrange, however, you are allowed to take photographs of the exact replica of the tomb in the Visitors Centre.
A short ride on the van from the Visitors Centre brought us to Newgrange. The huge mound looks like a flying saucer that settled into the earth centuries ago and was covered with a blanket of green grass. No conspiracy theories here though. As our docent pointed out, the events that took place here over 5,000 years ago have yet to be determined so “your opinion is as valid as anyone else’s”. The term passage tomb is used for these clusters of mounds that are found throughout Ireland and parts of Europe, but no one really knows what they were used for. Research is ongoing. The tour inside Newgrange was spectacular. Our docent pointed out the artwork on the ancient rocks and the careful engineering of the stone ceiling that allowed the space to stay dry and protected over the centuries.
Tip: Like Stonehenge, which it predates, Newgrange is oriented towards the sunrise at the winter solstice. There is a lottery held every year for the tickets and you can enter the draw at the Visitors Center to watch the rising sun illuminate the inner reaches of the stone tomb.
What to see at Knowth
It took us several hours at Bru na Boinne to tour the Visitor Centre at Newgrange, the site itself, and to visit Knowth and the exhibits there. Although you can’t enter the tombs at Knowth, there are 380 intricately decorated stones that form the base of the mound. This is the largest collection found anywhere in the world. The mystical circles, spirals, zig-zags and geometric shapes were made by Neolithic people before the pyramids were built and the same shapes appear on prehistoric tomb sites throughout Europe. How did they transmit their knowledge and what do the symbols mean? The sense of wonder and mystery we found at Newgrange and Knowth stayed with us on our 3,000 km road trip through Ireland, especially when we encountered other prehistoric sites along the way.
Getting back to Dublin
If you’re returning by bus and rail, read the bus schedule carefully. The last bus departs the Visitors Centre parking lot in the afternoon and is timed to pick up passengers from the 13:15 tour. If you miss it, you’re on your own. If you catch it, it will take you right back to the train station where you can catch the next train to Dublin. They run about every half hour.
Tip: If you’ve driven to the Visitors Centre and you have time before or after the tour, there’s a lovely cafe on the lower level serving light meals and pastries.
All information in this story was correct at the time of posting. Please research and confirm all dates, times, and costs for your trip.
Questions? Email: [email protected]
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