Burial sites older than the pyramids of Giza, real Irish castles, rollercoasters, and a zoo! County Meath most certainly has something for everyone. County Meath, known as the Royal County, was once one of five provinces in Ireland, and home to the High Kings of Tara . Although it has now been demoted somewhat to only a county status, it still holds its regal quality with some of the finest links to ancient Ireland to be found anywhere in the country.
Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! 6 Newgrange, County Meath. No trip to Ireland is complete without a visit to Newgrange and the surrounding Boyne Valley. The majestic burial chamber is older than the pyramids and holds the key to the country’s ancient history.
One of the principal sites among Ireland’s Ancient East, the eastern rival to the Wild Atlantic Way, Newgrange is a 5,200-year-old passage tomb built by Stone Age farmers, making it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza. 6 The Newgrange passageway during the winter solstice. In an incredible feat of architecture and engineering, the monument is perfectly aligned with the rising of the sun on the morning of the Winter Solstice, allowing sunlight to flood up the passageway and light up the chamber at its end.
The large circular mound is 93 yards in diameter and 15 yards high while ringed by 97 large kerbstones, some of which are engraved with symbols called megalithic art. 6 Knowth. As one of the original five .