REALLY COOL OLD STUFF

     So as part of UCD's study abroad program they have day trips which are free to us. Well last weekend I got to go on another one of these awesome trips. The great part about this one is that most of my roommates were able to go as well. Here are a few pictures from the adventure.

Newgrange-old burial tomb

     Here is a little background on this site (which is not written by me I should add). "Newgrange was constructed over 5,000 years ago (about 3,200 B.C.), making it older than Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Newgrange was built during the Neolithic or New Stone Age by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley."

 

     "Archaeologists classified Newgrange as a passage tomb, however Newgrange is now recognised to be much more than a passage tomb. Ancient Temple is a more fitting classification, a place of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance, much as present day cathedrals are places of prestige and worship where dignitaries may be laid to rest.

     Newgrange is best known for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the winter solstice sun. Above the entrance to the passage at Newgrange there is a opening called a roof-box. This baffling orifice held a great surprise for those who unearthed it. Its purpose is to allow sunlight to penetrate the chamber on the shortest days of the year, around December 21, the winter solstice.

     At dawn, from December 19th to 23rd, a narrow beam of light penetrates the roof-box and reaches the floor of the chamber, gradually extending to the rear of the chamber. As the sun rises higher, the beam widens within the chamber so that the whole room becomes dramatically illuminated. This event lasts for 17 minutes, beginning around 9am.
      The accuracy of Newgrange as a time-telling device is remarkable when one considers that it was built 500 years before the Great Pyramids and more than 1,000 years before Stonehenge. The intent of its builders was undoubtedly to mark the beginning of the new year. In addition, it may have served as a powerful symbol of the victory of life over death."

Me with my friend Jason and roommate Karlie at the entrance to the tomb.

Me and my roommates (minus Tina). From left to right- me, Geneva, Karlie, Morgan, and Nicole.

The Irish country side. We got a beautiful sunny day which is hard to come by here.

Trim Castle

     "Trim castle is an Anglo-Norman castle, possibly the first stone castle in Ireland.  It is located about 28 miles northwest of Dublin in County Meath, along the banks of the River Boyne."
     "The Castle was used as a centre of Norman administration for the Liberty of Meath, one of the new administrative areas of Ireland created by Henry II of England and granted to Hugh de Lacy. De Lacy took possession of it in 1172." This was the castle used in the filming of Braveheart. I love that is is still in its ruin state...made it feel much more like you were actually experiencing as it used to be though much of it has degraded.

Inside the castle looking up at the walkways.

Looking down to where the previous picture was taken.

View from top of the castle.

Another view from the top.

Awesome windows which allowed them a wide radius to shoot but made it very difficult to shoot in from the outside.

Inside one of the gates connected to the wall that led into the castle grounds.

The exterior of another gate into the castle grounds.