Dear LPG,

Today marks the shortest day of the year for anyone who spends it in the United Kingdom.  The days will begin to get longer after today and we will all begin to acknowledge that.  Though we are most probably in for some cold weather, the promise of summer to come offers its new hope for lighter evenings.  For some, thoughts of the Druid’s celebrations will come to mind at Stonehenge although most of us are more familiar with those of mid-summer. 

Fewer people are aware of the significance of Newgrange, a prehistoric Irish monument which has a special significance at the time of the winter solstice.   It has been proved to be older than Stonehenge or the Pyramids of Egypt and was specifically designed to mark the shortest day of each year in a very special way.  The ingenuity of its builders has resulted in the lighting of its most prominent chambers which occurs at this very special time of year.

All this being said, I think that the most inspiring aspect of my visit is provoked by the fact that people were able to realise such a huge undertaking at a time when history can find little evidence of the tools that were used or how they were able to transport the materials to the site. 

My first visit lead to a second and left the following poem at the tip of my pen…

NEWGRANGE

Not a cave full of art; not an Egyptian or Mexican

Pyramid, an ancient Irish Temple, once neglected.

Now the archeology illuminati rate it a top Heritage Site

Awesomely recollecting times long past,

Steadfastly strong by the proud Boyne River.

Best guesses say the doughty Celts

Assembled the materials, while the shamanic Druids

Divined the site, supervised the construction,

Casting their spells on the massive stones,

Inscribing indecipherable runes to bless the people.

Making the alignment with the winter solstice sunrise.

A sign to all of the lasting endurance of the life-giving sun.

While the earth revolved year on year, it revisited

Newgrange, bringing illuminating beams of light.

Foster Murphy

LPG found some more information on Newgrange…

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