Newgrange and Trim Castle

Newgrange

Trim Castle

On Saturday, I went on a day trip to Newgrange and Trim Castle (in County Meath, about an hour away from Dublin) with a bunch of other study-abroad students. Newgrange is a Neolithic monument/passage tomb that predates Stonehenge, and Trim Castle is a medieval castle that might be recognizable to anyone who has seen Braveheart (large portions of the movie were filmed there).

The trip was a lot of fun, even though I had to wake up early and was functioning on very little sleep. The day began at Newgrange, where we walked around the visitors' center before taking a bus to the monument. I managed to make friends with the driver on the way, although he knows me as "Powell" (I guess it's a little more Irish).

We then got a tour of the tomb, which is completely dark for 360 days of the year but is aligned with the rising sun on the year's five longest days (Dec. 19th-23rd). Every year, thousands of people enter a lottery for the chance to experience the winter solstice at Newgrange. Unfortunately, we had to settle for a simulation.

After lunch, it was on to Trim Castle - which no longer has any floors (other than the ground floor, of course) but can be explored only by stairs and bridges. Surprisingly enough, Mel Gibson was not there. After touring the castle, we returned to Dublin with plenty of time left to enjoy a night out on the town.

I will be traveling to Edinburgh this weekend (leaving on Friday morning and returning on Sunday morning), so I'm sure I will have plenty more to talk about soon. I also will try to upload a few more pictures to the blog in the next few days.