 Ireland is home to an ancient astrological and spiritual monument that is older than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. In fact, the Grand Passage Tomb at New Grange was built during the Neolithic period in Europe, more than 500 years before construction even began on the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. With the Irish Tomb built over 5,000 years ago, around 3,200 BC. New Grange is a large circular mound, with a stone passage way inside and a cruciform or cross-legged chamber with various recesses. Human bones and offerings have been found in this chamber and many of the inner stones contain megalithic art. Outside, a circle of standing stones surrounds the mound, which potentially served an astrological function. It was built in the modern chemistry of Meath in eastern Ireland. On the banks of the river Boine and close to the town of Drahada, the Grand Circular Mound of New Grange is the main monument in the complex of the Bruna Boine or Boine Valley tombs. This complex is made up of other passage tombs such as North and Douth. It is thought that New Grange was in use for around 1,000 years. It is featured in Irish mythology down through the centuries and was often said to be the home of the Irish god the Dagda and his son Angus. It is sometimes referred to as the portal to the other world. Many of the stones of New Grange are covered in megalithic art. This is one similarity that New Grange shares with the other ancient tomb sites around Europe, including the Gavranese tomb located on the small island of the Gulf of Morbahan in southern Brittany. Both sites share spiral-like megalithic art which are carved onto stones. New Grange in general is home to the most megalithic art in Europe with much found in the Boine Valley. Brittany in France has the second highest concentration. New Grange is aligned with the Winter Solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is on the 21st of December and is the day in the year which has the least amount of daylight and the longest night. During a Winter Solstice at New Grange, the rising sun shines through a roof box in the monument and bathes the 62-foot-long inner chamber in sunlight. This magical display of light lasts for around 17 minutes and would undoubtedly be part of a grand ceremony in ancient times. The roof box was discovered in modern times by Professor O'Kelly who, on the 21st December 1967, was the first person in potentially thousands of years to witness this moving display. Although parts of New Grange have been restored, with the sides potentially being covered in a smooth surface that would reflect light initially, the roof has largely remained as one for over 5,000 years and still remains waterproof. New Grange is ultimately a grand tomb, yet it's hard to imagine that New Grange was not the spiritual and ceremonial centre of the ancient Irish community that surrounded it. Thanks for watching, please subscribe and hit the bell to turn on notifications. You can also support this work through buymeacoffee.com and Patreon, all the links are in the description below. Thanks again, speak to you next time.