As it happened: The Winter Solstice sunrise phenomenon at Newgrange
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The Winter Solstice is the period around December 21. It is an astronomical phenomenon that marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn.
Watch the sunrise live here:
If you cannot see the video, click here.
Newgrange, a Neolithic passage tomb that is older than the pyramids in Egypt, is located in the Boyne Valley, Co Meath. It features a 19m-long passage that leads into a chamber with three alcoves.
The passage and chamber are aligned with the rising sun on the mornings around the Winter Solstice.
Above the entrance is an opening called a roof box, through which a beam of light penetrates the roof box and travels up the length of the passage and into the chamber on the Winter Solstice.
As the sun rises higher, the beam widens and the whole chamber is illuminated for 17 minutes.
The OPW says the solar alignment of the passage tomb at Newgrange to face the rising sun on the Winter Solstice is a significant astronomical finding of global importance.
Newgrange was re-discovered by Professor Michael J O’Kelly in 1967 and analysis of high-resolution imagery taken during 2021’s research programme adds to a convincing body of evidence that the solar illumination was an intentional feature of the tomb.
Only if you're a lucky ticket holder.
Since 2000, the Office of Public Works has operated a lottery draw for a place in the chamber to witness the Winter Solstice each year, open to visitors to the tomb during the year.
Typically, demand for the event vastly outstrips supply and the lottery was deemed to be the fairest way to allocate tickets.
If you'd like to go next year, make a note in your diary — the lottery takes place at the end of September each year.
Outside of the solstice, visitors can book a guided tour of the chamber via the OPW.
No. While the solstice peaks on December 21, the chamber is illuminated by the rising sun for a few days around that date. The phenomenon is available to view on several mornings during this period.