YOU can watch the winter solstice at one of Ireland’s ancient landmarks from the comfort of your home.
The annual display will be livestreamed from Newgrange in Co. Meath when it takes place later this month – meaning you don’t even have to move from your armchair to view it.
The Irish landmark has long been associated with the shortest day and longest night of the year due to the burst of light which appears in the prehistoric monument’s passage tomb as the sun rises.
On a clear winter solstice morning direct sunlight enters the monument to illuminate the chamber for 17 minutes through a small opening above its entrance called the ‘roof box’.
Newgrange passage tomb at Boyne Valley in Co. MeathThis phenomenon has drawn people hoping to witness it for themselves to the Meath site for centuries, and for the past five years it has been shared with the public more generally via a livestream feed.
That livestream will take place again in 2025, Ireland’s Office of Public Works (OPW) and National Monuments Services (NMS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have confirmed this week.
You can view the winter solstice at Newgrange from the comfort of your homeThe livestream link is already available, and the OPW are urging the public to gather their friends and host a coffee morning while viewing it.
“We are delighted to announce that viewers can witness the winter solstice sunrise at Newgrange live through the livestream link from the comfort of their own homes,” an OPW spokesperson said this week.
“Each year, the winter solstice sunrise illuminates the inner chamber of Newgrange, a UNESCO World Heritage Property and one of Ireland’s most iconic prehistoric monuments.
“This rare phenomenon, which has captivated visitors for generations, marks the shortest day of the year.”
They added: “This year, the OPW is inviting viewers to host coffee mornings with friends and family to experience the beauty and wonder of the winter solstice in high definition without having to leave their homes.”
Built during the Neolithic Period, Newgrange is older than Stonehenge in England, and the pyramids in EgyptBuilt during the Neolithic Period, around 3200BC, Newgrange is older than Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, and the pyramids in Egypt.
It is the main monument in the Brú na Bóinne complex, a World Heritage Site which also includes the passage tombs of Knowth and Dowth as well as other henges, burial mounds and standing stones.
This year the Winter Solstice falls on December 21, and the Newgrange livestream will be accompanied by narration by specialists, Dr Clare Tuffy and Dr Frank Prendergast, the OPW has confirmed.
RTÉ will broadcast live from the ancient passage tomb at Newgrange on December 21 from 8.40am, and the livestream will be available on www.rte.ie/player, gov.ie/opw, heritageireland.ie and youtube/opw.