VIEWERS tuned in from across the globe to watch the winter solstice at Newgrange in Co. Meath this week.
The annual event fell yesterday (Sunday, December 21), and it was livestreamed from the UNESCO World Heritage Site to an audience across the world.
Newgrange 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’.
This year six lucky winter solstice lottery winners were able to enjoy the experience from inside the passage tomb at Newgrange.
People applied to the annual competition, organised by the Office of Public Works (OPW), from across the world, and the 20256 winners came from counties Down, Dublin and Limerick and further afield from Germany, the US and the UK.
Each winner was given a pair of tickets to attend the event, which saw 12 guests and two OPW workers present in the chamber at the time of the sun rising.
Kevin Moran, Ireland’s Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, attended the event and said he was “delighted to welcome the Winter Solstice lottery winners to Newgrange and all those tuning in via our livestream”.
“The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said.
“It is a time of reflection and renewal, marking a significant and special occasion as we bid farewell to the long dark evenings and welcome a bright beginning for the year ahead.”