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Experience the Mystical Summer Solstice in Ireland

IA Newsletter, June 15, 2024

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The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and its historical and mystical significance can be felt at Ireland’s ancient sites. One of the eight sacred days in Ireland’s Celtic tradition, the summer solstice, falling this year on June 20, is associated with fertility, nature, and new beginnings. It’s the perfect time to visit some of the island’s key archaeological … [Read more...] about Experience the Mystical Summer Solstice in Ireland

Sláinte! The Great October Fair

By Edythe Preet, Columnist
October / November 2019

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The Ballinasloe October Fair is one of the oldest fairs in Ireland. While now predominantly associated with horses, in its heyday it served as a market for the sale of cattle and sheep by the farmers of the west to their counterparts in the east of Ireland. An Irish adage advises: Go East for a woman; go West for a horse. When I was a girl I had a … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Great October Fair

An Old Henge Emerges at Newgrange

By Dave Lewis, Assistant Editor
September / October 2018

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While Ireland’s early summer heatwave brought some misery, it brought archaeologists and history enthusiasts great joy. The drought revealed an Neolithic wonder called a henge near the ancient site of Newgrange in County Meath. Hidden to the naked eye for centuries, the henge’s location was captured by a drone flown over the Boyne Valley by Anthony Murphy. It’s something the … [Read more...] about An Old Henge Emerges at Newgrange

Winter Solstice in Newgrange

By Irish America Staff
February / March 2015

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There were 30,532 entries for a lottery to experience Winter Solstice 2014 at Newgrange in Co. Meath. Fifty names were drawn, and each of those fifty people were invited along with a guest to gather at dawn (8:58 a.m.) from December 18th to December 23rd. Newgrange is the best known Irish passage tomb and dates to around 3200 B.C. At dawn on the winter solstice, the shortest … [Read more...] about Winter Solstice in Newgrange