In recent years Ireland has experienced an overall decline in tourism. This is attributed in part to the fact that many of Ireland's larger cities have lost their quaint charm. They are now more akin to your typical European cosmopolitan city, although generally on a smaller scale. The smaller towns, however, often lack the facilities such as hotels, pubs and major tourist attractions to hold the interest of the international traveler. So tourism in Ireland has hit a kind of catch-22—larger cities without the Irish feel and smaller cities not really able to support a large quantity of intrepid tourists.
County Meath
Still, there is hope! Several places around Ireland are large enough to deal with an influx of visitors while still maintaining their links to ancient Irish history. There is a place in Ireland that holds a genuine link to Irish antiquity while maintaining a safe and reachable distance from all things modern—it is County Meath.
County Meath is a great destination for anyone interested in fishing, golf and horse racing, with plenty of equestrian facilities for visitors. It is a rural area with immaculate countryside for walking, located on a limestone plain that is watered by the Boyne and Blackwater rivers. Part of the county is also on the east coast of Ireland, with sandy beaches at Laytown and Bettystown.
To top it all off, the county is close enough to Dublin to drive there and back in a day. Visitors to County Meath, however, do not go for the just the scenery, fishing or horse riding. The area is steeped in Irish history. The following are some of the major sites in the area and their historical significance.
The Boyne Valley
The Boyne Valley contains the largest and most decorated megalithic sites in all of Ireland and has been described as "the largest and most important expression of prehistoric megalithic art in Europe."
The large megalithic sites were built over 5,000 years ago between 3800 and 3200 B.C., built before both Stonehenge in England and the great pyramids in Egypt. Within a three mile radius in the Boyne Valley are more than 30 prehistoric monuments, including the great passage tombs and their satellite structures, standing stones, barrows and other enclosures.
Neolithic communities built these sites over earlier sacred spots and it is suspected that they were used for a combination of purposes, including use as burial tombs, sacred temples and astronomical observatories.
Newgrange
The most famous of all Irish prehistoric monuments, Newgrange was built on a one-acre site around 3200 B.C. and draws more than 200,000 visitors each year. It is one of only three United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites in Ireland. It is known as a passage tomb, which is defined as a grave set in a mound of earth or stone with a passage leading to a central chamber. Passage tombs are usually found in groups and Newgrange is no exception, as it is surrounded by 40 other such sites.
The chamber inside the mound measures 21.5 feet by 17 feet and has three separate recesses (chambers) off the main chamber. The most amazing and well-known feature of Newgrange is the presence of a roof or light box over the entrance to the chamber. The roof box was specifically designed to capture the light from the sun and illuminate the chamber on the winter solstice (Dec. 21). When the sun rises over Newgrange on this day, its rays enter the roof box and penetrate 65.62 feet into the ground to illuminate the entire chamber for 17 minutes, from 8:58 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
During the following three days, some sunlight enters the chamber, but not as much as on Dec. 21. The roof box is engraved with a series of eight lozenges that may represent the eight pagan festivals that were held each year. This box was designed so precisely with the rising of the winter solstice sun, that it has shown without doubt that these people had an extensive knowledge of astronomy.
Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara was one of the most important religious sites in early Ireland and was the ancient capital of Ireland where the high king lived. It is said that 142 kings reigned here from the third century until 1022. The hill rises to a height of 500 feet and offers majestic views across the plains of Meath, including a view of the white quartz front of Newgrange. Tara comes from the Gaelic word Temair and is translated as a "place of great prospect." In early mythology, Temair was the sacred place of dwelling for the Gods and was the entrance to the other world. The Hill of Tara contains many different monuments that date from different time periods showing that this site was of great importance long before it became the seat of the high kings.
Located near the Hill of Tara is the most famous of Tara's monuments, Ireland's ancient coronation stone—the Lia Fail or "Stone of Destiny," which was brought here according to mythology by the Tuatha Dé Danann who were believed to be a race of godlike people. The stone is said to be one of their sacred objects and would roar when touched by the rightful king of Tara.
It is worth mentioning that the Hill of Tara is under threat from the construction of a new motorway, which would dissect the tranquil valley and pose a threat to many of the monuments in the area. Since the Hill is of great historical value to the Irish people, this plan has been put on hold due to massive protests over the proposed construction. The issue has been taken to the Irish High Court where the decision will be made as to whether or not to proceed with the motorway. Because of this, it is advised to visit the site as soon as possible.
As a tourism site, the Boyne Valley has several restaurants and pubs for food, entertainment and pints of Guinness. There are also quite a few hotels in the area, but it may be more worthwhile to check into a bed-and-breakfast—not only is it a cheaper alternative, but there is a greater chance of meeting some interesting people. Another alternative would be to check into accommodations in Dublin city and take one of the tours to the area. That way you can be sure that you don't spend your time wandering around the countryside! This allows one the chance to see the sites in Dublin, too.
For more information about the Boyne Valley, visit: http://www.irishtourist.com/details/hill_of_tara.shtml .
For Accommodation in the Boyne Valley, see: http://www.knowth.com/accommodation.htm .
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