The newly revamped Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre in Co. Meath was officially opened on March 3rd by representatives of the Irish government.
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The enhanced attraction, which is one of Ireland's most popular, tells the story of the excavations that took place over a 50-year period at the Stone Age burial mounds known as Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth.
Brú na Bóinne contains more than half of the megalithic art in Europe.
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Experience Ancient History at Newgrange
The visitor experience includes a digital exhibition exploring the rock art that is still visible in the 5,000-year-old passage tomb.
Visitors can also walk on a simulation of the nearby River Boyne while seeing and hearing the sights and sounds of the surrounding countryside, even glimpsing moving images of animals and birds that are no longer native to Ireland.
Large video screens showing the exciting discovery of a previously unknown Neolithic henge, which was found by drone video in July 2018, are also new and will surely enhance the visitor experience.
Newgrange, which is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Dublin, is a popular place throughout the year, but the Winter Solstice attracts the biggest crowds to the historic site.
People gather at dawn (8:58 a.m.) from Dec. 18 through Dec. 23 each year.
Access to the chamber is decided by a lottery system conducted in September of each year.
Approximately 60 people are chosen each year, and those lucky enough to get close to the chamber can witness a beam of light that penetrates the roof-box and travels up the passage and into the chamber (that is, if the Irish weather cooperates and the sun is shining!).
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Experiencing the New Visitor Center
Tourists interested in visiting the new center must pre-book.
Tickets include the Brú na Bóinne tour plus a visit to the Newgrange chamber.
All visitors to the attraction must start their journey at the newly revamped visitor center first and then take a shuttle bus to the Newgrange site and Knowth.
Dowth can be accessed separately by car.
To discover more about this fascinating region of Ireland, listen to Anthony Murphy of Mythical Ireland talk about it in this video: