Fáilte Ireland and the OPW have teamed up to give everyone an opportunity to watch the 2017 Winter Solstice effect within the passage tomb at Newgrange.
A unique live stream will be established from the visitor attraction on the mornings of Wednesday and Thursday, December 20-21 (from 8.30am both days).
Welcoming the initiative, Minister of State for Tourism and sport, Brendan Griffin TD said: “This is a fantastic way to share the unique magic of Newgrange with a much larger audience. It is also a great way to highlight the type of compelling history and heritage that Ireland offers as a destination.”
Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran added: “Newgrange nestled in the Boyne Valley is an important historical site in Irelands Ancient Heritage which attracted over 207,000 visitors in 2016.
"Our annual Winter Solstice Lottery received over 33,000 applications to witness this event with winners from as far as Austria, Italy, Switzerland and the United States of America, showing the continuing fascination the Solstice has the world over.”
The live stream will also be embedded and available to watch on the Ireland’s Ancient East website on a special page at www.irelandsancienteast.com/wintersolstice which will also provide context within the wider ancient Ireland and Boyne Valley story.
Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Ireland’s Ancient East, Jenny De Saulles, today explained the importance of Newgrange for the tourism brand: “The Newgrange site is one of the jewels in the crown of Ireland’s Ancient East and we are delighted to be teaming up with the OPW to share its story with as wide an audience as possible.
"The history, heritage and the ancient atmosphere of Newgrange conjure up everything special about Ireland’s history and unique past and we are really happy to bring these elements to a wider audience.”
Interested viewers who subscribe in advance to the Ireland Ancient East YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/irelandsancienteast will get alerts and be prompted to tune in at the appropriate times.
Zack