The
entrance to Dowth South. There are spirals and cupmarks on the entrance
stone. This chamber is aligned to the winter solstice sunset. |
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Dowth North There are two passages and chambers within the cairn of Dowth, both located within the southwest quadrant of the mound.. The north passage was excavated in the early part of this century when the entrance was re-modelled. The actual opening lies buried underground while a concrete shaft intersects with the passage near it's entrance and has been used as the way in, using a ladder. There is also an early Christian souterrain which joins up with the passage, which is mainly used to enter Dowth North.
Plan of Dowth North by Claire and Michael O'Kelly. The passage is oriented to the Samhain/Imbolc sunsets in early November and February, though the sun has not shone in for many years and the chamber remains in darkness. Viewed from the passage, the sun would have set directly over Newgrange. The chamber of Dowth North is an unusual and complex affair. The passage extends for about 8m from the entrance and enters a chamber built of truely massive orthostats. There is a large smashed oval basin in the middle of the chamber, which only adds to the unusual and quite spooky atmosphere. The chamber is cruciform in plan with three recesses. The right-hand recess extends into another short passage which turns right and then left. This annex is small and cramped - the visitor has to cross three sill-stones to enter it. It is a very unusual feature and not found at any other site in the catalogue of chambered cairn design in Ireland, and may be the remains of an earlier monument which was altered when the huge mound was built.
The chamber of Dowth North with it's massive smashed basin at the centre. Note the art on the right orthostat. Photo by Duchas. Dowth South Dowth South has a short passage which opens into a round chamber, about 5 meters in diameter, with an unusual recess to the right. The structure was originaly roofed with a corbelled vault, which had collapsed and was dismantled and replaced with a concrete ceiling. Again, this is unusual designwork in relation to Irish cairns. The chamber is aligned to the winter solstice sunset. A broad beam of sunlight enters the passage at 4.15 pm, sweeps across the floor and illuminates the decorated stone at the back of the chamber. The reflected light illuminates the recess to the right. There is a kerbstone across the entrance, and though it has fallen forwards, one can see a spiral and cupmark engraved upon it.
Martin Brennan measuring the sunbeam in Dowth South, which he re-discovered with Jack Roberts during their astronomical research in the Boyne Valley in the early 1980's. Martin Brennan concluded that the mounds in the Boyne Valley were linked in an annual cycle of astronomical observations. He found that the suns rays entered several of the mounds on the winter solstice, beginning with Newgrange and ending with Dowth South. There are several engravings in the right recess which are similar to and probably derived from the rayed circles of Loughcrew. Immediately beside Dowth to the east is Dowth Church and Castle which are on the grounds of Netterville Manor. The Manor is now a guest house, and a great place to stay while exploring the Boyne Valley sites. The Irish poet John Boyle O'Reilly was born at Dowth Castle. There is a Sheela-na-Gig, which I have never been able to find on the Church. |
