Between the first and second roof slabs of the passage, over the entrance, is the rectangular opening built in stone, which forms the roof box. The upper lintel stone of this opening is carved to a depth of about 2 mm with a series of triangles, which create a raised pattern of X shapes separated by vertical lines. The large flat slab of stone seen beside the entrance was used to close it, so the light box was the only source of light inside the passage.
l The passage, which is 18.7 m long, is formed by upright stones (orthostats): 22 on the left (west) side and 21 on the right (east) side. These uprights are roofed with flat stones for most of the length of the passage and corbelled at the end nearest the chamber.
l The chamber is roughly 6 m in diameter and 6 m tall. It has three recesses, which create a cruciform plan like the east passage at Knowth. There is a basin stone in each of the recesses which contained ash from human cremations (Fig. 20.18).
Quartz Stones
The wall of white quartz stones and grey water-worn granite stones stands on the row of kerbstones at
Figure 20.17 Newgrange.
the front of the structure. The quartz came from Wicklow, 85 km away, and the granite beach stones came from Dundalk Bay, which is 50 km away.
The white stones were arranged as we see them today on the instructions of Professor O’Kelly, the chief archaeologist. Based on his research, he imagined that the mound had been built with a facing of white and grey stones when it was first constructed. There is now some dispute about this theory and the archaeologists at Knowth came to a different conclusion.
l Ninety-seven kerbstones surround the base of the mound at Newgrange. Many have decorations ranging from simple lines and spirals to fully decorated stones like the beautifully patterned entrance stone and kerbstone 52 on the opposite side of the mound. The kerbstones near the entrance are the largest – they are between 3 m and 4 m long and 1.2 m high. They are greywacke stone, which is found at Clogherhead, Co. Louth, about 30 km away. The 97 stones had to be transported by boat or raft along the coast and up the Boyne River to a point near Newgrange and then moved uphill to the site.
The quartz wall
Stones from the Great Circle
The entrance
Kerbstones 294 NEW APPRECIATING ART IRELAND AND ITS PLACE IN THE WIDER WORLD
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