Newgrange, the ancient Celtic burial chamber which is older than the Egyptian Pyramids, has been voted as Ireland’s most popular heritage site for the fourth year in a row by the National Heritage survey.
The ancient burial site got 15% of the vote as it beat off competition from Glendalough, Co Wicklow, which received 9% of the vote and the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare (8%).
Newgrange, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, was also named the site of the greatest historical importance to Ireland. It received 38% of the vote while the General Post Office in Dublin – the scene of the 1916 Easter Rising – only received 12%.
Newgrange is the most famous of a number of monuments at the Brú na Bóinne site in Donore, Co Meath. It is where the leaders of the ancient Irish societies were buried thousands of years ago.
It is also famous for the way the way it has been built specifically for the Winter Solstice so the main chamber gradually fills with sunlight as the sun rises. More on Newgrange here
Castles were the overall most popular kind of heritage site for visitors, followed by country manors and estate houses, museums, round towers and monastic sites and cathedrals and churches.
David Lane, managing director of Ecclesiastical Ireland said, “Reflecting on the results of the fourth annual heritage survey, it is gratifying to see that attendance to these sites remains strong and an overwhelming majority rate Irish heritage as important for tourism.”
Glendalough is a site that contains many early Christian monuments and was once home to St Kevin. It is also one of Ireland’s most outstanding areas of natural beauty with its setting among the Wicklow mountains.
The Cliffs of Moher are a striking sight to behold. They reach 700 feet tall and stretch for five miles across Ireland’s western coastline. They were nominated to be named as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.
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