Newgrange is a
prehistoric monument in
County Meath, Ireland, located about one kilometre north of the
River Boyne. It was built during the
Neolithic period around 3000 BC to 2500 BC, making it older than
Stonehenge and the
Egyptian pyramids. The site consists of a large circular mound with a stone passageway and interior chambers. The mound has a retaining wall at the front and is ringed by engraved kerbstones. There is no agreement about what the site was used for, but it has been speculated that it had religious significance – it is aligned with the rising sun and its light floods the chamber on the
winter solstice. It is the most famous monument within the Neolithic
Brú na Bóinne complex, alongside the similar
passage tomb mounds of
Knowth and
Dowth, and as such is a part of the Brú na Bóinne
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Newgrange also shares many similarities with other Neolithic constructions in Western Europe, such as
Maeshowe in
Orkney, Scotland and the
Bryn Celli Ddu in Wales.