It’s been almost fourteen years since we visited Newgrange. Predating the pyramids and Stonehenge, Newgrange is one of the most important built structures on the planet. When we were there in 1993, you just parked along the road and walked up to the site. There may have been guides, but Lisa knew the one guide and we were able to go into the mound ourselves.

Much to our horror, there is a car park reminiscent of Disneyland, you need to buy timed tickets and are bused in small groups to the site. At least they had the foresight to place the visitors centre far away from the actual site so it didn’t interfere with the immediate surroundings.

We had an excellent guide who recounted various theories about the purpose of the passage grave, yet was wise enough to caution everyone to keep their minds open during the visit. He also mused on whether there was any modern built structure today that was destined to survive 5,300 years. I think not.