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Newgrange is a prehistoric passage tomb in County Meath, Ireland. built during the Neolithic period around 3200 BC and predates monuments such as Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. The site consists of a circular mount with retaining walls and contains stone passages and chambers where human remains have been discovered on previous archaeology excavations by antiquarians from the 18th century. Normally we inherit two copies of the genome, one from each parent, but the individual buried in the chamber had genomes that were remarkably similar, suggesting that his parents were first-degree relatives and are a key indicator of inbreeding... Dan...

Drought in Ireland Leads to Discovery of Neolithic Henge Drone footage captured amid a heatwave close to the 5000-year-old Newgrange neolithic passage tomb in County Meath, Ireland, on July 10 revealed an previously-undiscovered henge, sparking an investigation by the country’s National Monument ServiceThe footage was shot by Ken Williams in Brú na Bóinne, or the Boyne Valley, an area rich in neolithic sites and which was designated a a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.Williams said that were it not for the recent heatwave and drought in the area, the remains of the henge would not have been seen.According to...

The 2,000 year-old bog butter found in Emlagh Bog, County Meath on June 1 (Cavan County Museum/Copper Tree Photography). ============================================================================================ Would you eat ancient butter? A 2,000-year-old 20-pound chunk of butter has been unearthed from a peat bog in Ireland, which is said to still be edible. The large lump of butter was discovered by farmer Jack Conway while cutting turf for fuel in Emlagh Bog, County Meath on June 1. The strange rugby-ball shaped object was buried about 16 feet down in the bog. Conway quickly realized that he had found what is known as ‘bog butter’ and contacted...

A prehistoric 10 kilo lump of bog butter thought to have been a gift to the gods has been found by turf cutters. The creamy white dairy product, which smells like a strong cheese and is believed to be about 2,000 years old, was unearthed by Jack Conway, from Maghera, Co Cavan, while he worked on Emlagh bog in Co Meath last week. The find, while not unusual, has been given to the National Museum where it will be preserved. Andy Halpin, assistant keeper in the museum's Irish Antiquities Division, said the discovery was significant because it was found in...

Our ancient Irish ancestors carved images of an ancient eclipse into giant stones over 5,000 years ago, on November 30, 3340 BC to be exact. This is the oldest known recorded solar eclipse in history. The illustrations are found on the Stone Age "Cairn L," on Carbane West, at Loughcrew, outside Kells, in County Meath. The landscape of rolling hills is littered with Neolithic monuments. Some say that originally there were at least 40 to 50 monuments, but others say the figure was more like 100... Martin Brennan and Jack Roberts discovered that the sun illuminates this chamber on the...

An Irish couple are now confirmed dead in the ISIS slaughter of 39 innocent tourists in Tunisia. That brings to three the number of Irish among the 39 fatalities. The couple have been named locally in Athlone, County Westmeath as Laurence (Larry) and Martina Hayes. He is a well known local bus driver. The couple are believed to be in their fifties. Their daughter was in contact with Irish authorities during the day before police finally confirmed the couple were among the dead. Lorna Carty, a mother of two from County Meath, was already identified as being murdered by the...

Timing is everything. Irish archaeologists recently discovered an enormous egg-shaped temple lies directly underneath the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland. Tara means `compassion', `love' and `enlightenment'. Though phonetically similar tara is the polar opposite of terror. Tara and Terror express the two opposites, the `dualing serpents' or the active and passive principles in nature. They are the light and darkness confronting us during this Age of Terror, which, prophets promise, instantly can transform into an Age of Tara. As my readers know, mine is a quest for Tara. The Hill of Tara, known as Temair in Gaelic (the...