PREHISTORIC VILLAGES

June 28, 2004

Today is our last day in the Dublin area and we decided to try to do one of the loops in the Michelin guide.  These trips always seem to take us much longer than Michelin thinks they should.  I guess we actually stop, get out of our car, and visit the points of interest, rather than just whizzing by.

We started out by visiting the castle in the village of Trim.  This is where Braveheart was filmed.

The tour guide was very informative and so interesting we had trouble tearing ourselves away from Trim.  This castle was built in 1172 and was remodeled several times due to changes in siege techniques.  We learned many interesting facts about how battles were fought and sieges were prosecuted.  For example, do you know why a spiral staircase always spirals clockwise?  I didn’t think so!  The reason is that most warriors held their sword in their right hand.  When the staircase in the castle spiraled clockwise the person coming down the stairs had the advantage because their sword hand was away from the central wall, whereas the person coming up the stairs had their sword hand against the center support post of the staircase.

We also learned why the foundation of the castle was built out away from the main building, (so the foundation could not be undermined, causing the castle walls to collapse), and all about the portcullis and murder holes, and how the nobleman’s living quarters were protected by other rooms.

After leaving Trim we proceeded on to the famous Hill of Tara.  This is the legendary hill where the Kings of Ireland would have their big confab every three years.  The rain was pouring down, but we walked out around the hill and the ancient burial mounds anyway, before going into the little chapel for an excellent video presentation.

After leaving Tara we went on to the very famous prehistoric ruin in Newgrange.  This is considered to be the best example of a passage grave in the world.  We were very impressed with the visitor center there.  It has been constructed in a way to emulate the rustic stone mounds.  There is an excellent museum and the tour of the burial mound was also excellent.

At the site there are many examples of ancient carvings, spirals, diamonds, hash marks, etc.  These are the originals, carved 6000 years ago!  We felt awe as we stood inside the tomb and the lights were doused and we saw how the sun would shine into the opening for 17 minutes on the very day of the winter solstice.  How did these people know these things?