Loughcrew
MegalithicEurope
Complex of approximately thirty passage tombs spread across the Loughcrew hills (Slieve na Calliagh — 'mountain of the hag') in County Meath, Ireland. The cairns are conventionally dated c. 3300 BCE, contemporary with Newgrange and Knowth. Cairn T preserves the most spectacular megalithic art in Ireland: deeply carved concentric circles, sunburst motifs, and abstract symbols on multiple chamber stones. The cairn's passage is aligned on sunrise at the spring and autumn equinoxes — the rising sun illuminates the rear chamber and specific carvings in sequence. Hugh Newman documents the alignments and the Winnemucca petroglyph correspondence.
Look Closer — this site carries open questions: geometry beyond period explanation; stones fitted without mortar, almost no gap.
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Walkthrough videos (3)
Loughcrew | Megalithic Art in Ancient Ireland & The Winnemucca Connection | MegalithomaniaHugh Newman / Megalithomania
Loughcrew: myths, history and astronomy of a Neolithic cemetery in IrelandAnthony Murphy / Mythical Ireland
The Hill of the Witch — the Cairns of Loughcrew, a quick guideAnthony Murphy / Mythical Ireland
Nearby sites
- Loughcrew Cairns0 km
- Hill of Tara38 km
- Knowth41 km