Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site

Brú na Bóinne, which means the ‘palace’ or the ‘mansion’ of the Boyne, refers to the area within the bend of the River Boyne which contains one of the world’s most important prehistoric landscapes. It is located close to the east coast of Ireland approximately 40 km north of Dublin city, about 8km west of the medieval town of Drogheda and about 5km east of the village of Slane. The archaeological landscape within Brú na Bóinne is dominated by the three well-known large passage tombs, Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth, built some 5,000 years ago in the Neolithic or Late Stone Age. An additional ninety monuments have been recorded in the area giving rise to one of the most significant archaeological complexes in terms of scale and density of monuments and the material evidence that accompanies them. The Brú na Bóinne tombs, in particular Knowth, contain the largest assemblage of megalithic art in Western Europe. The natural heritage of Brú na Bóinne is also of importance and it encompasses several Natural Heritage Areas. The Boyne River Islands are one of the country’s few examples of alluvial wet woodland which is a priority habitat under the EU Habitat Directive. Brú na Bóinne was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in December 1993 in recognition of its outstanding universal value. The scale of passage tomb construction, the important concentration of megalithic art as well as the range of sites and the long continuity of activity were cited as reasons for the site’s inscription. Brú na Bóinne Visitor centre is situated on the south side of the River Boyne overlooking the core of the World Heritage Site. The Centre contains exhibitions that describe the society that created the Neolithic tombs, their homes, dress, food, tools and weapons. Great emphasis is placed throughout the Exhibition on the building of the monuments; why they were built: how they were used; where the building stones were found and how these were moved to the site. The audio-visual show deals primarily with the solar alignments in the Boyne Valley. The extensive exhibition also contains a partial full-scale replica of the chamber at Newgrange as well as a replica of one of the smaller sites at Knowth.