On-Line Solstice from Newgrange

The winter solstice at Newgrange chamber is Co Meath will be closed to the public again this year due to public health restrictions but can be watched online from 8.45am.

The service manager of the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre Clare Tuffy told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that there is great excitement at the venue this morning as they wait for the skies to clear and for the sun to enter the chamber.

"We are waiting ... and at the moment it's not looking too optimisitc, but half the fun at Newgrange is waiting", she said.

Ms Tuffy said that there was such a great reaction to last year's live stream and the hope is "as many people will join us again".

Last year the National Monuments Service carried out a research programme to analyse the light and how it moves within the chamber over these few days.

She said "we were presented with an opportunity to see the light as it hadn't been seen for 5,000 years because we blocked the doorway".

She said the doorway is normally left open for visitors but the original effect has been recreated by building a wooden doorway "so the only light we are seeing is the light that enters the roofbox, specially designed to allow the sunlight to enter, so it's like we are having a glimpse into the past".

There will be no one allowed in the chamber "only the spirits, enjoying the peace", she said.

Ms Tuffy said the online stream will be available for a number of days and the light could be visible over the next two or three days.