Winter Solstice 2022: What's happening at Newgrange? Watch back here

Everything you need to know about the astronomical phenomenon that takes place on the shortest day of the year

The sun shines along the passage floor into the inner chamber at newgrange during the 2013 Winter Solstice at Newgrange. Picture: Alan Betson / The Irish Times

What is the Winter Solstice?

The Winter Solstice is the period around December 21. It is an astronomical phenomenon that marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. 

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn.

Can I watch it online?

TG4 is set to live stream the Winter Solstice from outside Newgrange this morning from 8.45am. It comes after the Office of Public Works (OPW) announced that it would not stream the spectacle this year, having done so throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sunrise event will be streamed live on the broadcaster's Facebook page and online at TG4.ie - giving everyone a chance to enjoy the atmosphere at Brú na Bóinne from anywhere in the world.

What happens during sunrise at Newgrange?

Newgrange, which has a stone age passage tomb that's older than the pyramids in Egypt, is located in the Boyne Valley, Co Meath. It features a 19m-long passage that leads into a chamber with three alcoves. 

The passage and chamber are aligned with the rising sun on the mornings around the Winter Solstice. 

Above the entrance is an opening called a roof box, through which a beam of light penetrates the roof box and travels up the length of the passage and into the chamber on the Winter Solstice. 

An aerial view of the megalithic tomb at Newgrange. Picture: Copter View Ireland

As the sun rises higher, the beam widens and the whole chamber is illuminated for 17 minutes.

The OPW says the solar alignment of the passage tomb at Newgrange to face the rising sun on winter solstice is a significant astronomical finding of global importance. 

Newgrange was re-discovered by Professor Michael J O’Kelly in 1967 and analysis of high-resolution imagery taken during last year’s research programme adds to a convincing body of evidence that the solar illumination was an intentional feature of the tomb.

Can the public attend the tomb?

For the first time in two years, members of the public will be able to watch the winter solstice at Newgrange this year. Picture: Ciara Wilkinson

Only if you're a lucky ticket holder.

Since 2000, the Office of Public Works has operated a lottery draw for a place in the chamber to witness the Winter Solstice each year. 

Typically, demand for the event vastly outstrips supply and the lottery was deemed to be the fairest way to allocate tickets.

If you'd like to go next year, make a note in your diary - the lottery takes place at the end of September each year.

Does it only happen on one morning every year?

No. While the Solstice peaks on December 21, the chamber is illuminated by the rising sun for a few days around that date. The phenomenon is available to view on a number of mornings during this period.