Stunning images captured by the National Monuments Service (NMS) show light filtering through Newgrange leading up to today's Winter Solstice.

Shares in exploration company Providence Resources plummeted 12% on it losing another high profile development partner for one of its offshore Irish drilling prospects.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney and Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Scotland Fiona Hyslop explain the background to this joint initiative.

They are focused on the river bed where it runs through the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site and are part of a project to look at the role of the Boyne.

Around 40 previously unknown monuments have been identified in the Brú na Bóinne area close to Newgrange as a result of what a leading archaeologist says was an “exceptionally successful” survey.

If I handed you a list of the top 10 things to do in Ireland before you die, how many do you reckon you could tick off?

Not every society has symbols that tell a story far beyond their original intent; buildings or monuments so polished

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

Minster for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, announced the discovery this morning.

The discovery over the summer of a passage tomb dating back 5,500 years in the Boyne Valley area has been described as the “find of a lifetime”. In fact, it is the find of several lifetimes as it reveals that a sophisticated and artistic culture thrived in the region during the Neolithic period, far removed from the savage ancient peoples of popular imagination.

A 5,500-year-old passage tomb, described as the ‘find of a lifetime’ was only discovered because of stringent planning laws.

A gorse fire that scorched Bray Head and forced an evacuation of local residents has revealed a World War Two-era sign.

The National Monuments Service has been notified of a possible Bronze Age cemetery and settlement near Duleek in Co Meath.

Visitors such as Sinead O’Connor and Tommy Makem once enjoyed tea at one of the country’s oldest galvanised shops, which is hoping to ensure its future with nostalgia.

The first research excavations in more than 30 years at Newgrange have begun, after a geophysical survey showed what could prove to be an “extraordinary monument”.

A visit to old friends in their remote farmhouse in south Sligo was like a foreign holiday, says Damien Enright.

Stage one of the 2018 Rás Tailteann began under dry skies yesterday in Drogheda with the ceremonial start taking place from St Peter’s Church.

Providence Resources could drill off the west coast — as well as in the Celtic Sea — next year as it continues to ramp up exploration activity.

I’d put cutting out social media on a par with giving up smoking. The fruit of putting the gadget down is reading, enjoying live shows, and participating in real life, writes Gerard Howlin

Fáilte Ireland and the OPW have teamed up to give everyone an opportunity to watch the winter Solstice effect within the passage tomb at Newgrange.

From the demonised beetle to crop rotation, Fiann Ó Nualláin spells out what’s necessary to ensure good soil health and help the environment.

Valentia Island’s telecommunications history is “of outstanding universal value” and it should be inscribed as a Unesco world heritage site, 200 delegates at a convention will hear this weekend.

WHEN he was 12, Kevin Moran decked an opponent a foot taller than him on a football field in Athlone because he felt a teammate had been fouled. He has been known as “Boxer” ever since.

The Junior Certificate French exam for higher-level students contained no surprises for those familiar with papers in previous years.

Providence Resources boss Tony O’Reilly Jr has said landing a development partner for the company’s headline asset — the Barryroe oil and gas field off the Cork coast — remains the top priority despite a potential deal collapsing in the last few months.

 

Damien Enright has some interesting artistic and historic insight into the cave artworks created by early European.

Dick Warner takes a look at the importance of the Winter Solstice to nature and its wildlife.

While most of us may think of the summer holidays as a chance to get a bit of sun abroad, three lads from Cork thought they’d try a holiday at home for a change.

While most of us may think of the summer holidays as a chance to get a bit of sun abroad, three lads from Cork thought they'd try a holiday at home for a change.

The month of October is somewhat special this year as Ireland welcomes its first National Space Week, running from October 3rd – 8th and coordinated by Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork. 

A trip to the Skelligs is like dipping into a history book. It’s a pilgrimage. How apt, writes Margaret Hickey

Martha Hunt, a woman from the US on holiday in Ireland, came into more than a spot of bother whilst in Dublin.

US vice president Joe Biden declared “I am delighted to be home” after arriving in Ireland last night for his six-day visit.

MEP Mairead McGuinness welcomed a delegation from Macra na Feirme, led by national president Seán Finan to the European Parliament in Brussels last week.

Visitor numbers to national heritage sites rose 11% last year to more than 4.9m.

Rain and cloud cover is expected to disrupt the sunrise at Newgrange this morning.