TG4 to livestream Winter Solstice at Newgrange

The Winter Solstice at Newgrange. Picture: Paul Mohan

TG4 will live stream the Winter Solstice at Newgrange on Wednesday, December 21 - the shortest day of the year.

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

The live stream will begin at 8:45am.

The u-turn comes just days after the Office of Public Works (OPW) announced that the spectacle would not be streamed.

Last week, the OPW confirmed that some lucky lottery ticket winners would be allowed to attend the event in-person this year, following a two year hiatus due to lockdown restrictions - putting the future of the live-stream at risk. 

The livestream was an extremely welcomed initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic, and this year, the thousands who failed to secure lottery tickets will be overjoyed to hear of its return.

Newgrange, which has a stone age passage tomb that is 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 shortest day of the year traditionally sees hundreds of people gather at the site of the passage tomb to try and catch a glimpse of the first bit of the rising sun shining through a 'roof box' above the entrance.

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

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.