Dowth is the least well known great passage tomb on the bend of the Boyne, Co. Meath. Roughly the same size as Newgrange and Knowth, Dowth has never been scientifically exacavated though previous botched attempts over the last two hundred years have left the mound considerably disfigured, with a massive crater in the top and large amounts of cairn material missing from the side. It had been used as a quarry for road building materials and long before that medieval souterrains were constructed using part of the north passage.

The south chamber has a short passage leading to a large circular chamber which was found to be aligned to the setting sun on the winter solstice. For some photographs of this event, click here

The south west section of the kerb and mound under moonlight.

Looking west under a starry sky.

The tomb is actually larger than it first appears, by the time visitors reach the sloping sides of the mound they have already crossed the buried kerb on the north side by a couple of metres.

The section of the kerb shown in this photo is from the south side of the tomb, some fading carvings are visible on these stones.

The same view of the mound as in the third photo in daylight.

Carivngs on the back wall of the main chamber, chevrons on the left hand stone and zig-zag wavy lines on the left hand stone. These designs can be seen in both of the other two great tombs at Newgrange and Knowth, and also at the smaller chamber at Fourknocks.

There is no public access to the chambers at Dowth, on the winter solstice evening the Office of Public Works allow a small supervised group to enter the passage which allows the vibrant carvings inside to be seen and photographed.

This stone is in the small side chamber and it is this stone and its many carvings that is illuminated by the light reflected off the back wall of the main chamber on the winter solstice sunset.

The designs are mostly circle based or spirals and due to their location inside the chamber, have been protected from weathering. The art at Dowth is somewhat primitive and less prolific than either newgrange or Knowth but there is a definite theme that runs through the carvings that suggests a deep symbolic meaning nonetheless.

A close up of the spiral seen in the photo above.

These small motifs are located near the bottom of the stone and seem less confident than the other carvings here, giving them a certain charm or naiviete all of their own.