Team restores ancient Irish tomb before winter solstice
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A team of archaeologists, engineers, stonemasons, and blacksmiths in Northern Ireland are repairing a 5,000-year-old passage tomb located on the summit of Slieve Gullion, County Armagh.
The team began work after an engineering report revealed the existing roof, installed in the 1960s, had severely corroded and posed a danger. They are replacing steel beams and creating a new protective cage for the structure, carrying most of the materials up the mountain on foot.
The passage tomb is significant because it aligns with the winter solstice, when sunlight floods the chamber at sunset, a phenomenon observed for millennia but interrupted last year due to the roof’s condition. Workers are carefully monitoring the structure for any movement or new cracks as they install the new roof, using a device called a tell-tale to compare measurements with previous recordings.
The project also required ecological permissions due to the site’s location within an Area of Special Scientific Interest. The team expects to finish the repairs in time for the winter solstice on December 21st, allowing the public to once again witness the event inside the ancient tomb. The autumn equinox, marking equal daylight and darkness, occurred on September 23rd, with days now shortening by approximately four minutes each day.
