Home Visitor Centre Guided Tours Winter Solstice Images News Knowth Articles Art Works Books Directions Contact

Loughcrew Equinox - 20th March 2009

On Carnbane East at Loughcrew, Cairn T is aligned with the rising sun at the equinoxes, when light enters the chamber and illuminates the carvings within. The photographs below record the spring equinox on 20th March 2009, when the sunrise broke through fog to reach the backstone on the actual equinox morning.

Visitors gather at the gated Cairn T entrance at Loughcrew, flanked by kerbstones, in golden equinox sunrise light on 20 March 2009 Gathering for the Loughcrew Equinox sunrise - 20th March 2009

The Office of Public Works staff opened Cairn T, Loughcrew on three mornings for the Spring Equinox sunrise illumination of the chamber and backstone: the 20th March, the actual equinox morning, and on the following two mornings, the 21st and 22nd March. The mornings were foggy leading up to the equinox, so a relatively small group gathered around 6:30am at Cairn T on Friday 20th March. Their optimism was rewarded and the equinox sunrise broke through the fog to illuminate the chamber and backstone.

About 150 people made the pilgrimage on Saturday 21st March and about 100 on Sunday 22nd March, but the fog kept the sun hidden on both mornings.

Equinox sunbeam on Orthostat C15, the Cairn T backstone at Loughcrew, lighting a flower motif, ladder carvings, crescents and chevrons Sunbeam on the backstone of the chamber inside Cairn T at Loughcrew - 20th March 2009
Visitor resting in the Cairn T chamber at Loughcrew as equinox sunlight illuminates their face beside an orthostat with rosette and chevron carvings A sun worshipper contemplating the spring equinox inside Cairn T at Loughcrew - 20th March 2009

Loughcrew Video - Spring Equinox 2005

The progress of the sunbeam on the backstone inside Cairn T at Loughcrew was video recorded at sunrise on the morning of March 23rd 2005. The 50 minute video has been compressed to 1 minute 46 seconds and included in the following YouTube Video.

Video of the sunbeam on the backstone inside Cairn T at Loughcrew at sunrise, March 23rd 2005
Tall view of equinox sunlight illuminating sun symbols, zigzags and ladder motifs on the Cairn T backstone at Loughcrew
Equinox sunlight on the backstone in Cairn T.

Loughcrew Equinox Archive

See also the main Loughcrew Equinox page.

Back to top