Michael Fox is the creator and editor of Knowth.com and
Newgrange.com, and the founder of
Boyne Valley Tours. His passion for the Boyne Valley’s ancient monuments
and history inspired both the websites and his work as a tour guide.
Michael Fox at Newgrange.
Roots in the Boyne Valley
Born in Drogheda and raised in Navan, Michael grew up in the Boyne Valley, surrounded by the monuments that would inspire
his websites and guided tours. His interest in history and archaeology remained a personal pursuit while he worked as Head of IT for a commercial company.
Knowth.com and Newgrange.com
In the late 1990s, as the internet became increasingly important in business, Michael created Knowth.com to develop
his understanding of web technology. He chose the ancient monuments of the Boyne Valley as his subject. What began
as a learning exercise became a lasting interest, and the website expanded as he researched Knowth, Newgrange, Dowth,
Tara, Fourknocks and Loughcrew.
Michael later acquired Newgrange.com and developed it as a companion to Knowth.com, sharing information about
Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. Together, the websites offer a resource for visitors planning a trip and anyone interested
in the ancient monuments of the Boyne Valley.
Loughcrew, March 2005
On 23rd March 2005, Michael filmed the spring equinox illumination
inside Cairn T on Carnbane East at Loughcrew. Around the spring and autumn equinoxes, a beam of sunrise light enters the
passage and moves across the decorated backstone.
The 50 minute recording is condensed into a 1 minute, 46 second sequence in the video below, which also introduces
the alignment. It captures the illumination from inside the chamber before Cairn T closed to the public in October 2018.
Spring equinox sunrise inside Cairn T at Loughcrew, 23rd March 2005. Film by Michael Fox.
Newgrange, December 2010
Heavy snowfall prevented some solstice lottery winners from reaching Newgrange
for the winter solstice sunrise on 22nd December 2010. Their places were offered to local enthusiasts, including Michael,
Anthony Murphy and Ken Williams, who joined the other
visitors inside the chamber.
As the sunbeam retreated from the chamber, Michael asked Ken to photograph his hand in the golden light.
The photograph remains a treasured reminder of that morning.
Michael Fox touching the winter solstice sunbeam in the Newgrange passage, 22nd December 2010.
Photograph by Ken Williams.
Townleyhall, June 2011
Townleyhall is a small, ruined passage tomb near Newgrange
which is aligned with the rising sun around the summer solstice.
On 24th June 2011, Michael filmed the sunrise, using his shadow on the surviving chamber stones to show the alignment.
Boyne Valley Tours
Following the economic downturn of 2008, Michael took the opportunity to turn his longstanding interest in history
and archaeology into a new career. He completed the Fáilte Ireland National Tour Guiding programme and obtained an SPSV
(Small Public Service Vehicle) licence to offer private tours as a driver-guide. He founded
Boyne Valley Tours in 2010, initially focusing on the Boyne Valley.
He later introduced tours of Wicklow, where Glendalough, mountain scenery and gardens offer
a contrasting experience within easy reach of Dublin.
Michael and his wife Bernadette, an artist, have lived in their Boyne Valley home for over 30 years. Her work can be
viewed at Boyne Valley Art, and guests on private tours are welcome
to explore their garden and walking labyrinth.
Michael shares photographs and videos celebrating the heritage and scenery of the Boyne Valley and beyond on
YouTube,
TikTok,
Facebook and
Instagram.
A guided introduction to Brú na Bóinne, where timed visits to Newgrange and
Knowth sit at the heart of the day. From there the itinerary moves on to the royal landscape of the
Hill of Tara and the historic heights of the
Hill of Slane, linking prehistoric
monuments with early Irish kingship and tradition. Newgrange and Knowth need official OPW timed tickets. When they are on your
itinerary, we purchase them on your behalf and add the admission cost to your booking.
€700 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees. Admission fees are extra.
Follow the Boyne Valley's medieval story from fortress walls to monastic cloisters. The day features Ireland's largest
Anglo-Norman keep at Trim Castle and the Cistercian
foundations at Mellifont Abbey and
Bective Abbey. It also takes in the round tower and high
crosses of Monasterboice. There is time for the
Hill of Slane when the itinerary allows.
€700 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees. Admission fees are extra.
Built for travellers who want deeper time among Meath's Stone Age monuments. Official visits to Newgrange and
Knowth are followed by quieter tombs at
Dowth and
Fourknocks, where carved stones and chamber spaces can be
experienced at a more unhurried pace.
€700 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees. Admission fees are extra.
Leave Dublin for the mountain roads of County Wicklow, where lake viewpoints and forest valleys lead to the monastic city of
Glendalough. Founded by Saint Kevin in the sixth century,
Glendalough combines a round tower, ruined churches and lakeside walks in one of Ireland's most atmospheric valleys.
€700 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees. Admission fees are extra.
A gentler Wicklow day shaped around estate gardens and open mountain views. Expect time among the formal landscapes of
Powerscourt, the rare plant collections at Kilmacurragh and scenic drives across the Wicklow uplands, with photo stops rather
than a packed monument schedule.
€700 total price for up to six guests, plus booking fees. Admission fees are extra.
In 2007 three of his photographs were chosen for the
Boyne Valley Tourism calendar. Loreto Guinan, Heritage Officer
for Meath County Council, judged them with Con Brogan, photographer for the Office of Public Works heritage sites.
The pictures were the Lia Fáil at Samhain sunrise, a winter solstice rainbow over Newgrange and the equinox beam on
the backstone of Cairn T at Loughcrew.
Lia Fáil, the Stone of Destiny, on the Hill of Tara at Samhain sunrise. Photograph by Michael Fox.
