Ireland Guide
Around Dublin: Wicklow, Kildare and Meath
Brú na Bóinne
Between the River Boyne and the N51 to the north, Brú na Bóinne (the "palace of the Boyne"; 
www.heritageireland.ie ) encompasses the spectacular 5000-year-old passage graves of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, high round tumuli raised over stone passages and burial chambers. Entry is funnelled through the impressive visitor centre on the south side of the river, which provides detailed information on the significance of the sites, their construction and artwork, and the Neolithic society that created them, as well as housing a tourist information desk and café. A footbridge crosses from the centre to the north side of the river, where the compulsory minibuses shuttle you to Newgrange and Knowth, which have both been comprehensively excavated and reconstructed, for guided tours.
Newgrange is unquestionably the most striking of the Brú na Bóinne mounds, not least because its facade of white quartz stones and round granite boulders has been reassembled. The quartz originally came from Wicklow, the granite from the Mourne and Carlingford areas, exemplifying the mind-boggling levels of resources and organization lavished on this project, by these farmers who used nothing but simple tools of wood and stone. It has been estimated that the tumulus, which is over 75m in diameter, weighs 200,000 tonnes in total and would have taken around forty years to build. It was the final resting place of a high-status family within the Neolithic community – the cremated remains and grave goods of at least five people were recovered from the burial chamber during excavation – but seems also to have had a wider purpose as a ritual site or gathering place.
It's well worth signing up for the lively guided tour of Knowth too, which provides some telling contrasts with the more famous Newgrange – not least in interpretation: the archeologist in charge of this site, for example, thought the white quartz stones discovered around the main passage entrance were to reflect the sun, so left them as a shimmering carpet on the ground. The Knowth mound is pierced by two passages, each around twice the length of the Newgrange tunnel, aligned roughly with sunrise and sunset on the equinox days in March and September and leading to back-to-back burial chambers. Unfortunately, it's no longer possible to follow the passages themselves, but the tour takes you inside the mound to look along the eastern tunnel, and you can also climb on top of the mound for views of the Hill of Slane and the Wicklow Mountains.
Practicalities
There are a couple of good B&Bs, both on working farms, if you want to stay in the immediate vicinity of Brú na Bóinne. Roughgrange is a comfortable seventeenth-century house with en-suite bedrooms, a kilometre or two west of the visitor centre on the Slane road ( 
041/982 3147; March– Oct; Price: €60-90), while Rossnaree, an Italianate Victorian country house about a kilometre further along the same road, offers considerably more luxury, as well as art and cookery courses ( 041/982 0975, www.rossnaree.ie ; Price: €120-150). Opposite the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, the new, purpose-built Newgrange Lodge offers a range of attractive and comfortable, en-suite budget accommodation ( 041/988 2478, www.newgrangelodge.com ; dorms from €15, private rooms Price: €60-90).
The Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre is open daily: March, April & Oct 9.30am–5.30pm; May & second half of Sept 9am–6.30pm; June to mid-Sept 9am–7pm; Nov– Feb 9.30am–5pm; last admission 45min before closing.
Admission prices: visitor centre €2.90; combined ticket with Newgrange €5.80; combined ticket with Knowth €4.50; all three €10.30. The Heritage Card is valid for all of these.
Transport
If you have your own transport, follow signs from the south side of the bridge in Slane or from the M1 motorway to the southwest of Drogheda (via Donore).
If you're relying on public transport, take Bus Éireann service #100 from Busáras to Drogheda (which is also served by suburban trains from Pearse, Tara Street or Connolly stations), and then the #163 bus to the visitor centre, which connects with the #100 5 or 6 times a day. Alternatively, a Newgrange shuttlebus operated by Over the Top Tours (€18 return) leaves Suffolk Street tourist office daily at 8.45am & 11.15am, stopping outside the Royal Dublin Hotel, O'Connell Street Upper, at 9am & 11.30pm, and returns from the visitor centre at 1pm & 4pm (though return times may vary in peak season). The journey takes about 45min; tickets can be purchased on board but it's better to book your seat in advance at any tourist office.