According to this morning’s Irish Times, some early Irish tomb-builders had it in a big way. (Here’s the link to the article, though it may be inaccessible if it’s been classified as “premium access”.) Details from the UK National Astronomy Meeting (being held for the first time at Dublin Castle):
“Dr Frank Prendergast of the Dublin Institute of Technology will talk about his discoveries at Loughcrew, Co Meath. The site, about 70 kilometres from Dublin, includes a number of passage graves and stone monuments that date from the Middle Neolithic Age, about 3,600-3,100 BC.
“…the Loughcrew monuments are unusual because of their alignments…. While Newgrange accurately marks the dawn of the winter solstice, the two largest Loughcrew tombs pick out the vernal and autumnal equinoxes,….
“On these days in March and September at dawn and for a period of some 20 minutes afterwards, the interiors of the tombs are illuminated by a shaft of sunlight, exposing the elaborate engravings on some of the stones inside.
“Equinoctial orientations are uncommon and their interpretation is controversial… Their alignments are also a challenge to pinpoint, as an observer must track the total annual range of the sun’s rising direction and then divide it in half to provide the tomb’s alignment.
“In contrast, the monument builders at Beaghmore, Co Tyrone, and similar sites in Fermanagh, Derry and Donegal seemed to have had a fascination with the moon, according to Prof Clive Ruggles of the University of Leicester. This cluster of Bronze Age monuments consists of interrelated stone circles, rows and cairns with apparent lunar alignments.”
