Ireland’s Brú na Bóinne (“Palace of the Bóinn”) is generally regarded as holding north-western Europe’s greatest concentration of intact prehistoric monuments with the main burial mound of Sí an Bhrú (“Otherworld Residence of the Palace”) dating to 3200 CE. It has been poured over by antiquarians, historians and archaeologists for centuries so it is a bit of surprise that a new monument has been discovered within the complex. From the Evening Herald:
“Using light detection and ranging imaging known as LiDar, an underground passageway and several other previously undetected features have been discovered near the river Boyne, Co Meath, on private land south-west of Newgrange.
The LiDar imagery showed a mound with a circular enclosure, while further work involving new technologies, known as magnetic radiometry and resistivity, unveiled a definite passage, leading northeast out of the newly discovered tomb.
It is the first discovery to be made without any archaeological digging, instead being found through use of LiDar and other “ground-probing techniques.” The archaeologists who made the discovery, led by Kevin Barton, are calling on the Minister for Heritage, Jimmy Deenihan, to declare the site a national monument.
Because the new discovery is on private ground, the team of archaeologists need the Minister to do this as without Government designations, an excavation would be impossible.
Activist group ‘Save Newgrange’ are backing the archaeologists’ request to the minister, as well as requesting that Meath County Council include the new findings in the Management Plan for the World Heritage Site.
The results of a full scale excavation could lead to an expansion of Newgrange and could halt any further plans for an N2 Bypass of the site, which would be critical if there were any more requests from local council to build the motorway.
In 2012, An Bord Pleanala refused an application for the bypass because of proximity to the monument. Local politicians, however, are still hoping to procure a bypass.”
I bet they feckin’ are! The modern Oirish surely love to hate their history. So, what’s the bets on the government not looking the other way while some major, party-donating construction company concretes over the discovering? What? No takers? Oh, what intelligent readers I have…
AN SIONNACH FIONN 
Like I always say, expect the worst! We always knew newgrange had an entrance and exit as seemingly others do but expected any information to be buried along with many other government and subsidized reports – is it no wonder gormless-gormley failed in his ministry in securing unesco status for Tara because the site was compromised by state funded m3 motorway – hopefully tolls (double taxation), increasing motor tax, increasing fuel costs 7srl will make the four-wheel obsessives rethink the allegiances to traditional developwe led transport systems in the “commuter belts” – otherwise expect the Disney-fixation of Irish prehistory similar to native American culture – beyond tragedy!
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