My family and I just returned from a trip to Ireland. We visited a site called Newgrange. There were also sites called Knoth and Dowth or something like that. I would like to know more about these places. The tour ladies told us some of the history and discoveries.
Can you give me more information and or tell me where to look?

Dr. dig responds:
Newgrange is a fascinating site located in the Boyne River Valley, near Drogheda, Ireland. This river valley was the cradle of Irish civilization. The fertile soil supported a sophisticated society in Neolithic times. Much evidence survives in the form of ring forts, passage graves, and sacred enclosures. The most important Neolithic monuments in the valley are three passage graves: The most impressive is Newgrange. The Boyne Valley encompasses the Hill of Tara and the Hill of Slane, both of which are major sites in Celtic mythology. In fact, this whole region is rich in association with Ireland's prehistory. With monuments dating from before even the Egyptian pyramids, the Boyne River Valley is called the Irish "Valley of the Kings"!

Newgrange is one of the most impressive prehistoric monuments in Europe. The entrance, which is almost 60 feet long, leads to a main chamber, which has a corbelled roof and rises to a height of 19 feet. Older than Stonehenge, the giant megalithic tomb of Newgrange was probably built around 3200 B.C. At Dowth, the passage grave was plundered by Victorian souvenir hunters and has not been fully excavated. You cannot approach the tomb but it can be seen from the road. The passage grave at Knowth outdoes that at Newgrange in several respects, above all in the quantity of its treasures, which forms the greatest concentration of megalithic art in Europe. Also, the site was occupied for a much longer period -- from Neolithic times up to about A.D. 1400. Unusually, Knowth has two passage tombs rather than one. These are closed during excavation work.