The Knockroe Winter Solstice is one of the highlights of my year. This Neolithic passage tomb is aligned to both sunrise and sunset on the solstice. Professor Muiris O’Sullivan who excavated Knockroe joins us to discuss this wonderful site, Neolithic Ireland and meaning in episode 28 of Amplify Archaeology Podcast.

In this episode of the Amplify Archaeology Podcast, Neil had another great chat with Professor Muiris O’Sullivan, who you might remember from our Winter Solstice at Newgrange Miniseries. This time Muiris told us all about Knockroe Passage Tomb in the Lingaun Valley, on the borderlands between Kilkenny and Tipperary. Like Newgrange, Knockroe also has Winter Solstice alignments, but for both the sunrise and sunset. Making it a very rare example of a dual-aligned tomb.

Muiris discussed his excavations at Knockroe, the findings and megalithic art, and how an innovative experimental archaeology project by Tara Clarke (now a much-valued colleague at Abarta Heritage!) has revealed some fascinating insights into Neolithic Ireland. We also discussed folklore, borders and boundaries, and the  incredibly rich and varied heritage of the Lingaun Valley. Many thanks again to Muiris for all his time and insights. If you’d like to explore this archaeological landscape for yourself do tune into the episode to find out how to get your free itinerary map!

Knockroe Winter Solstice – Key Discussion Points

• The setting of Knockroe Passage Tomb – 2 min 26 secs
• How did Muiris first come to study Knockroe? – 3 min 08 secs
• The archaeological landscape of the Lingaun Valley – 4 min 30 secs
• Borderlands – 6 min 57 secs
• The importance of Slievenamon – 11 min 03 secs
• Folklore, Myths and Legends – 12 min
• The excavations at Knockroe – 12 min 30 secs
• The interesting geology and use of stone at Knockroe – 17 min 47 secs
• The two passageways of Knockroe – 23 min
• Human remains at Knockroe – 26 mins 09 secs
• The artefactual assemblage at Knockroe – 28 min 50 secs
• Experimental archaeology and bone pins – 29 min 56 secs
• Carrowkeel Bowls – 33 mins 30 secs
• The Megalithic Art at Knockroe – 36 min 30 secs
• How did the excavations at Knockroe change Muiris’s perception of passage tombs – 39 mins 19 secs
• The local folklore of Knockroe – 44 min 30 secs
• The Knockroe Winter Solstice and meaning in Neolithic Ireland – 48 min 04 secs
• The Winter Solstice at Knockroe today, spirituality, meaning and belief – 50 min 52 secs

Show notes and links to further information

• The Winter Solstice event at Knockroe is always a lovely experience. It is managed by the local community through Lingaun Valley Tourism. You can follow them on Facebook here.
• If you can’t make it there, I highly recommend watching the Winter Solstice at Newgrange live online. National Monuments and the OPW have it livestreamed here.
• Muiris featured in the opening episode of our Newgrange and Winter Solstice Miniseries. You can find that here.
• Muiris co-authored an excellent article on Knockroe in the latest edition of Archaeology Ireland Magazine. Give yourself a great Christmas gift by subscribing, to keep up with the latest news and research in Irish Archaeology. You can do so at the Wordwell Website.
• I highly recommend Muiris’s excellent Wordwell Publication Antiquities of Rural Ireland by Muiris and for a wonderful overview of all periods of Irish archaeology.
• You can also find out more about Knockroe in our article here.
• You can access the Lingaun Valley Itinerary Map by signing up for our mailing list in the box below.
• Or you can access it, along with a whole host of other itineraries, articles on places to visit, online courses and much more by subscribing to our new membership service: Tuatha.
• Please do leave Amplify Archaeology Podcast a review if you can, or share the episode on social media using the podcast #AmplifyArchaeology – it really does help us out so I’d be very grateful.