Talk:Newgrange
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Ireland, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Ireland on Wikipedia. For more information, or to get involved, visit the project page. | |
| B | This article has been rated as b-Class on the Project's quality scale. (If you rated the article please give a short summary at comments to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses.) |
|
| High | This article has been rated as high-importance on the priority scale. | |
Contents |
[edit] New Grange Bluegrass Band
There is also a band named New Grange. Allison Brown et al. Should have a redirect.
[edit] Translation of Brú na Bóinne
Bru na Boinne should be translated as the Mansion, or Palace, of the Boyne, according to all the Irish I have consulted. The translation the Bend of the Boyne is probably derived from the title of the book (I myself made that mistake, which is why I started asking several people for translations). The title deals with the whole river bend, not just Newgrange (which is depicted on the front cover), that is the reason for the choice of word.
[edit] Metric measurements
Would anyone object if the measurements were changed to metric, with Imperial in paretheses following? Official units in the ROI are metric; at the very least, metric should be included.
- They may officially be in metric but I know very few people in Ireland who use metric alone and many who never use it. FearÉIREANN
\(talk) 21:14, 12 May 2005 (UTC)
-
- Indeed. But as I said, "at the very least, metric should be included". It is by far the most commonly used measurement system in the world, and billions of people (including me) have no intuitive idea of what 60 feet or 20 feet looks like. Would you mind if I put metric in parentheses after the Imperial, if you prefer to give the Imperial priority?
-
-
- Actually, I've gone ahead and done that. You can revert if you don't like it, but it surely can't hurt to have metric as well.
-
-
-
-
- I am reminded of the time when Barry Desmond signed the "order for the abolition of imperial measures" --ClemMcGann 19:38, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
-
-
[edit] Newgrange / Brú na Boinne
The article currently gives Brú na Bóinne as the Irish version of Newgrange. My understanding is that Brú na Bóinne is the area which incorporates the passage graves of Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth and other monuments.
Also, the UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription applies to the "Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne". I would suggest that we need to rework this series of articles and recategorise accordingly. --Ryano 11:38, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC)
- Agreed, Brú na Bóinne has a lot more monuments in it beyond the big 3. adamsan 18:48, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Lightbox feature
Isn't the article a little dismissive of newgrange's "lightbox"? I know a NPOV is a rule and to try and make it sound like tourism-bait is equally wrong and daft, but a unique architectural feature predating the Giza pyramids is being breezed over here! Any objections to me doing some rewriting if I get the time later this week? (A5y 20:19, 13 March 2006 (UTC))
- I dont know if i would call it dismissive, more like it's under/downplayed. As for rewriting, give it a shot, i dont have a problem with ot, as long as it does not sound like a tourist advert. --Boothy443 | trácht ar 07:07, 14 March 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Good article but could do with some improvement
- If I might add a few comments on things to improve this article, firstly the formatting of the page is pretty bad and needs to be fixed.
- Secondly, certain things that need to be added are, its uses, i.e. was it a Calendar? Was it just a burial tomb? Was it a place where rituals were preformed or was it always sealed?
- Other things are when was it in use? And by who? It is mentioned that people were still adding to it in the Bronze-age, 1,000 years after first construction. Did the Celts revere it? Did they use it for rituals? I've heard that Roman coins have been found at Newgrange, does this mean Roman visitors revere it?
- Also, it says that Newgrange was excavated in 1962, but I've seen pictures of people in the passage in the early 1900's any idea about this?
- --Hibernian 18:18, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
Burials or commitals were usually done yearly. Throw some remains in the tomb, clean them out the next year, they may have been devout but were practical
[edit] UNESCO World Heritage Sites
There are only TWO UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland, not SIX. It is both confusing and deceptive to readers to place Dowth, Knowth, Newgrange and Townleyhall passage grave under the "World Heritage Sites in the Republic of Ireland" category. They are NOT individual world heritage sites but fit under Brú na Bóinne. Please remove the World Heritage categories from the bottom of these four pages. I think a good idea would be to leave links to the four pages in the Brú na Bóinne page. Jaw101ie 02:06, 23 June 2006 (UTC)
- I saw Irish historian Conor Cruise "O'Brien speak about the "restoration" of Newgrange. Pointing out the re-inforced concrete and iron bars used in the "reconstruction" he stated " We are not sure what Newgrange looked like in old times but I am absolutely sure it did not look like this"
There are sevearal smaller less spectacular mounds in the Boyne Valley some undisturbed. Dowth and Lowth when i was there 30 years ago were untouristed.
[edit] Oldest surviving building
Is it true that newgrange is the oldest surviving structure in the world today?--Richy 01:58, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
I wondered about that, too. Dowth and Knowth close to it are most likely older. And what about Göbekli Tepe, thats about 11,000 years old 217.231.210.46 22:46, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
- Guess it comes down to what is meant by "surviving". Newgrange is still waterproof, Göbekli Tepe isn't. --Vinsci 11:27, 12 October 2007 (UTC)
It's not sure wether Göbekli Tepe ever had a roof. Newgrange had a lot of restauration over the times thought. Also, it is compared to Stonehenge as a building and you can't talk about that being waterproof, too. -- 217.231.228.136 17:38, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
There are mesolithic/neolithic barrows in England which are just as old. The West Kennet Long Barrow and Wayland's Smithy are arguably older than Newgrange, and Wayland's Smithy has the distinction of being continuously visible and accessible throughout much of its history, whereas Newgrange was buried for the best part of 4000 years. Newgrange is much more visually impressive than the other two, but it certainly isnt the oldest. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.187.106.57 (talk) 23:53, 5 November 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Error in Translation
The mound itself is not a "sidhe". Sidhe is a general term for the fairy folk themselves. The mound is a "noc" in which sidhe may live. Pardon my poor Irish - my little bit of Gaelic is Scots. (Spelling of "noc" is wrong as it is now often spelled with a "k" at each end, which is not a Gaelic letter and I cannot remember what it should be.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.100.241.86 (talk) 21:16, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
- Not so. While sídhe (plural) is used to mean the fairy folk, the singular sídh (Old Irish síd, reformed modern Irish sí) means a fairy mound. The Aos Sí, the "folk of the mound(s)", are the fairies. --Nicknack009 (talk) 19:03, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Dowth Henge
I'm puzzled by the reference to "Dowth Henge" - the article on Dowth describes it as a passage tomb, while the henge article seems to describe a different structure. As my archaelogical knowledge is mainly from reading books on the topic and watching Time Team, I wondered if someone could clarify whether Dowth would be considered a henge by archaeologists. Autarch (talk) 16:29, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
- I'd suggest that it's reasonable to take out the "henge" suffix from the sentence in question. As you point out, the Dowth article makes no mention of the structure being a "henge" (nor - having visited it several times - have I ever heard it described as such). It doesn't add much anyway. Guliolopez (talk) 16:36, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Quotation
There is a quotation in the text here which asserts that the entrance slab is "one of the most famous stones in the entire repertory of megalithic art". I don't doubt the validity of this statement, but - as a quote - it needs a citation/source. Any ideas where this quote is sourced from? Guliolopez (talk) 12:27, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
- Word for word from [1] "New Grange and the Bend of the Boyne By Seán P. Ó Ríordáin, Glyn Edmund Daniel, Glyn Daniel" 1964 --Doug Weller (talk) 13:37, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
- Cheers. Well spotted. Will add a book cite. Guliolopez (talk) 13:41, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
