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seasonal · Wednesday 30 September 2026 · Various 
Newgrange Winter Solstice Lottery 2026 - Applications Open
At Newgrange, Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre · Donore, Co. Meath
At Newgrange, Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre · Donore, Co. Meath
Every year, a handful of people get to stand inside a 5,200-year-old passage tomb on the shortest morning of the year and watch sunlight do exactly what it was engineered to do, five millennia ago. The Newgrange Winter Solstice Lottery is how you apply for one of those places. Entry is free, the closing date is 30 September 2026, and winning is genuinely rare - thousands of people apply for a few dozen spots. If you have ever wanted a reason to try your luck, this is it.
Around 8:58am on each of the solstice mornings (19 - 23 December), the rising sun aligns with a narrow roof-box built above the entrance passage at Newgrange. A thin beam of gold light enters the tomb, travels the length of the passage and gradually fills the central chamber - side recesses, floor and roof six metres above - for about 17 minutes before retreating. Neolithic builders aligned the monument to this single moment with an accuracy that still surprises archaeologists.
Each winner in the lottery draw is assigned one specific morning and may bring one guest. Places are strictly non-transferable. Winners are notified by post within ten working days of the draw, which takes place at Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre in late September. Applicants must be over ten years of age; anyone under eighteen must be accompanied by an adult.
Even if you do not win, the public is welcome to gather outside the mound on each of the five mornings to watch the sunrise from the exterior - no lottery required for that.
Newgrange is reached via the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre at Donore, Co. Meath, roughly 8km west of Drogheda and about 48km north of Dublin along the M1/N51. Shuttle buses run from the visitor centre to the monument itself - private vehicles do not go to the mound directly. Drogheda has regular Bus Éireann and Irish Rail connections from Dublin; from Drogheda, local buses or a taxi cover the final stretch to Donore. Parking is available at the visitor centre.
The Boyne Valley packs in a remarkable amount of history for a short stretch of river. Knowth and Dowth - the two other major passage tombs in the Brú na Bóinne complex - are nearby, and the Hill of Tara is a straightforward drive south. There is more to see in Slane and across Co. Meath.
Heading to Newgrange, Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre? Meath has plenty more to see. Browse the area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.