At Loughcrew's passage tombs, Martin Brennan documented something magical 🌞 At equinox, sunlight narrows through the entrance as a thin beam, then slowly moves across a backstone, illuminating carved symbols one by one. Brennan spent decades studying these Irish mounds, unlocking the astronomical alignments of Stone Age builders. Imagine witnessing that!
Light and shadow phenomena at Irish passage tombs
IrelandArchaeoastronomy
Key facts
- Martin Brennan studied sunrises at Irish mounds, documenting dramatic light effects at sites like Loughcrew
- At equinox, sun enters through a narrowed entrance as a small beam onto a backstone carved with symbols
- Moving sunlight progressively picks out carved symbols one by one on the backstone
- At Avebury near the obelisk, the top of Silbury Hill is visible, offering opportunity for light and shadow drama
- Scully (Yale professor) photographed similar light/shadow effects in Irish sites that created mythological illusions
Site mentioned
Sources
Martin Brennan - Inner Traditionsinnertraditions.com
Martin Brennan trained in visual communication at Pratt Institute. He has travelled extensively in Mexico where his interests in prehistoric rock inscriptions, ...
Equinox sunrise at Cairn T - Carrowkeelcarrowkeel.com
American researcher Martin Brennan has made great advances in the understanding of the role of astronomical orientations of chambered cairns. During his work in ...
Obituary: Martin V. Brennan, author, artist, megalithic discoverer, pimythicalireland.com
Martin Vincent Brennan, 'Morsheen', was ... Loughcrew Hills on the vernal equinox and cross quarter day respectively and his friendship author John Michell.
Martin Brennan, The Boyne Valley Vision and The Stones of Timeknowth.com
Martin challenged conventional opinion about the function of Newgrange , Dowth , Loughcrew ... equinox - the date when day and night are of equal length.
Golden Secrets of our History | Loughcrew - Newgrange.comnewgrange.com
Gerald O'Regan reports on Martin Brennan's Loughcrew equinox discovery in the Irish Independent, March 1980, on Stone Age astronomy and calendar making in ...
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