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Townleyhall summer solstice sunrise alignment

Townleyhall passage tomb chamber with dry-stone walls and upright orthostats set into a grassy mound. The chamber at Townleyhall. Townleyhall passage tomb lies just north of the large mounds at Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. It is smaller and more basic in design than its bigger neighbours, and only a few of the original stones remain. Concrete markers show the position of the lost stones. On the mornings around the summer solstice, Townleyhall is a special place, with the passage and chamber aligned with the rising sun.

I planned to be at Townleyhall for sunrise on 21 June 2011, but the weather was not encouraging, so I waited for the first clear morning, which was 24 June. It was a bright, cool morning, just 5°C (41°F), with a mostly clear sky.

Pre-dawn orange glow on the horizon beyond a field, framed by Townleyhall stone walls and a chain-link fence. I arrived at Townleyhall at 5am and could already see the reflected light from the sun below the horizon.
Brown and white cow behind a fence looking towards the camera as the sun breaks through low cloud, framed by Townleyhall stone walls. As the sun broke through some low cloud the cattle came to investigate.
Bright summer solstice sun on the horizon aligned with the Townleyhall passage, with a black and white cow standing in the field. By 5:15am the sun was shining brightly in alignment with the passage and chamber.
Townleyhall chamber in soft morning light, with dry-stone walls and upright orthostats at the back of the gravelled passage. My shadow on the stones at the back of the chamber shows the perfect alignment of the rising sun.
Long photographer shadow across a flowered meadow towards cattle and the Townleyhall mound, with warm low sun from the left. My shadow from further back in the field showing the alignment of the rising sun.
Photographer shadow cast into the Townleyhall chamber towards the back orthostats as the sun rises higher and moves south. As shown by my shadow, by 5:45am the sun had risen in the sky and moved south.

Video of summer solstice sunrise at Townleyhall

OPW information plaque for Townleyhall Passage Tomb describing the Neolithic tomb, rectangular chamber and excavation finds. The OPW (Office of Public Works) information sign at Townleyhall passage tomb.

More on Townleyhall passage tomb.

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