400 people gathered at the 5,000-year-old passage tomb of Newgrange in the Bend of the Boyne, Co. Meath, for the annual Winter Solstice sunrise phenomenon. Tens of thousands more logged onto a special OPW website to see the event broadcast live across the web. But there was just one problem, a typically Irish one - cloud! It was cloudy from horizon to horizon, marring the spectacle for all those who had waited for the special day to arrive.

But seven miles downstream from Newgrange, at the mouth of the Boyne, 20 people gathered at the ancient standing stones at Baltray and were lucky enough to catch a beautiful sunrise. The sky was 98% covered with cloud, but by a lucky chance, the 2% patch of clear sky lay precisely in the direction of the sunrise towards the southeast.

At 8.38am, the sun peeped up from the Irish Sea and lit up the grey sky, turning the murky cloud into a belly of firelit orange as the Winter Solstice dawn broke spectacularly at the mouth of Ireland's foremost ancient valley. We who gathered there, including writers, poets, artists, photographers and archaeologists, enjoyed a spectacle which warmed our souls. We were witnessing an event which had been marked out up to 5,000 years ago by ancient farmers who were well practiced in astronomical study. The Baltray standing stones constitute a simplistic expression of cosmic ideals displayed with such grandeur at the gigantic Newgrange. But despite their apparent insignificance, the Baltray standing stones are very important. They are the first ancient site in the Boyne Valley, overlooking the Irish Sea and the Boyne Estuary. And they have a Winter Solstice sunrise alignment, just like Newgrange.

Just before the sun made its appearance, Anthony Murphy, author of "Island of the Setting Sun - In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers", gave a brief talk about the astronomical and mythological significance of the standing stones. He was followed by archaeologist Conor Brady of Dundalk Institute of Technology who gave a brief overview of the archaeological significance of Baltray and the Boyne Valley. Then land owner and poet Ann Hartigan read one of her poems about the standing stones. The event was co-ordinated by Aude Laffon, National Monuments Advisor at Louth County Council.

Afterwards, most of the party adjourned to the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre for breakfast, where they met many of those who had missed the event at Newgrange due to cloud and made them jealous with tales of a beautiful morning down at Baltray.

Photos of the event are available here:
http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/baltray/solstice-sunrise-2008.php