Share a unique experience - tour the Boyne - Valley of the Milky Way - and explore its monuments, its myths, its magic. Hear about stones, stars and stories and experience the Island of the Setting Sun like you've never experienced it before. Delve into the mysteries of a sacred landscape and hear about warriors, wonderful cosmic events, and the unity of the landscape features and monuments which make up part of an ancient cosmological masterplan. If you've enjoyed the Mythical Ireland experience here on www.mythicalireland.com, why not enjoy the real thing, and come with us on a magical journey through time and myth.

In 2008, Mythical Ireland is starting tours of the Boyne Valley and Meath/Louth region because we believe there's a very strong demand for something "different". Now you can experience Ireland, its legends and landscape, like you've never done before. The echoes of the deep past resonate in the landscape today, but even moreso if you tune to the correct frequency. This year, connect with that cosmological landscape and hear the fantastic stories of old retold and deciphered in an entertaining, mystic and wonderful way.

THE BOYNE - VALLEY OF THE MILKY WAY - TOUR:

Newgrange

This half-day tour will retrace the footsteps of hoary ancestors who landed at the Boyne Estuary and made the banks of this bountiful river their home and the site of their magnificent monuments. The tour will take in the Baltray standing stones, where a discovery in 1999 by three local earth mysteries researchers revealed that they had a Winter Solstice sunrise alignment, just like Newgrange. Then travel to the mysterious Millmount and hear about the Milesian invasion, led by the poet astronomer Amergin. Hear about its interesting astronomical alignments and the new information which places this mound on an equal footing with Newgrange and the major mounds of the Bend of the Boyne. Journey to Newgrange*, part of the Boyne World Heritage site, and see the wonderful "white Brugh" of Aonghus, hear magical tales transformed into astronomical wonderment and learn of the greater legacy of this awe-inspiring monument of 5,000 years ago.

Knowth

See the splendours of Knowth (dependent on time of year) and gaze at the biggest single collection of megalithic art in all of Europe. Hear about the new data that has transformed our understanding of Knowth and its place in the cosmic landscape. The tour will finish at the Hill of Slane, the place where St. Patrick lit the first Easter Fire in Ireland and the burial place of an ancient Fir Bolg King. Hear about Slane's fascinating place in the archetypal astronomical blueprint and learn about the "cosmic grid" connecting many sites of ancient importance.

(*Newgrange tour is conducted by the Office of Public Works from the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre).

Click here to view details and prices for the Boyne Valley of the Milky Way Tour

THE HIGH MAN AND THE MYSTIC LANDSCAPE:

The Jumping Church

There is much about the monuments, the mythology and the memory of an ancient people living in the region around Newgrange that retains a mystic allure today. While much about the past has been unearthed by archaeologists and other professionals, research of the ancient stones, stories and landscape on an esoteric level has revealed the fantastic abilities of our ancestors, and how they were much more advanced than we commonly believe. Cunning engineers, surveyors, farmers and astronomers, they assembled a vast system of monuments and saw the landscape and countryside as something sacred which reflected the heavens above their heads - and they named many places accordingly. The High Man and the Mystic Landscape one-day tour will take you from Millmount, the burial place of the Milesian astronomer Amergin, to Mellifont, the "Well of Honey" which may have been considered a reflection of the Orion Nebula, to Monasterboice, where old stories tell of the hag goddess dropping stones to form monuments.

The High Man

Travel to Collon and the "Ferrard - High Man" hills and learn about the unique layout of the ancient Louth landscape, location of the High Man and the Plain of Muirthemne, the mysterious land once covered by the sea. Visit Ardee and see the place where the mighty warrior Cúchulainn battled for three days with his friend Ferdia (God Man) before taking in the magical "Jumping Church" at Kildemock. Hear about the nearby Garret's Fort, where the enchanted army awaits the final trumpet call to bring Ireland to glory at the end of time. The tour visits Slane, the centre of the "Cosmic Grid" and the place where St. Patrick attempted to replace paganism with Christianity while fantastic astronomical events were happening in the sky above his head. Visit either the magnificent megalithic remains on Carnbane East at Loughcrew, or go to the enormous Trim Castle, where scenes from the film Braveheart were shot. Finish the tour at the Hill of Tara, which is at the centre of a major astronomical alignment between the source and the estuary of the Boyne river.

Click here to view details and prices for the High Man and the Mystic Landscape tour

OTHER TOURS:

Mythical Ireland would consider facilitating an individual or a small group on special tailored tours and would be glad to bring you to any or all of the following places (certain factors permitting, of course!): Baltray, Millmount, Dowth, Newgrange, Knowth, Slane, Hill of Tara, Fourknocks, Loughcrew, Monasterboice, Mellifont, Ardee.

Click here to ask about putting together an alternative tour

We hope to give you an unforgettable experience in Ireland this year. You can be assured in the knowledge that Anthony Murphy, the webmaster of www.mythicalireland.com and author of Island of the Setting Sun - In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers, has put the tour itineraries together and most of the information contained in the tour agenda is derived from years of research and studying the stars, stones and stories.

Meet your guide: Click here to read about your driver and guide on the Mythical Ireland tours.