Press release
Excitement as winners of Winter Solstice Lottery Draw announced for 2024
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Newgrange Winter Solstice Lottery 2024 Chairman of the Office of Public Works (OPW), John Conlon today congratulated the lucky winners in the Winter Solstice Lottery Draw for 2024. The annual draw took place at the Brú na Boinne Visitor Centre at Newgrange, selecting 38 winners who will have the opportunity to access the Newgrange Chamber over the winter solstice period.
This year, a number of entries were received from Ireland and locations around the globe, with winners hailing from as far as Austria, Canada, France, Poland, Portugal, Spain and USA. The winners, along with a guest, will have access to the Chamber on one of the days between 19 and 23 December 2024.
Noah James Sheridan (Donore National School) and Harper Macken (Slane National School)
The Chairman of the OPW, John Conlon, expressed his gratitude to the children of Donore, Knockcommon, and Slane National Schools for their involvement in drawing the lucky winners. He stated that
“the lottery draw brings great excitement as each winner and their location is announced. The Winter Solstice at Newgrange is a unique event that attracts visitors from around the globe, as evidenced by the diverse locations of this year's winners. I have no doubt that each winner will be delighted with their good fortune and will truly appreciate this unique event”.
For more information please see link - Newgrange Winter Solstice Lottery 2024
Kadie Mullen and Freya Everard (Knockcommon National School)
Follow us on Twitter @opwireland
Find us on Facebook @opwireland
Follow us on Instagram @opwireland
Follow us on LinkedIn @Office of Public Works
The Winter Solstice is an astronomical phenomenon which marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs on December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn. At Sunrise on the shortest day of the year, for 17 minutes, direct sunlight can enter the Newgrange monument, not through the doorway, but through the specially contrived small opening above the entrance known as the ‘roof box’, to illuminate the Chamber.
The site at the Newgrange Monument is only open to visitors through Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, which is open daily. For further information and online booking please visit heritageireland.ie heritageireland.ie.
Recordings of the livestreaming events in 2020, 2021 and 2023 are available on the OPW's YouTube channel .