Time lapse video - winter evening setting sun illuminates southern chamber at Dowth megalithic monument

It was shaping up to be a lovely time lapse video. I wanted to record the setting sun shining into the southern chamber of Dowth. It's six days until Winter Solstice, and the sky was nice and clear, so I headed out to Dowth with the cameras hoping to catch the illumination of the chamber. As you can see, all was going well, but an encroaching Atlantic front - bringing rain - started to shroud the sun just at the crucial time, and cut off the light, which had begun to reach the chamber floor.

I guess I will just have to try again, if and when the opportunity arises.

Make sure to watch the video full screen and in 1080 high definition. (To do that, press play on the video, and when it starts playing click on the YouTube logo on bottom right. That will open the video in a new window. Then click the full screen and HD settings either side of the YouTube logo).

In the meantime, if you want to see some fantastic photos of a previous winter solstice illumination of Dowth by Anne Marie Moroney, click on this link.

Beautiful Dowth winter shots from Anne Marie Moroney

For some years, a row of evergreen trees growing to the southwest of Dowth has gradually blocked the light from the setting sun at Winter Solstice entering the southern chamber of the Neolithic cairn. However, a couple of years ago, with the permission of the land owner, there was some trimming of the trees which allowed sunlight back into the chamber - with glorious results, as can be seen in these photos, which were taken by Anne Marie Moroney in early January 2011. Anne Marie, author of 'Dowth - Winter Sunsets', has been studying the phenomenon for years.