Winter Solstice

The end of the year is fast approaching. The weather has turned an intense cold and I can see 20cm icicles hanging from our cabin roof.
I find the winter cold refreshing. The sun has been out for over a week now. It is the longest stretch of sunlight we have had since June. At least the midges aren't biting in December.

Solstice is always a special time in the O'Kelly household. It marks the end of the short days and the beginning of the long march back for Father Sun. As each day passes we get just a few more seconds of sunlight coming down on the land.


It means that early spring planting is only a month away. Solstice means that we no longer have to witness the sun disappearing behind the Beentee Mountain at 3.15 in the afternoon.

We welcome the winter Solstice as marking the passage of 2009 and the welcoming in of 2010. With the doom and gloom constantly heard on RTE radio we are more than happy to  focus our thoughts and energies on the transition of the sun on his path.

Back in 2005 I went to New Grange on Winter Solstice. I did not win the lottery that lets a hand full of lucky people into the chamber at sunrise. John Hourigan and myself went there later in the day to witness the passing of the seasons, to pay respect for the Sun, and to see the beautiful inner chamber of New Grange. It is amazing to imagine the builders of that monument knowing how to design it so that the light enters the deep underground chamber only during the three days of Solstice. They did that 5000 years ago without laser levels and diggers!

For me the winter Solstice is a time for introspection, connecting with the Natural world and focusing on family.

Happy Solstice!