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In pictures: Winter solstice celebrated at Newgrange

News imageReuters Three women sit on a blanket on a field. There is a large crowd behind them gathered in front of a stone structure with grass on its top.Reuters
People gathered at the ancient burial tomb of Newgrange in County Meath

About 2,000 people gathered at Newgrange in County Meath in the Republic of Ireland on Sunday to mark the winter solstice.

It marks the shortest day and longest night of the year.

Newgrange is an ancient burial tomb which is 5,200 years old - older than the Great Pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge.

When the sun rises on the winter solstice the chamber inside Newgrange is illuminated in spectacular fashion.

This celestial event, occurring annually on 21 or 22 December, signals the sun's "rebirth" as daylight hours gradually begin to lengthen.

News imageReuters Two people holding drums. A crowd is gathered outside a stone structure with grass on its top.Reuters
People played instruments before sunrise on the shortest day of the year
News imageReuters People smiling and joining hands in a circle around a field. A crowd can be seen behind the circle.Reuters
People could be seen joining hands together in celebration
News imageReuters Three dogs standing in a field. Two have coats on. One has a pink muzzle on.Reuters
And they weren't the only ones getting acquainted
News imageReuters Revellers celebrate sunrise at Newgrange Neolithic monument.Reuters
People have been celebrating at the site for thousands of years
News imagePA Media Michael Burton, an older man with some grey hair and a jacket is crouched at the Stone Circle on the Hill of Infinity as the sun sets close to the winter solstice marker.PA Media
The celestial event was also marked by the historic Armagh Observatory

The winter solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years, most notably at Newgrange, but also at Slieve Gullion in County Armagh.

However, the tomb at Slieve Gullion which is orientated west so that its inner chamber is illuminated by the setting sun has been closed for months due to safety concerns.

The historic Armagh Observatory, which is part of a bid for Unesco World Heritage status, recognising Ireland's central role in a formative period of astronomical history, also marked the solstice at 15:03 GMT on Sunday.

Professor Michael Burton, director of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, said: "What makes the winter solstice so compelling is that it is both exact and deeply familiar.

"It marks a precise turning point in Earth's journey around the sun, yet it has been recognised and marked by people for thousands of years.

"From this moment, the days begin to lengthen again, offering a quiet but powerful reminder that change is already under way."

News imageEPA Revelers dance near Stonehenge wearing green and red dresses and capes.EPA
Druids and pagans danced near Stonehenge in England to mark the winter solstice

In England revelers wearing Celtic clothing and elaborate, nature-inspired headdresses, druids and pagans danced around the Neolithic stone circle in Wiltshire thought to have been built by distant ancestors to align with the movements of the Sun.