Dronehenge: The Story Behind the Remarkable Discovery at Newgrange, by Anthony Murphy

In July 2018, Anthony Murphy and Ken Williams discovered a giant previously unknown monument close to Newgrange while flying their drones over the Boyne Valley. They found what archaeologists believe to be a Late Neolithic henge monument, measuring 154 metres (just over 500 feet) in diameter, and a number of other mysterious and intriguing features. Their discoveries became an internet and media sensation and made headlines all around the world. In the days, weeks and months that followed, there was intense interest in these gigantic relics of the prehistoric world. Archaeologists pored over the drone imagery and the National Monuments Service conducted their own helicopter flights over Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site to capture the features in more detail.

In Dronehenge, Anthony Murphy tells the story of the remarkable discovery of this monument, and attempts to unravel some of its mysteries. Anthony describes the events that followed the first social media post about the discovery and how he spent three weeks doing little else but doing phone interviews, answering emails and engaging in Skype calls with media all around the world, including the BBC, Channel 4 (UK), CBS News, Washington Post, New York Times, National Geographic, NPR, La Repubblica, and Al Jazeera TV, among others.

Lavishly illustrated, Dronehenge includes discussion of how this monument might have been constructed and what it might have been used for, and includes 3D models of its likely appearance. Anthony explains how the henge, along with the other features discovered, completely changes our view of the Brú na Bóinne landscape, and why it will have archaeologists and historians studying them for many years to come.

Anthony Murphy explains: “Dronehenge has become known as one of the great discoveries of modern archaeology. The fact that something so massive, and so ancient, could lie completely concealed from view for millennia, to be revealed suddenly and dramatically, makes it fascinating. The images captured by our drones, show incredible detail, and yet those images reveal just a phantom, manifesting as variegated wheat crop. There is, undoubtedly, an enigmatic and even numinous quality to its uncovering.”

“One of the most important discoveries in decades.” – Tony Robinson, Channel 4

“... a new Stonehenge” – The Daily Mail

“ ... probably the greatest discovery in archaeological terms in Ireland of this century” – Clare Tuffy, OPW

About the Author

Anthony Murphy is a journalist and the author of Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland’s Ancient Astronomers, Newgrange: Monument to Immortality and Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past. He lives in Drogheda and manages the website www.mythicalireland.com.