Winter solstice is a day later than usual this year... but Newgrange are still prepping for the big day

Staff at the new visitor centre were busy welcoming those who wanted to be at the historic site at one of the most significant times of the year.

Lucky winners of the 'solstice lottery' this week arrived from all over the world to experience the moment the sun enters the ancient monument in Co Meath.

This year, the exact moment of the winter solstice falls on Sunday, December 22, rather than the usual date of December 21.

The winter solstice is the moment when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn.

The slight change in date is because the solar calendar is slightly out of sync with the modern calendar.

Clare Tuffy, manager of the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre, said this happens once every four years, but added: "Here at Newgrange, the big celebration is always on December 21."

The rising sun illuminates the chamber a few days either side of the solstice and there is an annual lottery to secure a place inside the monument on those mornings.

Everything after that is always dependent on the weather.

Yesterday, Office of Public Works guide Leonita Lenehan led the way, and as lingering cloud blocked the horizon said: "We will go inside and, as they did 5,000 years ago, we will wait in hope."

The cloud meant the group missed the first 10 minutes of the 17-minute experience as the light was retreating from the chamber by the time the sun cleared the clouds. But ultimately the passageway was illuminated.

Amanda and Sean McCollough from Texas had visited Newgrange on their honeymoon and on their return last May, this time with their baby, they entered the lottery.

Amanda said: "We had been thinking of applying since we came for our honeymoon in 2013."

She said the experience inside the burial chamber, which is older than the pyramids of Egypt, "was glorious".

Sean added: "Watching the room glow once we got a little bit of the sun, and the room lit up for about five minutes where it was much, much brighter, it was beautiful."

Katharina and Tobias Ramforth came from Germany for the experience.

Tobias said: "It was really different, standing there in the dark, anticipating and waiting for the sun to come in."

Katharina added: "It was kind of mystic for me. It is great what ancient people built 5,000 years ago, and it is so solid that it still stands here. It is fantastic."

Alyssa Engiles and Colby Cline travelled from Tampa, Florida. Both had entered the lottery and Alyssa's ticket was selected.

She said: "It started in complete darkness and you could see the gradual light coming through the chamber. We were still here for dawn and it was beautiful."

A small group of people also waited outside.

Among them were Finbarr Cremin from Castletroy, Co Limerick, who came with his daughter Sinead to mark his 60th birthday.

He last visited with his wife Dympna when she was an archaeology student.

"The last time I was here was about 1982," he said. "You could literally park outside and walk in, there was no interpretative centre."

Clare Tuffy added: "Professor Michael O'Kelly first witnessed the light in the chamber on December 21, 1967, and that year the actual solstice was on December 22 also.

"It is not something that people would have been aware of 5,000 years ago or (that) makes any difference to the light inside".

She said the people who work at Newgrange "look forward to these days all year long and it has been a great year for us because we have had the makeover of the visitor centre.

"We are absolutely thrilled with the new exhibition and we feel renewed, rejuvenated and ready for a busy season next year."