Newgrange visit too much?

You can visit Newgrange without going inside the tomb, and it's still a good experience. But to answer your question, yes, it would be uncomfortable for him. Parts of the passage are a little tight, and the center room is small and dark. Fortunately, he can see a replica of what the inside looks like, including the corbaled ceiling, at the little museum in the visitor center.

Thanks, Nancy That helps a lot. I'll keep in mind about the visitor center as an option.

Newgrange really is a highligh but it is also a bit scary. I suggest that it is going to be a concern and detract from your entire trip. Skip it.

It really is worth visiting the actual Newgrange monument, your son can wait outside if he decides not to go into the chamber. Knowth is also worth visiting, since nobody gets into the chamber at Knowth, your son won't feel left out. For more information check out: Newgrange.com, Knowth.com and Boynevalleytours.com Best regards, Michael.

I thought the only thing tight about Newgrange was a somewhat low ceiling as you enter and the number of people in the relatively short tunnel (I dont' think over 100'). You go in, take a pretty quick look and head back out before they let the next group in. I was claustrophobic as a child (not sure when it went away) but I didn't find the experience at all uncomfortable. If you are worried about it, stay to the back of your group. If he feels uncomfortable, he can quickly duck back out into the open.

When I was there, we didn't have the option of staying at the back of the group, as Brad suggests. They made sure that everyone was all the way in the chamber before they gave their talk, and darkened the chamber to illustrate what it is like at solstice. In order to show the light in the passage, no one could be standing there.

I also suffer ,not terribly but can be uncomfortable in tight place, from claustrophobia and am of a "generous" size. My advice to you would be for him not to try and enter the chamber. There is one place where it is a rather tight squeeze if you weigh about 225 lbs. or more. I almost turned around and went back out when I reached that tight spot. Once inside the actual chamber everything was alright. Our guide said if anyone was claustrophobic they should be the last person to enter so if they had to turn around and leave it would be possible for them to do so and not be trapped in the middle of the group. There is a lot to see and do in the Dublin area and not entering the tomb chamber at Newgrange will not spoil your trip, and just possibly save it.

Thanks everyone. Your observations have made me realize it's not worth it for us this time. I, personally would love to go, but our son has MAJOR problems with anxiety plus he weighs almost 300 lbs. We want this to be a special trip so do not want to go into an iffy situation that we could have avoided. We'll save it for a time we're on our own. There are other things we can do that we can all enjoy.

I'm slightly claustrophobic and a big guy and I did fine. There was a woman on our tour that described herself as highly claustrophobic and balked at going in. I convinced her to be at the end of the group so she could run out if it became too much. She did that and made it through. She also said after it was over that her heart pounded the whole time but that it was worth it. We liked Knowth better than Newgrange and there weren't any tight passages to creep down. It has some interesting things to see. However, on your short trip you probably will spend your time better staying in Dublin.

If you and your husband want to see it, why not each one of you go in with a group while the other one walks around the grounds with your son until the other one can go in. I thought it was a tight squeeze and would not even consider putting my son in an "iffy" situation. You do have to take the bus from the visitor center to the site. If he would not be good with this, one stay with him and tour visitor center until the other one can "take over".