On September 22nd 2025, Ireland marks the Autumn Equinox. It is the moment when day and night stand in perfect balance – with the sun crossing the celestial equator and tipping us gently into the darker half of the year. Across the island this turning point has been recognised since ancient times, celebrated in monuments, myths and seasonal gatherings and they continue to resonate today.

Ancient Alignments: Loughcrew Cairns

Few places capture the magic of the Equinox more vividly than the Loughcrew Cairns in County Meath. Built over 5000 years ago, some of these passage tombs align with the rising sun on the Equinox. As the first light of dawn streams into the chamber, it illuminates ancient symbols carved into the stone (Cairn T) – spirals, suns and other symbols of cycles and continuity. 

Archaeologists believe this was no accident but rather part of a ritual calendar. The Equinox dawn gathering at Loughcrew may once have included chanting, offerings of grain or milk to the sun and feasting to mark the harvest’s completion. 

To stand at Loughcrew at this moment is to feel that connection through millenbia: the same rays of light that touched the hands of Neolithic builders now fall across visitors who gather to witness the dawn. It is a reminder of how closely our ancestors lived in harmony with the movements of the heavens and the turning of the seasons.

The Hill of Tara: Kingship and Cosmic Order

Just a short journey away lies the Hill of Tara, seat of Ireland’s High Kings. Tara was not simply political – it was deeply spiritual. Here the king was ritually “married” to the land, a sovereignty rite symbolised by the Stone of Destiny (Lia Fáil).

Seasonal festivals such as Samhain (October 31st) were likely marked here with bonfires, divination and offerings for the ancestors. The Equinox, a time of balance, would have carried its own symbolism – the king and his people in harmony with both the land and the heavens. Standing on Tara at dusk, when the autumn light stretches long over the plains, you can feel how this place bound people to the cycles of nature.

Healing Rites: Wells, Stones & Women’s Traditions

Irish tradition also carried gentler rituals around the Equinox. At sacred wells, women would tie clooties– strips of cloth – to nearby trees while offering prayers for healing, fertility or protection. Offerings of butter, honey or mead were left at stones or streams to ensure abundance in the months ahead. These acts linked everyday life with the wider rhythms of the land.

Living Traditions: Drumming at Bective Abbey

Ireland’s sacred heritage is not only in the past. On a recent Equinox tour, our guests encountered shaman women drumming at the ruins of Bective Abbey, a 12th-century monastery on the River Boyne. The steady rhythm echoed across, you could feel evoking trance and connection (to other human beings, the world around us) in a way that felt timeless.

Moments like this  bridge old and new – ancient rites of sound and rhythm meeting a medieval site of prayer (abbey), showing that the human need for ritual and balance never truly fades.

Why the Equinox Still Matters

Today the Autumn Equinox in Ireland is more than a date in the calendar. It is a time of year when we can pause and reflect on balance – between light and dark, work and rest, past and present. For travellers it is an opportunity to experience Ireland not just as scenery but as a living landscape woven with myth, ritual and meaning.

Exploring Loughcrew, Tara, Bective and other sites with a knowledgeable guide is to step into stories where sun, stone, kingship, community, ritual and memory all meet.

Join Us To Celebrate Autumn or Spring Equinox in Ireland 

At Gateway To Ireland Tours, we specialise in private tours that connect guests with Ireland’s hidden gems and sacred landscapes. Autumn is one of the most beautiful times to travel here: golden fields, crisp air, fewer crowds that give you that unmistakable sense of the year turning.

Whether you’re drawn by the Equinox, Ireland’s ancient rituals or simply the beauty of its countryside, we’d be delighted to guide you on a journey of discovery.

Learn more and plan your private tour: Loughcrew cairns tour