THE HILL OF TARA
Ireland’s Sacred Sanctuary of the High Kings
William Butler Yeats
called it “the most consecrated spot in Ireland”.
In 1843 almost a million people gathered on the rolling grassy knoll
to listen to Daniel O’Connell “The Liberator” speak
out for Irish independence from Great Britain. It was once even believed
that the Ark of the Covenant was buried there. The Hill of Tara, an undulating
low-lying ridge overlooking the Meath valley, its grass covered hill
revealing forms of an ancient fortified center for druidic and Celtic
culture in Ireland. Before Christianty and after, the site was the where
the Celtic High Kings of Ireland were invested. According to tradition,
when a true Irish or Scottish King placed his foot on the Stone of Destiny,
it cried out to confirm his rightful reign.
The Hill of Tara was
the royal center of Mide – the Middle Kingdom
of the Irish island, which incorporated modern Meath, Cavan and Longford
counties. The name Tara comes from Teamhair na Ri meaning Sanctuary of
the Kings and it is said almost a quarter of Ireland can be seen from
its hilltop, though that would require a really clear day and mythic
eyesight. Whatever structures may have been present in ancient times
are no longer in evidence on the Tara hill. There are no great stones
like Stonehenge, but the remains of earthen work defensive channels,
carved into the hill. The oldest visible monument is the passage tomb
of Dumha na nGiall, dating back to about 3,000 B.C. But Tara gained its
greatest importance in the Iron Age of 600 BC to 400 AD, and less so
into the early Christian period, when monastic monks with their abbeys
superseded the Earth gods and goddesses.
A
statue of St Patrick stands at the edge of the monument - perhaps a
stick in the eye to
the Druids and the old faiths. According to the legend, in 433, as
the Druid tribes prepared to celebrate the Feast of Tara at the spring
equinox, St Patrick lit a Paschal Fire on the nearby Hill of Slane to
celebrate Easter in direct defiance of the earlier pagan ritual. The
fire could be seen from Tara and the Druids demanded that King Laoghaire
have the fire extinguished that night lest it burn forever. The outraged
king led his Druids to challenge St Patrick and his new mono God with
their earth magic, but couldn’t defeat him and eventually the king
and his followers converted to Christianity (see Saint Patrick's Trail).
The most
interesting monument still at the site is the Lia Fail – the
Stone of Destiny, the standing stone located in the Forrad – the
Royal Seat - it hasn’t shouted out for a new king in a thousand
years, but from the dark marks a few have tried for the post. Also
still visible and labeled with signs are the so-called Banqueting Hall,
The
Fort of
Kings,
The Mound of Hostages, Cormac’s
House, the Sloping Trenches and The Rath of the Synods – the supposed
hiding place of the covenant, though now it mostly hides a bit of careless
debris
behind a locked steel
bar gate. The Hill of Tara was finally abandoned by Mael Sechlainn, the
High King of Ireland in 1022, leaving the region to the battles of the
middle-ages, and Catholic and Protestant conflicts in the surrounding
Boyne Valley.
Visiting The Hill of Tara
The Hill
of Tara is a mystical place and the most sacred site in Ireland, but
is mostly
a walk among the hills with curiosity of what took place
there. A church and graveyard stand next to the open forms on the hill.
The site of the Hill of Tara itself is open all year round and is free
to enter. In fact, there are no real gates or fences, not even to keep
out the sheep who keep the grass shorn.
The Visitor Center located inside the
church
offers
an audio-visual presentation, guided tours and audio guides is open from
mid-May to mid-September. Admission to the visitor’s center including
a guided tour or audio guide is €3 for adults, €2 for Seniors,
and €1 for Children and Students. A family ticket is €8. There
is a café and souvenir bookshop, Maguires nearby, as well
as some craft shops next to the site.
To
get to the Hill of Tara requires a car, along some back roads through
County
Meath, though many bus tours available from Dublin stop there.
Other sights to visit near the Hill of Tara are the megalith monuments
of the World Heritage site of Newgrange and Bu na Boinne (see Bru
Na Boinne), the largest
Noman era castle in Ireland (see Trim
Castle) Kells (see Book
of Kells),
the medieval walled town of Drogheda, and the site of the Battle of Boyne
(see Boyne
Battlefield). © Bargain
Travel Europe
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SEE ALSO:
MALAHIDE
CASTLE
DRIVING
IN IRELAND
ST DECLAN’S WELL & HERMITAGE CHURCH
GLENDALOUGH – ST
KEVIN'S RUINS - WICKLOW
