Guest Author - Tracey

The heart of all Ireland lays within a mound of grass and dirt, but not long ago this was a thriving area of Ireland, where high Kings ruled and magical stones stood.




To the average visitor this may look no more impressive than any green field with mounds of dirt upon it, a large golf course to some. But this was where Ireland stood its ground and ruled for hundreds of years. It remains a spiritual center for those in Ireland, with pilgrimages taking place on special Pagan and Christian holidays.

The Hill of Tara was said to have had five different names over the years. They comprise of: Druim Decsuin, or the Conspicuous Hill; Liath Druim, or Liath's Hill from a Firbolg chief Druim Cain, or the Beautiful Hill; Cathair Crofinn; Teamair (now Anglicised Tara)

At the site there are visiable and hidden remains of our fore fathers. Here is a break down of what is at The Hill Of Tara:

The Mound of the Hostages (Dumha na nGiall) is a Stone Age passage-tomb, which has been found to be a small passage grave dating to around 2000 BC.
The tomb which is the oldest monument at the Hill of Tara is just one part of a large grouping of monuments. The tomb stands inside a large, circular enclosure called the Royal Enclosure (Rath na Riogh). It is surrounded by a bank with a ditch inside it.

The Banquet Hall (Teach Miodhchuarta), Some believe that this was used as a ceremonial entrance hall to the Hill, where possibly all major roads in Ireland converged.
Inside the hall is a long, rectangular area. It is called the Banquet Hall because it was incorrectly identified in the past as the great Banquet Hall of the royal court mentioned in medieval texts.

The Sloping Trenches (Claoin Fhearta) and Grainne's Enclosure (Rath Grainne) are three circular earth-works on the north west of the Hill of Tara.
They are recognised by archaeologists as barrows, two of them known as Sloping Trenches and one Grainne's Fort, named for King Cormac's daughter who was the heroine of the tragic love tale of Diarmuid and Grainne.

To the south of the Royal Enclosure are the remains of the Enclosure of King Laoire (Rath Laoire) which is a Hill Fort. The Fort of King Laoghaire,is where the king is said to be buried fully armed and in an upright position in order to see his enemies coming.

Between the Mound of Hostages and the Banqueting Hall is a ringfort with three banks known as the Rath of the Synods.
The Rath of the Synods (Rath na Seanadh) has been excavated. It is a very elaborate structure with four concentric banks and ditches.
It was used at different periods between the 2nd and 4th centuries A.D. for habitation, ritual and burial. Roman pottery,seal,glass, and other objects were found here, proving that Ireland had contact with the Romans.


Also enclosed by the Royal Enclosure are the Royal Seat (Forradh) and Cormac's House (Teach Cormaic). The Royal seat is a ringfort and Cormac's House a barrow. Standing in Cormac's House is the Stone of Destiny (Lia Fail) said to be the inauguration stone of the Kings of Tara

The stone of Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny), a phallic standing stone, is one of the four treasures brought to Ireland by the magical Tuatha Da Danaan. When the true king stood upon it, it was said to roared.
According to a legend, a 6th-century king of Tara, Murtagh, loaned the stone to his brother, Fergus, king of Scotland. It eventually became known as the Stone of Scone.
The English stole it in 1297 and put it under the throne at Westminster Abbey, calling it the Coronation Stone. Scottish nationalists stole it from the English and replaced it with a replica.
Then Irish nationalists stole it from the Scottish.
Some say it was never taken from Tara at all, but no one denies that the stone you see at Tara is the authentic Lia Fail.


Half a mile to the South of Tara Hill there is another hill-fort called Rath Maeve (after the legendary goddess-queen Maeve or Medbh).


For more information on the Hill of Tara, and various sites, be sure to visit the links.