Hill of Tara

The Hill of Tara is best known as the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. They were at the height of their power in the early centuries A.D.

The site, however was occupied long before this time. One of the many mounds on the hill when excavated, proved to be a Stone Age passage tomb dated to c. 2000 B.C.

When Tara first became a royal site, it was probably only the seat of a local priest-king. There would have been over a hundred such kings in Ireland at the time. Gradually though, the kingship of Tara gained importance until it was recognised as the most powerful in the country. A king in pre-Christian Ireland was concerned with sacred rites and rituals as well as political matters. He mediated between his people and their allies and enemies. He also intervened between them and the forces of nature and the supernatural. There were many ritual requirements and taboos associated with the office.

The remains of the many monuments on the Hill of Tara show it to have been a multi-period site and one of major importance. Their given names are not necessarily correct. They derive from medieval tests describing the royal site as interpreted by scholars in the past.

The Principal Monuments

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. There was evidence that the people living at Tara in this period had contacts with the Roman Empire. Roman pottery, glass, seals and other material were recovered.

The Mound of the Hostages (Dumha na nGiall) is a Stone Age passage-tomb. It was also used many centuries later in the Bronze Age when people of wealth and importance were buried in it. The tomb stands inside a large, circular enclosure called the Royal Enclosure (Rath na Riogh) which is a Hill Fort. This is a type of fortification typical of the Iron Age and therefore a much later structure than the Mound of the Hostages. It is defined by a bank with a ditch inside it.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, so called because of the mound inside the circular bank. Standing in Cormac's House is the Stone of Destiny (Lia Fail) said to be the inauguration stone of the Kings of Tara.

The statue of. St Patrick commemorates his legendary visit to the court of King Laoire before he began his mission to bring Christianity to Ireland.

To the south of the Royal Enclosure are the remains of the Enclosure of King Laoire (Rath Laoire) which is another Hill Fort.

The Banquet Hall (Teach Miodhchuarta) is a long, rectangular area. It is possible that it was the ceremonial entrance to the Hill on which all the major roads of Ancient Ireland converged. 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 earthworks on the north west of the Hill of Tara. They are recognised by archaeologists as barrows.

The tour of the monuments may conveniently start at the churchyard. West of the former parish church, which contains a blocked-up medieval window, is Adamnan's Cross with a much weathered figure carving. Nearby is another standing stone.

Other features on the Hill are only visible from the air after periods of unusual dryness in favourable sunlight or as cropmarks.