Royal Sites of Ireland

The Hill of Tara has been important since the late Stone Age, when a passage tomb was built there. However, the site became truly significant in the Iron Age (600 BC to 400 AD) and into the Early Christian Period when it rose to supreme prominence – as the seat of the high kings of Ireland. All old Irish roads lead to this critical site.

St Patrick himself went there in the fifth century. As Christianity achieved dominance over the following centuries, Tara’s importance became symbolic. Its halls and palaces have now disappeared and only earthworks remain.

There are still remarkable sights to be seen, however. Just one example is the Lia Fáil – the great coronation stone and one of the four legendary treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann – which stands proudly on the monument known as An Forradh.

Guided tours of the site will help you understand the regal history of this exceptional place and imagine its former splendour.

The Rath of the Synods

The Banqueting Hall

Lia Fáil – The Stone of Destiny

The Mound of the Hostages

County Meath

Historic Periods Neolithic–Iron Age

Altitude 115m

Coordinates 53°34′39″N 6°36′43″W

KEY FEATURES

During the 7th century the Uí Néill dynasty rose to power in the territory of Midhe, the area today called Meath and Westmeath. The Uí Néill saw the Hill of Tara as their royal centre, and developed the legend that the High Kingship of Ireland was traditionally associated with Tara. The biographer of Patrick, Múirchú, writing about AD680, described Tara as ‘the capital of the Irish’.

The Banqueting Hall

Built during the reign of Cormac MacArt, now evidenced by 200-metre parallel earthen banks. This is said to be where the great feast of Tara was held in days of yore. However, archaeologists believe these banks are more likely to be the remains of a ceremonial avenue leading up to the hill, designed to make the experience of entering Tara a spectacular one. If you follow this route to the summit, you may be almost literally walking in the footsteps of kings.

The Rath of the Synods

This monument is the setting for one of the most intriguing stories associated with Tara. At the end of the nineteenth century, the British Israelites believed that the Ark of the Covenant was buried in this monument. They dug it up, destroying much of the site in the process.

The Mound of the Hostages

The oldest visible monument on the Hill of Tara. It is a 5,000-year-old passage tomb where human remains were placed. A second period of burial activity took place during the Bronze Age. The entrance to the chamber is on the east side. Look inside and see a stone featuring some wonderful megalithic art.

The Fort of the Kings

This is the largest enclosure on the hill of Tara. The circumference measures a full kilometre. It encloses the summit of the hill and is outlined by an internal ditch and external bank. Archaeologists believe it was built to mark the summit of Tara and set apart as a sacred sanctuary. It dates from the Iron Age, 2,000 years ago.

The Royal Seat and Cormac’s House

At the highest part of the Hill of Tara lie two sites resembling a figure of eight when seen from above. They are physically interlinked, but archaeologists believe they were probably built at different times and had different functions. The Royal Seat is thought to be a barrow or burial mound dating from the Bronze Age or early Iron Age, and in later times may have served as the inauguration mound of the kings. Cormac’s House is thought to be a ringfort or a place of habitation, possibly built between the eighth and tenth centuries AD. It is likely that the builders of Cormac’s House deliberately included the Royal Seat in their own place of habitation to show they now controlled the inauguration mound, the epicentre of this momentous place.

Lia Fáil – The Stone of Destiny

Located on top of the monument known as the Royal Seat, this coarse white granite pillar stone is said to be the inauguration stone of the high kings. Touch it, but know that you will be testing your destiny if you do. According to legend, the stone emits a screech when the true king lays his hand upon it.