Hill of Tara Meath
The Hill of Tara in County Meath is the most symbolically important site in Irish history and mythology, a low but commanding hill in the fertile Boyne Valley that served as the inauguration site of the High Kings of Ireland and the symbolic centre of Gaelic Irish power from the prehistoric period through to the early medieval era when the office of High King effectively ceased. The combination of the extraordinary historical significance, the remarkable concentration of prehistoric and early medieval monuments on the hill and the views across the central plain of Ireland create a destination of unmatched cultural depth.
The hill contains an extraordinary density of monuments from the Neolithic through the Iron Age and early medieval periods, including the Lia Fáil, the Stone of Destiny on which the High Kings were crowned and which was said to roar when touched by the rightful king, the Royal Enclosure where the inauguration ceremonies took place, the Mound of the Hostages containing a Neolithic passage tomb beneath its exterior and the Banqueting Hall, a great linear earthwork traditionally associated with the feasts of the High Kings. The density of these monuments in a relatively compact area reflects the sustained importance of the hill as a ceremonial and political centre over three thousand years.
The Hill of Tara has a powerful symbolic presence in Irish cultural consciousness that transcends its physical modesty. Daniel O'Connell held one of his great Repeal meetings here in 1843, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the hill in a deliberate invocation of the ancient Irish kingdom.