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Situated in the eastern midlands of Ireland, a half hour drive to the northwest of the country's modern capital of Dublin, is County Meath. With over 5000 years of history, this relatively small county and its Boyne River Valley boast a prolific wealth of historical monuments, including Tara, said to be Ireland's ancient capital.
By Ian Middleton




At first glance the Hill of Tara (#1) may seem like a rather non-descript place. Many tourists visit every year and possibly scratch their heads in wonder as to the significance of the place. To the unknowing eye it may just seem like the location for yet another collection of Iron Age forts. But in truth the Hill of Tara is Ireland's most important historical monument and, as well as being one of its major tourist attractions, is the ancient capital. Although only 155 metres in altitude, Tara rises high above the County Meath lowlands and commands an outstanding panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. In ancient times there were three levels of kingship, the High King, who ruled over the entire country, the Provincial King, who ruled one of the four provinces, and the Petty King, who ruled over a small settlement. Because of its strategic importance, Tara became the traditional seat for the High King. This small, seemingly insignificant hill holds many of the secrets to Ireland's ancient past and if it could talk, would have one hell of a story to tell.




Tara is easy to reach. It's located just a half hour drive northwest along the N3 from Dublin. A signpost to the left will guide you up a short hill where you can then park in front of Maguires bookshop and café, at the entrance to the hill. Work is currently underway to build a new motorway through here, which is being fervently protested by many who believe that Ireland's most historically important monument should remain a peaceful place without the noise that a motorway would generate.


The two most distinctive earthworks on the hill are the Royal Seat and Cormac's House, both about 152 metres in diameter. Protruding 5 feet from the ground in the centre of the Royal Seat is the Lia Fail, the sacred Stone of Destiny said to have been brought by the Tuatha dé Danann. Ireland's ancient history has been charted by a series of invasions, the stories of which were written down in the early Christian period by the monks. The Tuatha dé Danann was the fifth tribe to invade Ireland, and were said to be a powerful, magical race that brought many magical artefacts along with them. The Lia Fail was the coronation stone of the High King. When the rightful heir to the throne places his hands upon it, the stone will emit a roaring sound. This stone is now accessible to all visitors, so try touching it, you never know; you might be destined to be the next High King.


Nearby is a burial mound, one of hundreds found across Ireland. Modern archaeology credits these mounds as having been built by the Neolithic people in order to bury their dead. This one, the Mound of the Hostages, was excavated and found to contain the remnants of over 100 burials.

The sixth tribe to invade Ireland were the Milesians (commonly known as the Celts) and when defeated, it's believed that the Tuatha dé Danann retreated into the otherworld, or fairy world, and while the Celts would now rule the natural world, they would become known forevermore as the fairies, or Sidhe. Once a year at the festival of Samhain (Halloween), the doors between these worlds open and the fairies return. This is where the tradition of "Trick or Treat"comes from. Some of the fairies woul play tricks on the people, many simply being minor mischievousness but others downright evil and destructive.

One such example is the story of an evil goblin that came to Tara every year at Halloween and lulled the king and all his warriors to sleep with his fairy music, and then burnt down the royal palace with fire from his mouth. The tradition of leaving out small treats for the fairies came about in order to placate them and avoid these little tricks.

However, there are often other times of the year when the fairies venture out into our world for various reasons. The burial mounds, sacred lakes, wells and hills are among many of the places where the Irish believe the fairies live. A lone hawthorn tree is also believed to be a fairy tree, and one can also be found at Tara. Many people leave gifts on the trees in the hope that the fairies will use their magic to heal an affliction that they or a relative may have.


All of these monuments are enclosed by a wider circle known as the Rath of the Kings, which encompasses an area of 70,000 square metres. Many other raths dot the area. Although heavily visited, there are times and places on the hill where you can get away from the crowds and revel in the tranquillity of this lush green hill and wonder just how it once was all those centuries ago.

Heading on from Tara, you get back on the N3 and head north to the town of Navan, about 10 minutes drive away. From Navan take the N51 northeast, which takes you along a narrow country road. It's worth noting that you are likely to meet all manner of vehicles along the country roads in Ireland, including big trucks who feel they have priority and that you should slow and move for them. The N51 leads all the way to Drogheda, on the east coast, but half way between (about 10 miles from Tara) you will arrive at the small crossroads of Slane, most famous for its annual rock concerts at Slane Castle, but otherwise just a small village. However, there are a couple of great little pubs here with good Irish music.

Just to the north, overlooking the village, is the Hill of Slane, upon which sits the ruins of Saint Patrick's church and a 16th century Franciscan Monastery. Being the only two hills in an otherwise flat landscape, Tara is also visible to the southwest. It was here that one of Ireland's most significant moments took place. When the great Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, travelled Ireland spreading the word of God, a high king known as Laoghaire ruled from Tara.

Every year at the start of spring, the Pagan ceremony of Beltaine was performed, which coincides with Easter. Fires were lit on all the hills. St. Patrick angered the king by lighting his paschal fire on the Hill of Slane prior to the time set by the Druids. The king confronted the Saint and Patrick famously produced a shamrock and proceeded to use it to explain the union between the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost. Soon after, the King converted to Christianity and the shamrock became one of Ireland's national symbols.


Heading south from Slane on the N2 you will cross the bridge over the River Boyne and soon after come across a turning to the left for Newgrange. After following the road for about 15 minutes you will arrive at the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre. Brú na Bóinne is Gaelic for Valley of the Boyne, named after the River Boyne.

The birth of the River Boyne has its roots in an ancient legend known as the Well of Sergais. It's said that a long time ago when the Gods walked the earth there was a well shaded by magical hazel trees bearing crimson nuts. Whoever should eat these nuts would be graced with the knowledge of the world. The nuts fell off the trees and into the well, and were eaten by one of the vividly coloured salmon swimming there. For this reason, it became known as the salmon of knowledge.

The God Nechtain was the guardian of the well. Only he and his three cup bearers were allowed anywhere near. But one day his wife, referred to as the Goddess Boann, was overcome with curiosity and went to the well without Nechtain's permission or knowledge. By violating this prohibition, she caused the well to overflow and gush forth onto the surrounding countryside, forming the Boyne Valley.


The megalithic complex of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth contains some of Ireland's largest and most magnificent burial mounds. Access is via the visitor centre only, and the only way to view Newgrange and Knowth is by taking the tours. The guide will relate the fascinating story of Newgrange's construction, explaining how this huge mound covers an area of 1 acre and was built around 3200 BC; making it older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza.

The perimeter is lined with 400 giant kerbstones weighing anywhere from 1 to 12 tonnes. All of these stones are intricately carved with what is now known as Boyne Valley art, being unique to the region. The entrance to the chamber is blocked by a giant kerbstone, so that people would have to climb over to enter the mound. However, today the entrance has been modified with steps for easier access, and to preserve the stone itself.

The tour then leads small groups inside the chamber. Not only was this burial mound an incredible feat of engineering, but also an incredible feat of ingenuity. The entrance is precisely aligned with the rising of the sun at the winter solstice--the sun would set at the entrance to the mound at Dowth--but its designers were also clever enough to realise it would have to be local dawn, and thus calculate where the sun would rise and how high. In the case of the Boyne Valley the sun would rise over the distant hills, so a roof box was fitted above the entrance for the light to shine through. The main entrance below takes you through a narrow passageway that leads uphill to an elevation of two metres. The passageway is 19 metres long. Thus the floor of the inner chamber is exactly level with the roof box. On the morning of the solstice sunlight shines through the roof box and travels along the overhead passage and illuminates the inner chamber. This is indicated for the tour using a halogen light at the entrance.

The guide then points to the corbelled roof. No cement or binding agents were used to fix the stones in place, and they had all been stacked like a house of cards. The capstone is the lightest at two tons. Above that lie four metres of loose rock, then earth and grass.


The next tour will take you to Knowth, which is actually more impressive as its large burial cairn is surrounded by 18 smaller mounds. The main tomb is in fact larger than the Newgrange mound, but inaccessible due to years of excavations. There are two passageways aligned with the rising and setting of the sun at the equinoxes.


Dowth isn't open to the public, but you can drive yourself there or take the bus and wander around. You just cannot go inside. Dowth means 'darkness' and its chamber is aligned with the setting of the sun at the winter solstice and hence the beginning of the longest night of the year.

The Boyne Valley is just a half hour drive from Ireland's modern capital, Dublin, but is a world away from the hustle and bustle of busy city life. It's an easy day trip if you are staying there, but to really experience the magic of Ireland's ancient history it's best to pack up your bags and go spend a few nights in a cosy B&B. There are only a couple of small B&Bs next to the Hill of Tara, and one self-catering apartment. There are a few B&Bs in Slane, but the best place to stay is the Slane Farm Hostel, run by the Macken family. This place offers lovely dorms and private rooms, and self-catering apartments.


This article is based on the author's journey to discover ancient and sacred Ireland. Read all about it in his new travel guide: MYSTERIOUS WORLD: IRELAND. Visit the website for more info: http://ireland.mysteriousworld.com

About the writer:

Ian Middleton is a freelance travel writer and photographer from the UK. He is the author of three travel narrative books and one travel guide to ancient Ireland, Mysterious World: Ireland. For more information visit his websites:

http://www.ian-middleton.co.uk

http://www.ianmiddletonphotography.co.uk


Special Credit: Little people shown hovering over Fairy Tree are four-inch-high figurines by Cicely Mary Baker as licensed to Add An Accent, Inc.

For more information visit: info@addanaccent.com


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