Hill of Tara

#14 among destinations in Ireland

Top attraction, Prehistoric site

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Photo details 1. Wikipedia / Public Domain / biekje / URL • 2. Wikimedia Commons / Public domain / Brholden / URL • 3. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 / Nforrester / URL • 4. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 / Nforrester / URL • 5. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 / Nforrester / URL • 6. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Patrick Brown / URL • 7. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Alison / URL

Facts and practical information

The Hill of Tara, located in the heart of the Boyne Valley in Ireland, is an ancient prehistoric site steeped in myth and history. Once considered the political and spiritual center of Celtic Ireland, it served as the seat of the High Kings until the 6th century. The complex is a sprawling collection of various archaeological features, including ancient burial mounds, standing stones, and earthworks that date back over 5,000 years.

The most prominent features at Tara are the two linked enclosures known as the Fort of the Kings and Cormac's House. Within these enclosures lie the Mound of the Hostages, a Neolithic passage tomb that predates the Egyptian pyramids, and the Stone of Destiny, which is said to roar when touched by the rightful king of Ireland.

The Hill of Tara is not just significant for its historical and archaeological importance but also for its cultural and spiritual value. It is imbued with legends and is an emblem of Irish identity. The site has been a place of worship and ceremony since ancient times, with the Druids believed to have held rituals there.

Alternative names: Coordinates: 53°34'39"N, 6°36'43"W

Location

MeathIreland

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Day trips

Hill of Tara – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Bective Abbey, Lia Fáil, Killeen Castle, Mound of the Hostages.

3.7 miW
Sacred and religious sites, Historical place, Monastery
Bective Abbey, Navan
96 min walk • Bective Abbey is a Cistercian abbey on the River Boyne in Bective, County Meath, Ireland. The abbey was founded in 1147, and the remaining structure and ruins primarily date to the 15th century.
~400 ftN
Archaeological site
Lia Fáil
2 min walk • The Lia Fáil is a stone at the Inauguration Mound on the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the High Kings of Ireland. It is also known as the Coronation Stone of Tara. According to legend, all of the kings of Ireland were crowned on the stone up to Muirchertach mac Ercae, c. 500 CE.
3.2 miS
Golf
Killeen Castle
82 min walk • Killeen Castle, located in Dunsany, County Meath, Ireland, is the current construction on a site occupied by a castle since around 1180. The current building is a restoration of a largely 19th century structure, burnt out in 1981.
~730 ftN
Prehistoric site
Mound of the Hostages
4 min walk • The Mound of the Hostages is an ancient passage tomb located in the Tara-Skryne Valley in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland. The mound is a Neolithic structure, built between 3350 and 2800 BCE.
2.1 miE
Archaeological site
Skryne Church
54 min walk • Skryne Church is a ruined medieval church and National Monument in County Meath, Ireland.
5.9 miNW
Church
St Mary's Church, Navan
151 min walk • St. Mary's Church in Navan, County Meath is one of two churches that make up the modern-day Parish of Navan in the Diocese of Meath. It was opened in 1839.
6 miNW
Monuments and statues
The Bull of Navan, Navan
153 min walk • The Bull of Navan is a prominent stone sculpture in the town of Navan, in County Meath, Ireland. The statue was sculpted by Galway sculptor Colin Grehan and depicts a large bull being restrained by two men. The image of the bull has historic significance for the town of Navan, where many livestock fairs were held.
5.3 miSE
Archaeological site, Church
St. Seachnall's Church, Dunshaughlin
135 min walk • St. Seachnall's Church is a medieval church and National Monument in County Meath, Ireland.
5.7 miNW
Forts and castles
Athlumney Castle, Navan
145 min walk • Athlumney Castle is a tower house and fortified house and a National Monument in Navan, Ireland.
2.9 miS
Church
Killeen Church
76 min walk • Killeen Church is a medieval church and National Monument in County Meath, Ireland.
2.9 miS
Archaeological site
Dunsany Castle and Demesne
73 min walk • Dunsany Castle, Dunsany, County Meath, Ireland is a modernised Anglo-Norman castle, started c. 1180 / 1181 by Hugh de Lacy, who also commissioned the original Killeen Castle, nearby, and the famous Trim Castle.