The Hill of Tara
Leslie Hardy
The Hill of Tara is not one of the most outstanding sites in Ireland, but it is known as one of the most intresting in definition of ancient Ireland. "The plain surrounding the hill is known in ancient Irish literature as Mag Breg, 'the Plain of Hills' (Macalister, 3)." Overall Tara, "for so low a hill- its highest point is 512 feet above sea level- the extent of country which it commands is extraordinary (Macalister, 3)." There are many different hills or mounds that make up the Hill of Tara. Most of the mounds in Tara are still in existence, although some of the less significant ones are now just a part of history.
Most of the ideas that serve as history on the Hill of Tara come from ancient Irish legends. The Celtic mythologize every part of their landscape. This is their main way of preserving the past; through memory. It is hard to find information on the Hill of Tara today because there were hardly any books written on it. Instead, you find many books on legends of the Irish. The following paragraphs will hopefully paint a picture of Tara and its seperate sites.
At the southern end of the Hill of Tara is the Well of Nemnach. This site is said to have been sacred. "Nemnach, there can be little doubt, was a sacred well, hallowed along with the sacred in the springs of water which surround the ridge had a large share in endowing it with sacritity (Macalister, 8). It is said that this well or mill was made for Ciarnait, a bondmaid of King Cormac. There were many Kings that are in the legends of Tara, but none as ruling and important as King Cormac.
The next site is known as King Loiguire Mac Neill's Fortress. This is a burial fortress with four doors in to the north, south, east and west. There are ledgends on the battles that he waged and because of these tales, the king in buried in a strange position. King Loiguire is buried upright towards the south. He is supposedly ready for battle holding his shield and sword; ready to fight the men of Leinster. Not much more is known except that he is a man of great lineage, for his father was a king of Ireland.
Above the Fortress of King Loiguire and in the center of the Hill of Tara is the Fort of the Kings. The Fort of the Kings encompasses several sites and is probably the most known part of the Hill of Tara. The total diameter of the Fort of Kings is 775 feet. King Cormac was known for the work of the fort, for "he was anxious for some reason to extend his establishment over this part of the ridge, whatever it might cost (Macalister,21)." The following is a legend about King Cormac and his establishment on the Hill of Tara. It is taken from Legends Of The Celts by Frank Delaney.
In the middle of the Fort of Kings is two mounds that are together in the form of a figure eight. [click here for image] The left one is King Cormac's House and on the right is the Seat of the Kings. King Cormac's House is the older of the two structures. The Seat of the Kings is 115 feet in diameter. Inside of Cormac's House is a pillar of stone. It supposedly sits five feet above the ground and is embellished with initials and a cross.
The stone is called the Fal Stone. [click here for image] "This stone now marks the grave of certain of the insurgents of 1798, who were killed in a skirmish that took place on the Hill of Tara, and were here buried. The stone, before its adaptation to this purpose, lay on the slope of the Mound of the Hostages (Macalister, 30)." Some believe that the Fal Stone is the Stone of Scone. There are others that believe the Stone of Scone of Westminster Abbey in England is not the original stone of Tara. Apparently this stone, which is supposed to scream out loud three times to the new king who stands upon it, has traveled around England, Scotland, and Ireland. It is even hard to say whether or not the pillar stone that is in King Cormac's House is the same one that use to sit upon the Mound of the Hostages. This stone pillar is known as a sacred stone due to its use in the kings coronation rituals.
The Mound of Hostages [click here for image] is a burial mound and the tradition of this site was supposedly started by King Cormac. "Internally the mouth measured 22.2 cm in diameter, and the walls were up to 25mm thick (Eogan, 141)." "...The camber is divided by sills into three segments" and a flagstone was placed on the floor of each segment (Eogan, 99). Apparently, "it was the custom of the High Kings, after their political suzerainty over Ireland had been at least theoretically established, to make a circuit around the subordinate kingdoms in the country, as soon as possible after their acession, taking hostages from each (Macalister, 28)." There have been some objects found in the Mound of Hostages that are considered to be of the grave gods.
Above the Mound of Hostages is the Fort of the Synods. The fort sits in between the Tent of Adamnan, which is 33 feet in diameter and the stone wall of the church yard to the right. The Fort of the Synods is 106 feet in diameter and its "patch broken ground, which looks more like an abandoned gravel-pit than anything else" is what covers the fort today (Macalister, 31). Through discovery some rock cut, large trenches were found under the fort. "With the exception of the fourth trench, which was apparently four feet wide at the top, they are described as having been all of uniform size-eight feet wide at the top, eight feet deep, and one foot six inches wide at the bottom: the tops of the trenches were about two feet below the sod (Macalister, 41-42)."
Inside the church yard is Adamnan's Seat and Mound. Adamnan is said to have been an "important figure in early Celtic Christianity (Macalister, 48)." He is also the first feminist in Ireland. Later in his life, Adamnan "caused the enactment of the Law of Adamnan, which gave liberty, property-rights, and other privileges to women (Macalister, 49)." His cross sits in front of the Fort of the Synods. It is made of red sandstone and is about five feet, five inches above the ground. The top is supposedly broken and there is a human figure carved in relief on the eastern side.
To the north of these sites is the Assembly Hall. This stretch of land is 700 to 900 feet in length depending on the information you may come across. "That this great structure was the work of Cormac is the unanimous opinion of all the ancient authorities (Macalister, 61)." This hall was used for receptions. It was structured by five aisles that are divided into compartments. These compartments were reserved "for the use of members of the different trades, professions, or ranks of society (Macalister, 62)."
To the west of the Assembly Hall is Grainne's Fort. Grainne is the daughter of King Cormac. The fort is 220 feeet in diameter. There is not much information known about this site. One can only believe that it was named for his daughter as a measure of his love for her. If there is any other reason, such as some type of battle won over her, there is no account for it.
West of Grainne's Fort is The Sloping Trenches. The northern mound is where King Cormac as a young man defended a horse from having lost a leg for kicking a boy to death. The northern mound is the larger of the two. The southern mound is the grave of women who were slain to death by King Dunlaing of Leinster in 222 A.D. Apparently, while the men were off the Hill of Tara, Dunlaing came and left all the women dead for the men to find on their return.
It is thought that between 2000 and 350 B.C., the Hill of Tara was found. These days would be considered as the bronze age. Most stories consider Tara to have been "ascribed to a woman (Macalister, 85)." The Hill of Tara is very sacred because of its water, stones, and the ancient burials sites, such as King Loiguire's Fortress, the Mound of Hostages, and the southern Sloping Trench. Tara lies near the Boyne river and near the burial grounds of Dowth, Knowth and New Grange. There have not been any real excavations of the Hill of Tara only accidental discoveries, which seem to give reason for excavating the site. The history of Tara "is a medley of fragmentary traditions, geneologies, and what not, artificially strung together" and the correct history or theory is hard to say (Macalister, 96). But for "each stage it [Tara] was known by a new name, taken from that of the person who occupied it (Macalister, 90)."
Bibliography
- Delaney, Frank, Legends of the Celts, Great Britian: Hodder & Stoughton, 1989.
- Eogan, George, Knowth and the Passage-Tombs of Ireland, London: Thames & Hudson Ltd., 1986.
- Macalister, Robert A. S., Tara; A Pagan Sanctuary of Ancient Ireland, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1931.
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