The Hill of Tara (Irish: "Temair na Ri" meaning "Hill of the Kings"), located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland.  It contains a number of ancient monuments, and, according to tradition, was the seat of Ard Ri na hEireann, or the High King of Ireland.  Recent scholarship claims that despite the rich narratives derived from mythologies, Tara was not so much a true seat of kingship, but a sacral site associated with kingship rituals. Other historians have argued that the concept itself is mostly mythical.
  For many centuries, historians worked to uncover Tara's mysteries, and suggested that from the time of the first Celtic influence until the 1169 invasion of Richard de Clare, the Hill of Tara was the island's political and spiritual capital.  Due to the history and archaeology of Ireland being not well-integrated, and naturally evolving, archaeologists involved in recent research suggest that the complete story of the wider area around Hill of Tara remains untold.
  The most familiar role played by the Hill of Tara in Irish history is as the seat of the kings of Ireland until the sixth century.  This role extended until the twelfth century, albeit without its earlier splendor.  Regardless, the significance of the Hill of Tara predates Celtic times, although it has not been shown that Tara was continuously important from the Neolithic to the twelfth century.  The central part of the site could not have housed a large permanent retinue, suggesting that it was used as an occasional meeting place.  There were no large defensive works.  Certainly the earliest records attest that high kings were inaugurated there, and the "Seanchas Mor" legal text (written down after 600 AD) specified that they had to drink ale and symbolically marry the goddess Maeve (Medb) to acquire the high-kingship.  (Referred to the site of "Wikipedia")

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The Hill of Tara

The Hill of Tara (Temair na Ri meaning "Hill of the Kings"), County Meath

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Green Flag or 'Harp' Flag (The traditional flag of Leinster featuring a golden harp on a green background; the unofficial national flag of Ireland used by the United Irishmen) at the entrance of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The information board of the Visitor Centre of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The general information board of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The souvenir shop by the entrance to the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The entrance to the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The approach to the Visitor Centre of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Statue of Saint Patrick on the approach to the Hill of Tara. Saint Patrick is said to have come to Tara to confront the ancient religion of the pagans at its most powerful site in the 430s. In the distance to the northwest can be seen the brilliant white quartz front of Newgrange and further north lies the Hill of Slane, where according to legend St. Patrick lit his Pascal fire prior to his visit to Tara in 433 AD. (Referred to the site of "Mythical Ireland" by Anthony Murphy)

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Statue of Saint Patrick on the approach to the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) Church on the Hill of Tara (Visitor Centre). It was built in 1822 and dedicated to Saint Patrick.

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(Tuesday 22 June) Church on the Hill of Tara (Visitor Centre)

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(Tuesday 22 June) The inside of the Church on the Hill of Tara (Visitor Centre)

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(Tuesday 22 June) The graveyard behind the church of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The graveyard behind the church of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The graveyard behind the church of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) Two standing stones at the graveyard behind the church of the Hill of Tara. "In the churchyard at Tara there are two standing stones, which are believed to be ancient - remnants of a time when there were many stone monuments on Tara. The taller of the two stones is thought to feature a figure of the Celtic fertility god Cernunnos, and is similar to many of the 'Sheela na Gig' representations found across Ireland. These stones may date to the Neolithic period, although are more likely to have their origin in the Bronze Age." (Cited from the site of "Mythical Ireland" by Anthony Murphy)

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(Tuesday 22 June) Some ancient remains at the graveyard behind the church of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) Gate to the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) Gate to the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) Gate to the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The woods of the church and the gate to the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara, viewed from the inside of the enclosure or the summit of the hill

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(Tuesday 22 June) Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara: A view from the "Forrad" (The Royal Seat)

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(Tuesday 22 June) Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara: A view from the "Forrad" (The Royal Seat)

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(Tuesday 22 June) Route to "Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) Signboard of "Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara. The Mound of the Hostages (Irish: Dumha na nGiall) is an ancient passage tomb located in the Tara-Skryne Valley in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland. The mound is a late Mesolithic or early Neolithic structure, built between 2500 and 3000 BCE. It is circular in form, roughly fifteen metres in diameter and three metres high. It is built in the same style as the Newgrange tomb, although on a smaller and less awe-inspiring scale. The structure is dome-shaped with an inset for the entrance and a small doorway, set almost one metre into the side of the monument. The doorway is framed with undecorated standing stones and faces directly east. As seen in similar passage tombs, this alignment allows for the rising sun to shine down the passageway during the Spring and Fall Equinoxes, illuminating the chamber within (compared to the alignment of the Newgrange passage, which is set to the rising sun of the Winter Solstice). Inside, the passage into the Mound of the Hostages stretches for four meters in length, one meter in width, and is 1.8 meters high. It contains decorated sillstones with images of swirls, circles, and x-patterns -- designs associated with Mesolithic passage tomb art. Three compartments once housed buried remains. The mound was used for burials from the early Neolithic up to 1600 - 1700 BCE. There are an estimated 250 - 500 bodies buried in the mound, organised into layers under the passage. The dead were most often cremated, and their ashes and grave goods spread on the floor of the tomb. These grave goods include decorative pottery and urns, stone beads, and bone pins. The remains were then covered with stone slabs. With this method, layers of ashes and stone built up over time and successive burials. More burials occurred at this site in the Bronze Age, and space in the passage eventually became unavailable, so the bodies were then placed in the mound itself. Over 40 remains have been removed from the mound. They had been buried in the Bronze Age style, with inverted cinerary urns placed over the cremation ashes. The full body of a Bronze Age adolescent was also discovered in the mound. The body was placed in a crouched position in a simple pit dug in the mound. Grave goods found with the body include a decorated bead necklace, a bronze knife, and a bronze awl--a suggestion that he was a person of some importance. Unlike some similar structures, there is no evidence of a ditch dug around the mound. The Mound is situated north of the King's seat and Cormac's house (teach Cormaic) and slightly south of the Rath of the Synods. The top of the mound is the highest point on the hill, and offers unrivalled views of the surrounding countryside. (Referred to the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) Inside of the passage of the "Dumha na nGiall" (the Mound of the Hostage), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) Signboard of the "Lia Fail" (the Stone of Destiny), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara. The Lia Fail (Irish for "big stone of Fal"), also known as the Stone of Destiny, is a stone at the Inauguration Mound (Irish: an Forrad) on the Hill of Tara in County Meath in Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the High Kings of Ireland. In legend, all of the kings of Ireland were crowned on the stone up to Muirchertach mac Ercae c. AD 500. The Lia Fail was thought to be magical: when the rightful High King of Ireland put his feet on it, the stone was said to roar in joy. The stone is also credited with the power to rejuvenate the king and also to endow him with a long reign. Cuchulainn split it with his sword when it failed to cry out under his protege, Lugaid Riab nDerg, and from then on it never roared again, except under Conn of the Hundred Battles and Brian Boru. (Referred to the site of "Wikipedia")

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Lia Fail" (the Stone of Destiny) on the "Forrad" (The Royal Seat) and "Teach Cormaic" (Cormac's House), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Lia Fail" (right) and the inscription stone (left) on the "Forrad" (The Royal Seat), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Lia Fail" (right) and the inscription stone (left), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Lia Fail" (the Stone of Destiny), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) "Lia Fail" (the Stone of Destiny), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The inscription stone of the "Lia Fail" (the Stone of Destiny), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara. It commemorates the dead killed in a skirmish during the ill-fated 1798 Rebellion.

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(Tuesday 22 June) The inscription stone of the "Lia Fail" (the Stone of Destiny), the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) The Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) A view from the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara

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(Tuesday 22 June) A view from the Raith na Riogh (Fort of the Kings or Royal Enclosure) of the Hill of Tara