Published in Issue 5 of Pagan Ireland (Autumn 2022). Get a copy of this issue here: https://paganireland.com/buyissues

Situated some 48 kilometres north-west of Dublin in County Meath is one of Ireland’s most sacred sites – the Hill of Tara. This hill, together with the surrounding area that stretches over two kilometres, has been inhabited since Neolithic times and in true Irish fashion, is associated with many myths and legends. On a clear day it is said that from the top of this sacred hill, you can see half the counties of Ireland. Due to the history of this area, it is little wonder that 19th century antiquarian, William Wilde (the father of Oscar Wilde) included the following romantic view of Tara in his writings:

“Standing at the top or southern extremity of this remain, and bearing in mind the various prose and bardic histories of the Irish annalists, one cannot help reverting to ancient heroic times, and again, in imagination, peopling it with its early occupants. Here sat in days of yore kings with gold crowns upon their heads; warriors with brazen swords in their hands; bards and minstrels with their harps; grey-bearded ollamhs; druids with their oak leaf crowns …”

One of the oldest of the 30 visible monuments at Tara is a megalithic passage grave known as the “Mound of the Hostages”, which dates back to around 2,500 BCE. Its very name is believed to have derived from the custom of kings, like those who inhabited Tara, retaining important persons from subject kingdoms to ensure their submission. Another discovery that was made by aerial photography, and which further confirmed the importance of Tara to the ancient Irish, was that there once stood a huge building, possibly a banquet hall, measuring some 170 metres in size. Being the point where the five great roads radiated from, Tara must have been a truly impressive site, and it is little wonder that it has long been associated with Irish kingship.

It is believed that some 142 High Kings reigned from Tara, dating back to the mythical race of people known as the Firbolg, who first made Tara their capital. According to Irish mythology, the Firbolg escaped slavery in Greece to settle in the Emerald Isle, where they ruled until being conquered by another race of mythical beings, the Tuatha Dé Danann. Later, but still being some 1,500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Milesians, or Gaels, came to rule Ireland, again making their centre at Tara.

Coupled with kingship, Tara was also considered to be a gateway to the Otherworld. This belief in the supernatural and magic has long infiltrated Irish history, making the determination of fiction and fact almost impossible. It is believed that when a High King died, a feast known as the Tarbfeis (the “Bull Feast”) took place within Tara’s great banquet hall to determine the next ruler. This feast included the roasting of a bull from which a chosen man would eat his fill and drink its broth. When the man fell asleep, a sacred rite known as the Imbad Forosnai (“Knowledge that Illuminates”) took place. This rite included incantations being chanted over the sleeping man to encourage visions of the future ruler to appear.

Suitable candidates for the office of the High King would also be tested by the Lia Fail, the “Stone of Destiny”, one of the most notable landmarks found on Tara today. According to legend, the Tuatha Dé Danann brought this sacred stone to Ireland. It was said to cry out with approval when the right High King was crowned, while remaining silent when the wrong candidate attempted to usurp the royal destiny.

Another important event surrounding the making of the High King was the Feis Temhrach, the ritual marriage feast. During this feast the newly crowned High King mated with a beautiful woman, who as a personification of the Goddess, the spirit of the land itself. This union symbolically bound the sovereign to the realm of the Gods, and thus sanctifying the reign of the king.


The Arrival of Lugh

In the 9th century text known as the “Cath Maige Tuird” (the “Battle of Moytura”), one of Ireland’s most important Gods came to Tara wearing the crown of a king and leading a band of strangers. This God was the Sun God, Lugh, who was not recognised by the gatekeeper. In order to gain entry, Lugh was asked what art or skill he practiced. This was because people without a particular art of skill were denied entry into Tara. The arts that Lugh listed were rejected because the High King, Nuadu, already had men skilled in such arts. Not to be outdone by, Lugh asked if the High King had a man skilled in all the listed arts. As this was not the case, the God was granted entry and was immediately recognised by the king.


The Role of Saint Patrick

For Christians, Tara is associated with Ireland’s patron saint, Patrick, who was attributed with bringing Christianity to this land. It was customary that on the eve of May (the Celtic festival of Bealtaine which marked the beginning of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere), that all fires would be extinguished and lit again from the royal fire that that High King would light from Tara. According to legend, in 433 CE Saint Patrick challenged this practice and just prior to the lighting of the sacred Tara fit, lit his own fire on the nearby hill of Slane (referred to the “Pascal fire”). When summoned to the High King’s presence to explain this sacrilege, Saint Patrick managed to get royal assent for a contest of magic during which two huts were set on fire. One hut contained a boy wearing the cloak of the royal magician, while in the other hut was the magician wearing the robe of the saint. According to the Christian monks who penned the records of this event, the magician apparently incinerated leaving the saint’s robe untouched; while the boy was saved but the magician’s cloak was burnt to the cinder.

The symbolic importance of Tara as a ritual centre survived Ireland’s adoption of Christianity until the 6th century CE and the reign of King Diarmuid. According to the “Annals of Tigearnach”, in around 560 CE, King Diarmuid broke sanctuary to take a prisoner and punish either a relative or close friend of the Lord Abbot, St Ruadhan. This resulted in Ruadhan cursing the name and place of Tara, so that after the death of Diarmuid in around 565 CE, no other High King have ever lived at this ancient sacred place. Mention of the decline of Ireland’s sacred site can be found in a “Calendar of Saints” compiled around 830 CE by Oengus:

“The strong fortress of Tara has perished,

with the death of her princes;

with its choirs of wise men;

great Armagh lives on.”

Despite all this history and archaeological evidence, Tara and the surrounding area is under threat due to modernisation. In 2004 plans were announced to build a motorway that will run in the valley between Tara and the neighbouring hill of Skryne. Half a world away, it is difficult to comprehend why the Irish government would contemplate the construction through what could easily be the heart of Ireland’s cultural heritage. What is equally disappointing is that little of this fight to preserve Tara has been picked up by media outside Ireland itself. Is it because Caucasian history holds little relevance compared to the history of other peoples? While not of Irish descent myself, it is my view that a site steeped in as much history as Tara and its surrounding area should be preserve for future generations and given the same respect as those ancient monuments from other cultures.

After all, it only takes a visit to Ireland’s ancient Hill of Kings, coupled with a little knowledge of its fascinating history, to realise that these legendary events go beyond the earthworks which remain – the true magic of Tara is in the tranquillity of the land itself.


References:

Hickey, Elizabeth, Legend of Tara (Dundalgan Press, 1988)

Office of Public Works, Tara (Government of Ireland, 1995)

Pepper, Elizabeth, and Wilcock, John, Magical and Mystical Sites: Europe and the British Isles (Harper & Row 1977)


Frances Billinghurst

With an interest in the occult and all things mythical spanning over 25 years, Frances resides in Australia when she writes books including Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms, and Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life. (http://francesbillinghurst.blogspot.com.au).