The Hill of Tara

Tara will forever be associated in my mind with sheep droppings. It was meant to be the site of ancient High Kings, a place where men fought to rule Ireland. Now, that power has been subjugated to all that is ovine. So many sheep were allowed to graze on the site, that it was like avoiding land mines. Horrible stuff.

But if you can get past that, it has some fascinating things to see. Tara has been around since the 6th century. What you can see here is one of the mounds, which would be called a rath. Raths were basically fortresses where the Irish would build a dwelling atop a hillside. Usually there were ditches and palisades as protection. Tara has multiple raths, and there were also nearby prehistoric sites that were of a similar design. Legend has it that the seven roads converge here, and it was here that the High Kings ruled.

One of the more interesting artifacts is the Lia Fáil. It’s a standing stone where, the legend tells that the stone would cry out upon recognizing a man as King of Tara. I used this in my book Her Irish Warrior when the hero goes to Tara to appeal for the rights to his land. What man wouldn’t listen closely, imagining that the stone would cry out and recognize him as king? It’s also pretty evident that it was a fertility symbol.

A third interesting site is the Mound of Hostages. In the medieval period, it was a place for kings to exchange hostages. However, it was originally built in 3000 BC as a passage tomb. Most of the burials were cremations, but they did find the remains of a 14-15 year-old boy who wore a necklace of jet, amber, bronze, and faience beads. Near his feet they found a bronze knife and a bronze awl.

Hope you enjoyed the Tara tour!

I have another question for anyone who’s willing to give their opinion. I’m wondering whether it’s worth it to have bookmarks or other author giveaways made. On one hand, I’d like to have something to give people when they ask about my books. On the other, I wonder if people actually use or enjoy them. If you’ve ever received “goodies” from an author, what did you like? What items were worthless, in your opinion?