Since ancient times the Hill of Tara was the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. A long list of the kings starts ca 1500 BC with Slaine mac Dela and ends with Brian Ua Neill in 1260 AD. Kings before 450 AD are legendary
A new ruler was only acknowledged as the rightful High King when Lia Fail , the Stone of Destiny screeched out loud its approval.
The
hill features dozens of prehistoric monuments, the oldest one is a neolithic passage tomb from ca 3000 BC, called the
Mound of the Hostages. Later a huge wooden henge was added circling the mound.
You can still see the contours of circular ditches and banks, the remains of Iron Age hill forts, but most of the stuff sits hidden below the soil.
A St Patrick's church was build here in the 12th century, the present one dates from 1823 and now serves as a visitor center.
Near the churchyard stand two ancient stones named Blocc and Bluigne, the latter is very weathered but may have a Sheela na Gig carved on it.
We visited the Hill of Tara in June 2018.