20 May Hill of Tara , County Meath
For over 2000 years this low hill was a place of religious , and later political , importance. Excavations have found remains dating from 2000BC , though the true story of Tara’s origins remained veiled by the mists of time.
It reached the height of its fame during the first centuries AD when it became the seat of the high kings of Ireland , and though it declined in power after the advice of Christianity it remained in use until 1022.
A circuit of the monuments should include: Adamnan’s Cross; the Fort of the Synods , mutilated in the late 1930s during a search by British Israelites for the Ark of the Covenant; the Fort of the Kings; the Mound of the Hostages; the Royal Seat; and Cormac’s House. South of the Fort of the Kings are the remains of Logaire’s Fort , a large ring fort. The Banqueting Hall , a rectangular earthwork , may in fact have been the ritual entrance to the hill.
The Hill of Tara is a real hidden gem and a must see on your tours of Ireland.