Little Caroline Travels The Big World: Crown Me the King of Ireland

Our final stop of the tour was to the Hill of Tara. I was excited about this stop because of the historical significance of the area and because tomorrow I have to give a tour of it to the students! I had to pay extra attention to the information.

Some believe that the name Tara means "place of great prospect". One one would agree with this because on a clear day, around 1/3 of Ireland can be seen. The place has always held an important historical and mythological connection. It was the seat of ancient power in Ireland. Around 142 kings are said to have been chosen and crowned at Tara. Tara was the place that kings were crowned through an elaborate ceremony that some have said was very mystical and powerful.

Later, Tara was believed to be the dwelling of the gods and was the entrance to the other world.

It is also believed that St. Patrick confronted the pagans at this site.

Knowing all the historical and mythological importance of the site, I was beyond excited to go!

My tour group pulled up into a small parking lot and got off the bus.

We then had to walk a short distance until we reach a church. At this church is where we met our tour guide. The tour guide instantly reminded me of my friend Peter.

Our tour guide led us through a graveyard and unto what looked like a field. The field was very uneven and had multiple mounds and other structures all over it. This field was the Hill of Tara.

For around half an hour or so, the tour guide told us about the Hill of Tara. He talked about the Mound of the Hostages; the Destiny Stone and some monuments put up in honor of the Irish military. He told us that the reason why the mound is so uneven is because there are circles made that can only be really seen from the sky.

After our tour we had some time to explore. I took a couple of minutes to take pictures of the area. I still could not believe that I was at a place of such importance to Irish history.

The tour guide had left in such a hurry that I wasn’t able to tip him. I went back to the church and I found him. When I tried to tip him, he wouldn’t take the money. I was so shocked by this. I simply just thanked him.

Mary told us about a small, antique book shop that was at the end of the road. It has been run by the same guy for years. I stopped in because, lets be honest, I can’t pass up a good bookshop! I looked around and he had a very interesting collection of various books.

Soon, our bus pulled up and it was time to go back to Dublin. The tour ended in the late afternoon, so when I got back into town, it was definitely lunch time!

Again, I had so much fun on the tour. I would recommend to everyone to go to the Hill of Tara is they are in Ireland. It is a fascinating place to learn about. I am so blessed to be able to go on these great tours to these important locations.

Area near Hill of Tara.

Statue of St. Patrick; Patron Saint of Ireland.

View walking to the church.

The church.

Graveyard of church.

The church.

Graveyard of church.

Tombstone in graveyard of church.

Graveyard of church.

Onto the Hill of Tara. From this picture you can somewhat tell that the ground is uneven.

Hill of Tara

The Mound of the Hostages.

Hill of Tara. Another burial mound.

The entrance to the Mound of the Hostages. This mound is the oldest mound at the Hill of Tara and dates to 2500 BC. It is a megalithic passage tomb. Inside, the remains of some humans were found. In later years, on top of the mound was a shallow grave of a young boy. The name derives from the custom of over kings retaining important personages from subject kingdoms to to ensure their submission. Different kingdoms would send over a son, like a peace offering. This boy would learn the customs of the kingdom and then usually was released back to his home and told his people about the other kingdom.

Entrance to the Mound of the Hostages.

Hill of Tara

Hill of Tara with a Celtic cross in the back. This is a modern monument.

Hill of Tara

The Destiny Stone. It sits on top of the King's Seat at the Hill of Tara. This stone would choose the next king of Ireland because when it was touched by the rightful king, it would roar.

Hill of Slane. This is where St. Patrick light a parcel fire that challenged the power of the pagan kings and eventually lead to their conversion to Christianity.