Hill of Tara

Tara is a low ridge in Meath covered in earthworks that span thousands of years. The oldest is the Mound of the Hostages, a small passage tomb with a decorated stone at its mouth, built well before the ring forts around it. Later come the banks and ditches of the Rath of the Synods, the joined enclosures known as the Fort of the Kings, and the standing stone called the Lia Fail on the mound known as the Forrad. Nothing here stands higher than a wall of turf, but the site was the ceremonial centre of kingship in early Ireland, and on a clear day you see a wide arc of the midlands.

What you actually see

• The Mound of the Hostages - the small passage tomb, its entrance stone carved with circles and lines.
• The Lia Fail - the standing stone on the Forrad, associated with the inauguration of kings.
• The earthwork rings - concentric banks and ditches, easiest to read in low sun.
• The view - the midland plain in every direction from an unremarkable-looking hill.

When to go

Late spring through early autumn for firm ground, since the field is grazed and turns to mud after rain. Early morning or the last hour of light throws shadows across the banks and makes them legible, which matters more here than at most sites. The visitor centre in the old church opens seasonally.

Honest expectations

There is very little to see if you arrive expecting ruins. The monuments are grass-covered humps, and without the guided walk or the centre's introduction most are indistinguishable from ordinary farm bumps. The hill is exposed, often wet underfoot, and the passage tomb itself is gated shut.

Nearby

Newgrange and the Boyne Valley sites are twenty minutes north; Trim is a similar distance west.