Hill of Tara: The Soul of Ireland
24 Video Views·Sep 14, 2023
The Hill of Tara, often described as "The Soul of Ireland," stands as a testament to the nation's rich history and enduring cultural heritage.
Nestled in County Meath, this hallowed ground has borne witness to over four millennia of Irish history. It serves as a symbol of ancient royalty, once the coronation site of High Kings and a gateway to the Otherworld in Irish mythology.
The Hill of Tara's landscape, crowned by the iconic Lia Fáil, offers not only breathtaking vistas but also a profound connection to Ireland's past. It continues to be a place of reverence and reflection, drawing visitors from around the world to walk among its ancient earthworks and to partake in the timeless spirit of Ireland's heritage.
The place to commune with the ancient soul of Ireland
is in its lush countryside.
The peaceful Boyne River Valley,
just an hour's drive north of Dublin,
offers a world-class concentration
of historical and spiritual sites.
The Hill of Tarrow was the most important center
of political and religious power in pre-Christian Ireland.
This was the seat of the high kings of Celtic Ireland.
And this is the place where you find the soul of Ireland,
here on this Hill of Tarrow.
Local guide Jean Thornton is giving us a sample
of Tarrow's prehistoric, medieval, and modern history.
So, for 5,000 years, people have come here.
People have come to Tarrow,
and as you can see, they're still coming today.
We know the Stone Age people were here.
We know the Bronze Age people were here.
We know the Iron Age people were here.
This area was a very sacred place
where ceremony and ritual took place.
Now, you know, St. Patrick is our patron saint,
and the shamrock is a symbol of Ireland.
We are told that it all began here on this Hill of Tarrow.
Now, in 432 AD, Ireland was a pagan country.
Now, he came here to this Hill of Tarrow
to ask the pagan kings permission to spread Christianity.
Now, this is what St. Patrick used
to explain Christianity to the high king.
He used this as a symbol.
There are three leaves and one stem
on this little piece of shamrock.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
And that is how he explained the Trinity,
the concept of Christianity, to this pagan king.
The symbolic importance of Tarrow
continued into Ireland's modern history.
In 1843, Daniel O'Connell,
the great champion of Irish liberty,
gathered several hundred thousand people here.
Peacefully, they demanded Irish home rule.
This ruined monastery, Monastirbois,
is notable for its round tower,
a standard feature in Ireland's early Christian churches,
and its ornately carved high crosses.
The Cross of Murdoch, named after an abbot
who ran this place around the year 900,
is considered the finest high cross in all Ireland.
These crosses were illustrated with Bible stories
carved into the sandstone.
Originally, they were brightly painted.
Imagine, a thousand years ago,
priests used these as visual aids
as they taught the people.