Hill of Tara Images

West of the Banqueting Hall on the Hill of Tara lie Rath GrÃĄinne and the Sloping Trenches, among the larger circular earthworks on the hill. Rath GrÃĄinne is named in later tradition for GrÃĄinne, daughter of Cormac mac Airt and heroine of the tale of Diarmuid and GrÃĄinne. What survives today is a broad ringed barrow, about 60 metres (200 feet) across, with bank, ditch and central rise.

Aerial view of Rath Grainne, a circular banked earthwork in an open green field beside a line of bare trees. Rath GrÃĄinne - Hill of Tara.
Aerial view of Rath Grainne with central mound, circular ditch and outer bank on the Hill of Tara. Rath GrÃĄinne - Hill of Tara.

South of the Fort of the Kings is Rath LÃģegaire, a large enclosure about 130 metres (425 feet) across. Tradition links it with LÃģegaire mac NÃĐill, the king who, in early Christian accounts, confronted Saint Patrick after the Paschal fire was lit on the Hill of Slane. Folklore says he was buried here fully armed and upright, facing his enemies in Leinster. Ploughing has erased much of the eastern circuit, but the surviving bank and internal ditch still show clearly from the air.

Aerial view of Rath Loegaire, a crescent-shaped earthwork in a green field with sheep grazing nearby. Rath LÃģegaire - Hill of Tara.

More Hill of Tara aerial images and Royal Enclosure views.

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