The hill of Tara is a famous for the panoramic views it offers up over Ireland. Situated in County Meath, the hill of Tara is 155m above sea level and on a clear day you can see over nine Irish counties and as far north as Antrim. Tara or (Teamhair in Irish) means lofty height and the meeting place of darkness and light. The hill of Tara dates back to prehistoric times and was called the seat of the High Kings in old documents.

From the hill of Tara an unbelievable twenty five other monuments can be seen and many more have since been discovered by modern technology using aerial photography and satellite images. Fires could be lit on the hill of Tara to signify important dates in the calendar or important events. These fires could be seen over a vast area ensuring the message is passed at terrific speeds across much of the land. Examples as to why the fire would be lit are the crowning of a new King or to mark the change of seasons and hence the important agricultural dates.

The passage tomb of Dumha na nGaill (Mount of the hostages) dates back to the third century BC and was excavated during the 1950s. There are more than 25 ring ditches on the hill of Tara, many dating back to the bronze age. In 1810 two large gold artefacts were found and are now in the property of the National Museum.

Recently the hill of Tara has been involved in some controversy as Government plans to build a motorway nearby have stirred many emotions. Firstly there is the need to develop proper infrastructure in Ireland and to provide Navan, the capital of Meath, with a motorway link to Dublin.

On the other hand, the motorway may damage the area surrounding this magical place and may damage other historical sites in the vicinity which have yet to be discovered. The problem is that no matter where you dig or build in Ireland you are bound to come across sites of historical reference.

Ronan Menton is the webmaster for a number of travel related websites and has been for some time in Ireland, associated with search engine optimisation in the Irish travel industry. He spends two months a year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and now sees it as his second home. Among the many sites he is currently working on are the following: hotels in Cork and hotels in Galway.