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County Meath Attractions
Modern Motorway Changes Ancient Tara Landscape
At the height of the Irish economic boom, the country's insatiable hunger for construction, highways, and speed collided head-on with its ancient history when the government expanded the M3 motorway through the middle of the historic Tara Valley. The €1-billion road-building project resulted in passionate protests and extensive legal cases.
From the beginning the project was controversial. In 2007, Ireland's minister for transportation dug a ceremonial shovel of earth at a groundbreaking event, but within weeks, a previously undiscovered ancient archaeological site was found directly in the road's planned path. Many thought that this would stop the government's plans. But it turned out that the government had already amended the National Monuments Act to allow for the demolition of national monuments.
The Tara valley is riddled with ceremonial sites virtually as old as the land itself. Most have yet to be explored by scientists. Archaeologists believe one of them -- known as the Mound of the Hostages -- dates from 3,000 B.C., making it as old as the pyramids.
It is now alleged that the Irish government has also drawn up plans to expand the N2 highway to within 500 meters of the ancient Newgrange complex. So the protests continue.
In 2010, the Hill of Tara was nominated to UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site, and listed as one of the 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund.
You can learn the latest on the battle between progress and history around Dublin by reading Irish newspapers or visiting www.savetara.com.
8 Results
- Historic Site
Hill of Tara
Legends and folklore place this hill at the center of early Irish history. Ancient tombs have been discovered that date back to the Stone Age; pagans believed that the goddess Queen Maeve reigned from here. By the 3rd century, a ceremonial residence had been built here for the most… - Prehistoric Site
Knowth
This extraordinary prehistoric burial site was only discovered in 1968, and much of it is yet to be excavated. It is mainly composed of two massively long underground burial chambers, the longer of which stretches for 40m (131 ft.). In the mound, scientists found the largest… - Historic Site
Loughcrew Cairns and Gardens
Loughcrew is a two-for-one deal—beautiful 19th-century pleasure gardens dotted with lakes, perfect for picnicking, and, just a short distance away, one of the biggest megalithic burial grounds in Ireland. The 30 passage tombs of Loughcrew are known locally as Slieve na Calliaghe,… - Prehistoric Site
Newgrange
Ireland’s best-known prehistoric monument is one of the archaeological wonders of Europe. Built as a burial mound more than 5,000 years ago—long before the Egyptian Pyramids or Stonehenge—it sits atop a hill near the Boyne, massive and mysterious. Newgrange is so old, in fact, that… - Farm
Newgrange Farm
After all that history, the kids will thank you for briging them to this busy farm, where farmer Willie Redhouse and his family offer a 1 1/2-hour tour. You can feed the ducks, groom a calf, and bottle-feed the lambs and kid goats. Children can hold a newborn chick, pet a pony, and… - Landmark
Slane Castle
This 18th-century castle is best known within Ireland for the open-air rock and pop concerts held here in the summertime. For tourists, the big draw is the building itself, a Gothic Revival structure by James Wyatt. The design of the building was made grander in the early 19th… - Historic Site
St. Colmcille's House
Sitting incongruously near more modern houses in Kells, like a memory of Ireland’s distant past, this narrow grey-stone house is all that’s left of a long-lost monastic settlement that once stood where the town now sprawls. Most of the nearly windowless building dates to the 10th… - Castle
Trim Castle
A skeletal reminder of the clout once wielded by Anglo-Normans in Ireland, this ruined edifice is an inspiring sight. The Norman lord Hugh de Lacy occupied the site in 1172 and built the enclosed cruciform keep. In the 13th century, his son Walter enlarged the keep, circled it with a…
