Samhain Fire and Lights at Tara Hallowe'en night

ETA: Some amazing photos of the Samhain celebrations at Tara.

A number of events have been organised for this Wednesday October 31st for the celebration of Samhain/Halloween the Celtic New Year. A good opportunity to recognise the more nature based origins of Halloween and to gather to help protect Tara. The two main events Tara Lights and Samhain Beacon fires.

CHAIN OF LIGHT - Wed 31st October - 8pm

We will be lighting beacons at Tara and it's surrounding hills. Based on an Ancient custom we ask that people join us by lighting Beacons of Support on their nearest hill and watch the horizon for fires being lit hill to hill in response. Please light your beacons in fire pits, braziers or steel barrels up off the ground so as not to damage the Land.

Remember the Ancestors at this Samhain time especially those whose graves have been destroyed by the on going M3 construction through the Valley.

Tara Light Shield- Celebrating Samhain, the Celtic New Year 31st October 2007THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED. Could be rearranged for December 22nd winter solstice with 12 spotlights around Tara.

The idea is to use high-powered 7,000 watt spot-lights, to create a light shield over the Tara Complex at the climax of the event. The shield will consist of five beams. Four beams will be located to the south, east, north and west of Tara, at historical defensive sites to Tara, which define the extent of the Tara complex; the Hill of Skryne, Rath Miles (Blundelstown); Ringlestown Rath and Rath Maeve.

Sat 3rd November -6pm GREAT BANQUETING FEAST

A torchlit Procession will be led by a group of Pipers through the Great Banqueting Hall on the Hill of Tara. There will be entertainment by Musicians, Poets and Fire Display Artists. We ask those attending to bring food to share as in times of old, as we feast in this Legendary place and enjoy the entertainment. Family Event- Alcohol Free. Please come in costume(supported by Macnas.

Further details.

Directions to Tara
CAR: Take the N3 and then turn left at the Tara signpost
BUS: Take either the Navan, Kells or Cavan bus which leave from Busarus. Ask to get off after TARA CROSS at the Lismullen bus stop and it is a short walk from there.

Lighting of the Beacons of Solidarity based on Ancient Custom. The central fire for Samhain was lit at Tlachtga (the Hill of Ward or the Hill of the Bard which is one mile east of Athboy) the burial place of the daughter of Mogh Ruith the Druid. Herself a great sorceress, Tlachtga became conflated with the Land Goddess to whom the fire was dedicated.

A map of fires and spotlights for Samhain and Tara 2007

Chain of Light beacon fires

Tara Light Shield spotlights

Uisneach Tlachtga Teltown Slane Skyrne Tara Loughcrew

Hill of Tara Rathmaeve Hill of Skreen Riverstown Henge Blundelstown Interchange

Please join in by lighting beacon fires at heights near you in solidarity.

Description of Samhain celebration

The public are invited to attend at 4pm at the Well on the southern slopes of the Hill of Ward and at Sunset on the Hill of Ward itself for the generation of a pure new fire spirit. We will hold a Fire Ceremony to announce the death and re-birth of the Celtic New Year. At 8pm (approx) we hope to bring this flame to Tara. This is our second Fire Ceremony and we offer an opportunity for others to light candles in lanterns to bring home the new fire spirit of the year. At about 10pm we head to Sliabh na Callighe and there we light the third Ceremonial Fire by approximately 12 o'clock.

Now Samhain doesn't actually occur on the 31st, stricter pagans would note astrological changes in calenders * we use so would say it is more around the 7th of November with the Triennial Feis celebrated for week around the time, but it still appropriate to have these public events on the 31st so as to not disturb people who feel they have a more direct connection to pagan Samhain beliefs. And if you do find around pagan there give them space if the want it. The one group I know of is led by Con Connor of Druidschool who'll be going to Tobar Tlachtga at 4pm on the Celtic New Year the 9th of November 2007

See videos of past Samhain events via Druid School
Photos of pagan events
Nov 2nd 2005 Samhain
2006 Samhain

Tara's Legendary view to the west. And other views of Rath Lugh.

I found a site called heywhatsthat.com that is supposed to, (using googlemaps), give you a panoramic view of the mountain peaks you can see from a particular point. It's also supposed to show you the visible field you could see from that point (the view shed). Now I thought this would be useful to map the legendary view across Ireland from the top of the Hill of Tara, I'm not sure it works properly, the site uses raw data from NASA/DEM and as ever its more refined for the US then the rest of the world. I would have expected to see a much larger red area, but maybe it to does give a good indication of the legendary view, and that Tara Hill has sight of a lot more land to the west then the east and that even if built further away that the motorway would have been more visible from Tara to the west. The NRA has said the didn't go west of Tara because of people homes , there was more archaeology there and the motorway would be even more visible from the hill of Tara.Link to Tara panorama.

The red is the visible field the Purple X marks Tara hill at elevation 505 ft above sea level (6 ft above ground)

It also shows contour lines but earthtools.org is better for that.

Wide contour

Close up contour

Recognise Rath Lugh's position in relation to Tara
Tara is the central hill and to the northeast protecting the northern approach is the Rath Lugh promentary fort jutting out into the Gowra river valley in between.

Source http://www.fallingrain.com/world/EI/0/Ross.html

Gabhra Valley from Rath Lugh April 2007 MNiB

Could someone define the Tara Hill and Valley landscape?

There has been lots of talk about the Tara Valley landscape but it hasn't been defined.

The core Tara landscape/complex can be best defined by highlighting the following defensive sites: Skryne, Rath Lugh, Rath Miles, Ringlestown Rath, Riverstown defensive earthwork, and Rath Maeve.

I know it probably couldn't be defined exactly down to the last metre but this map added to be by Con Conner is the only visual description(*) I've seen to attempt to define the Royal City of Tara.

Map by Con Connor of druidschool.com

The Druid expert suggest that the extent of the Royal City is determined by the defensive raths on high points around Tara. Although all 10 of NRA proposed routes enter this zone with the archaeologist's/conservationist preferred choice of those 10 the 'orange route' (which goes to the west away from the Gabhra Valley) cuts off the (Ringlestown) rath circled in the bottom left of this picture. (Googlemap of NRA routes) Heres a capture of my version of Connor's investigation which can be explored on googleearth.

Are the yellow lines the extent of the Royal City of Tara landscape.

I have also added to the googlemap the outline of the Bru na Boinne national park ( around New grange Knowth and Dowth )as example of trying to define a national monument and to compare the size with any future national park for Tara.

A archaeological protection zone and buffer zone for development.

Report on the M3 motorway impact on the Tara landscape. by Edel Bhreathnach, Conor Newman, Joseph Fenwick. tara hill