Hill of Tara

High kings, history and heroes

‘Excellent’ — The Irish Times.

The best, most comprehensive guided tour to the Hill of Tara. MP3 album and a full-featured app for iPhone and Android.  This expert audio guide brings Tara to life, with stories, history and music.  You will need a guided tour at Tara as there is very little information on site, and this tour has all you need,  whether you have 20 minutes, or 2 hours.   Choose from our app, MP3 audio guide and our great activity sheets for ages 7-11 and 12-15.  Click to download our  free Hill of Tara map and guide.

Try it: Tara’s ceremonial entrance

Highlights

The audio guide is packed with 80 minutes of stories, music and information, covering all the monuments on the Hill of Tara, enough for a great half-day outing.  Plus extra information on legends and landscape, how to become the High King of Ireland, the ceremonies and sacrifices, and other places to visit in the area.  The soundtrack features dramatised extracts, and music played on replica Bronze Age instruments.

Free Hill of Tara map and guide

Our 2-page colour guide is essential for your visit. It includes a map of the Hill of Tara, and stunning images revealing detail you cannot see from the ground.  Click to download the free Hill of Tara map and guide.  (It is in our iPhone app, MP3 album packs, and the souvenir boxed set, but not with the EP smartphone edition.)

Visit the Boyne Valley & make a day of it

The Hill of Tara is in the famous Boyne Valley, deep in the heart of historic county Meath.  Make it a day-trip, there’s so much to see, including  Slane Castle and the Neolithic passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth.  The old Norman village of Skreen is just 3 km from the Hill of Tara.  Other monuments nearby include the atmospheric Rath Maeve and Ringlestown Fort.  Further afield are the ruins at Kells, where the Book of Kells was written, and the passage graves at Loughcrew.

Visiting the Hill of Tara

The Hill of Tara is a big, open area, and there is no admission charge. We recommend: comfortable shoes and warm clothing, as you will be crossing rough ground and the hill is windy and can be cool even in summer; binoculars and a camera can be useful if you have them. There is car parking, a great coffee and gift shop, and toilets.  The Hill of Tara visitor centre is usually open June-August.   //  How to get to the Hill of Tara //  Accommodation at Tara and other things to do // The Hill of Tara on Facebook.

There is limited access to the hill for people with impaired mobility — but with our audio guide, you can sit and enjoy a tour over coffee in the gift shop, or even from the comfort of your own armchair.

The project was supported by a grant from the Heritage Council. Our Tara tour is a member of Boyne Valley Heritage.