aliisaacstoryteller
The Rath of Synods at the Hill of Tara. (c) Ali Isaac

The 5 Great Roads of Ancient Ireland: Fact or Medieval Fiction?

According to legend, there were once five great roads which led to the Hill of Tara. The Annals of the Four Masters claim they magically appeared on the night of King Conaire’s birth. Just a story, or is their any evidence that Ireland really was criss-crossed by these five arterial lines of communication?

 34 Comments

 Posted on 2nd Jul 2018 by

 Ancient Places of Ireland, Irish Mythology

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St Patrick, frozen forever in stone, gazes longingly across the valley to the hill-top church tower of Skryne, Scrín in Irish. #stpatrick #hilloftara #skryne #ireland #church #churchtower #monument #capturedinstone #statue
The Rath of Synods from the Mound of Hostages at the Hill of Tara. These remains have been found to be the family dwelling place of an Irishman who had achieved high status with the Roman army. Archaeologists found evidence of lots of military administration type artefacts but no evidence of Roman cuisine, but lots of pig bones. Conclusion: an Irish man done good abroad but returned home to raise a family... and he never acquired a taste for foreign food! 😄 #ireland #hilloftara #archaeology #romans #ancientcuisine #irishmythology #rathofsynods #moundofhostages
Made by Morfessa in the lost city of Falias, the Lia Fail, Stone of Destiny, was brought to Ireland by the Tuatha de Danann. It is said to cry out in recognition of the touch of the rightful High King of Ireland. According to legend, this piece is only a fragment of what once stood here; the stone was broken in half by the furious blow of Cuchulainn's sword when it failed to proclaim his protege, Lugaid Riab nDerg. Some say the twin half was taken to Scotland for the coronation of Fergus mac Erc over the Dalriada, and that it ended up in the throne upon which English monarchs are now crowned. Some say it was hidden by Scottish monks beneath the River Tay, or at Dunsinane Hill. #irishmythology #ireland #liafail #hilloftara #mythsandlegends #highking #ardrí #coronationstone #stoneofdestiny #royalsite #cuchulainn #dalriada #scotland #monarchy #ritesofkings #ritual #magicalpower
Mound of Hostages at the Hill of Tara. The remains of many individuals were found inside, but also dug into the outer layers of the mound, indicating hundreds of years of use as a burial site. #hilloftara #moundofhostages #royalsite #burialmound #ancientcemetary #sacredsite #ireland #irelandsancienteast #countymeath #archaeology
Beautiful stained glass window inside the old church at the Hill of Tara, which now houses the Visitor Centre. #hilloftara #ancientireland #ancientsite #sacredsite #church #stainedglass #stainedglasswindow #visitorcentre #colour
Whilst I was staying in Galway last weekend, I visited Poulnabrone Dolmen with Jenni. You can be forgiven for thinking it was a balmy summer day; in reality storm Dennis was raging, and it was a wild and windy day. Sadly Poulnabrone is roped off, so you can't get too close; the base of its supporting stones are not buried in the earth but supported on the limestone pavement, making the whole structure quite fragile. These pics were snapped in between coachloads of tourists and bouts of gusty rain. #poulnabrone #dolmen #archaeology #burialsite #sacredstones #sacredsite #theburren #burren #ireland #wildatlanticway #waw #ancientireland

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