1. The Druids called their mother goddess Tara; Edain Echraidhe is her Irish name.
2. Her home is the high valley between the Hill of Tara and Skryne in the Royal City of Celtic Ireland.
3. A motorway is being planned to go through the middle of this valley, generating some local opposition.
4. The Hill of Tara, (known as Teamhair na Rí, or the "Hill of the Kings" in Irish), was once the ancient seat of power in Ireland, reputed to have been the seat of the Árd Rí Éireann or High King of Ireland.
5. In ancient Irish religion and mythology, Tara was the sacred place of dwelling for the gods, and was the entrance to the otherworld.
6. The Hill of Tara was the capital of the Tuatha Dé Danann, pre-Celtic dwellers of Ireland.
7. It was the seat of the kings of Ireland until the 6th century, and to a lesser extent this role extended until the 12th century. A grave was found near the hill that is supposedly that of King Lóegaire, who was said to be the last pagan king of Ireland.
8. Atop the hill stands a stone pillar that was the Irish Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny) on which the High Kings of Ireland were crowned, the stone was required to roar three times if the chosen one was a true king.
9. At one time, it was a capital offense to make a fire within sight of Tara.
10. Saint Patrick is said to have come to Tara to confront the ancient religion of the pagans at its most powerful site.
11. One interpretation of the name Tara says that it means a "place of great prospect", it’s claimed that on a clear day half the counties of Ireland can be seen from atop Tara.
12. Early in the 20th century a group of Israelites came to Tara with the conviction that the Arc of the Covenant was buried there.
13. A new theory suggests Tara was the ancient capital of the lost kingdom of Atlantis.
