The Hill of Tara and Lia Fáil is one of the most important ancient sites in Ireland. Located on a hilltop overlooking County Meath the site is linked to the mythical Tuatha Dé Danann race (faerie folk) who brought the Stone of Destiny (Lia Fáil) to this area. The stone, legend has it, would scream when the rightful High King of Ireland arrived at it- a descendent of Conn of the Hundred Battles, and the stone - which was originally located at the opposite end of the field from where it now sits - was indeed used as the coronation stone for generations of Irish High Kings. The Hill of Tara site itself, according to the government website heritageireland.ie has been important since the late Stone Age, when a passage tomb was built there. "However, the site became truly significant in the Iron Age (600 BC to 400 AD) and into the Early Christian Period when it rose to supreme prominence – as the seat of the high kings of Ireland. All old Irish roads lead to this critical site. "St Patrick himself went there in the fifth century. As Christianity achieved dominance over the following centuries, Tara’s importance became symbolic. Its halls and palaces have now disappeared and only earthworks remain. "There are still remarkable sights to be seen, however. Just one example is the Lia Fáil – the great coronation stone and one of the four legendary treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann – which stands proudly on the monument known as An Forradh," the government's Office of Public Works website states.
