The Washington times., 1901-11-10
TARA'S HILL TO BE SOLD.
Site of Ireland's Famous Old Cap
ital to Be Offered at Auction.
Is Now Prosaic Farm-PreciOus
Relics of Erin's History Located
There-0ccupied by Generations
Of kIngs-Tom Moore's Lines.

Tara's Hill, in the County of Meath,
| ireland, where generations of Irish
kings held their seats; where Erins
beauties and their lords held stately
| revelry in Tara's Hall; where Ireland's
stone OF destiny, the Liza Fail, moss
grown and green as the isle itself, still
points to the monday sun and the quiv-
ering stars; where Tom Moore dreamed
and sang of the music of harps that
told of the kingdoms ancient glo'y-
Tara's Hill. with all the relics so closely
associated with Irish history and story,
is for sale.
Tara's Hill, once the capital of Ire
land, is now a prosaic farm. z be ~ 4
Fail, famed in story, still rItr ne
summit. The famous banquet all,
The House of a Thousand Soldiers"
capable of seating a thousand of Ire
lands mobiles and their beauties at the
banquet board. is there, and in it is the
great stone chair on which the proud
oNeals and Brian Boru and his de-
scendants sat with golden crowns on
their heads.
But the industrious tiller of the soil
has sought to make crops grow where
1,500 years ago stood Ireland's crown
ing glory. The music of the harp has
died SO long since that its echoes can
not stir the memory of the Oldest who
live on Tara's Hill The tombs of the
Irish warriors who fell in battle against
the barbarian invaders have long since
been plowed over, and replowed so
no ha due ,f
those who sleep beneath has been un-
earthed and scattered to the winds.
The Liza Fail, which marks the Crop
pies grave, or the grave of warriors,
is the most ancient and famous relic
in Ireland, and almost as old as Tara's
Hall 1t was here that Lowry, the
King of Tara, sat at the time of st.
Patricks arrival. Here all the mag
nifcence of the ancient kingdom was
displayed. 1t was a huge excavation,
800 feet long and 40 feet wide. In it
were held the greatest assemblages of
that ancient time, and all the pomp and
glory of the whole kingdom was shown
there.
The farm which is now offered for
sale is ON the very summit of the hill.
1t contains the ruined hall, the Liza Fail,
the "Croppies' Grave" and the Kings
chair No more precious relics of Irish
history exist, and yet they'll go with
the farm. Barley and potatoes may be
grown over the graves of the soldiers.
The plow has spared the ancient hall,
and the imperishable stone remains in
tact, but beyond a Typographical sur
vey of the site of the ancient city
which has been preserved in the arch
ives of Dublin, all memory of Ireland's
ancient, capital may soon vanish.
Tara's Hill, as 1t now exists. shows
clearly the remains of the ancient city,
although it has been deserted for al
most fifteen centuries. The oldest man
useript in ireland, preserved in Dublin,
was written there, and is a careful de-
scription of Tara, accompanied by a
rude map, showing monuments, forts.
roads and other marks which can yet
be fairly discerned. The most unnis-
taxable of all the signs of the ancient
city, however, are the Liza Fail and the
Tara Hall, with the Kings chair.
The plow may even now have effaced
the old lines of these roads and forts.
If not, the advertisement of the historic
spot for sale as a farm indicates that
with Ireland's faded glory the relics of
her strength must soon disappear.