Tara Hill () is an isolated

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

and associated

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

near the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

coast in north

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Though only high, it dominates the landscape of

northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

Wexford. It overlooks the Wexford coast line, from Courtown harbour to Castletown.

Geography

Tara Hill is situated at a particularly high point along the south east coast of Ireland and is surrounded by flat residential and agricultural land. Due to its height relative to the surrounding landscape, this hill qualifies as a Marilyn. It should not be confused with the much better known but much less prominent Royal

Hill of Tara The Hill of Tara ( or ) is a hill and ancient ceremonial and burial site near Skryne in County Meath, Ireland. Tradition identifies the hill as the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland; it also appears in Irish mythology. ...

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, which is only 159m high. The summit is marked by a

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

from where one can see nearby

Gorey Gorey () is a market town in north County Wexford, Ireland. It is bypassed by the main N11 road (Ireland), M11 Dublin to Wexford road. The town is also connected to the Gorey railway station, railway network along the same route. Local newspape ...

Courtown Courtown () is a village in County Wexford, Ireland. It was developed after Earl of Courtown, Lord Courtown ordered the construction of a harbour during the Famine years, 1839–1846. The economic boost of the new harbour led to a small village ...

and other villages and

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

s and views of the North Wexford coast. Though only 253 metres high, it dominates the landscape of northeast Wexford and can be seen from

town centre, which is approximately 7.1 km away. There is a small settlement on the hill.

History

Saint Caemhan or Kevin or Cavan, as the name is variously spelt, is the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Tara Hill. The site of the old church, reputedly founded by Kevin, is situated at Kilcavan at the north side of the hill under a cliff by the road. In 2009, the community in Tara Hill and Ballymoney announced plans to produce a new book on the social history of the area. A 'Minding Memories' night was held in Tara Hill in which locals recorded their memories of the area.

Amenities

While not considered a village, Tara Hill is home to a church and a primary school (St Kevins) and a number of businesses. The closest villages to Tara Hill are Castletown, Ballymoney and Courtown. Nearby Gorey serves as a market town for the area. Tara Hill has two main walking trails around the Marilyn starting close to the village centre. The area is linked to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network from Gorey connects it to Rosslare Europort. St. Kevins

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church is located at Kilcavan Lower townland in Tara Hill. The local national (primary) school, St. Kevin's National School, is also named for St. Kevin.

Tourism

There are a number of bed-and-breakfast (B&B) businesses in the area. Seafield Hotel & Spa Resort, in nearby Ballymoney, also serves tourists staying in the local area. The area has a number of beaches, including Clone Strand and nearby Ballymoney Beach. There are two trails on Tara Hill, starting from two different trailheads (Crab Tree – Blue and Cemetery – Red). The Red Slí an tSuaimhnais trail begins from Tara Hill cemetery just beyond the village itself. The Blue Slí na n-Óg trail, beginning from the Ballinacarrig parking place (known locally as the Crab Tree) goes to the higher slopes of Tara Hill itself.

Sport

The local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

(GAA) club,

Castletown Liam Mellows GAA Castletown Liam Mellows Gaelic Athletic Association is a Gaelic football and ladies' Gaelic football club based in Castletown, County Wexford, Castletown, County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. History Castletown Liam Mellows are named ...

, is located on the border between Tara Hill and Castletown townland.

References