Show TARA IRELAND ONCE GREAT HAS ONLY MEMORIES only a level space between two banks in a field today marks the site of the banqueting hall of tara once the capital of irish kings and one of the most famous places in ancient ireland the hall was immense an old irish poem states that it was feet long whereas actual measurements ure ments show that it was about there is little to see at tara but many visitors come to it each year for the rich memories and legends it evokes of ancient ire land here are the rath of con and the mound of baisi central figures in the tragedy of deirdre which has formed form ed the theme for works by yeats and ae three of the count rys most famous authors of modern times tara also has memories of st patrick for it was there that he defied the druid priests by lighting the paschal fire in A D history says that the druids druies warned the king that if the fire was not put out the man who had lighted it would rule all ireland in reply st patrick wrought miracles overcame the druids druies and finally won permission to areah christianity in the land |