2pm Summer Solstice Thurs 21st June 2012 Join hands with the Tara Skryne Preservation Group encircling the Mound of the Hostages to publicise and protect the solar alignment which occurs at Imbolc, start of Feb and at Samhain @ 8th Nov. each year.
It is similar to the famed Winter Solstice alignment at Newgrange but is less well known. It is thought that this Samhain alignment is what gives Tara its historical importance as a Samhain site.
TSPG calls on the OPW and the Irish Govt to ensure that the solar alignment at the Mound of the Hostages, is preserved intact and undisturbed by the repair and reconstruction work currently underway at the site.
Anthony Murphy, author of ‘Island of the Setting Sun – In Search of
Ireland’s Ancient Astronomers’, said, ‘The Mound of the Hostages is the
oldest monument still in existence on the Hill of Tara, and as such it
deserves extra special treatment.’
‘It has long been known that this mound had a special alignment. Further
study will probably show that it has an alignment towards the moonrise
at the time of minor lunar standstill, which occurs in roughly the same
place on the horizon as the November/February cross quarter day
sunrises.’
‘With this in mind it is crucially important that this alignment is
protected, and that work currently under way on the mound is sensitive
to the astronomy.’
‘Our distant forebears were very clever people, who painstakingly built
huge stone and earth monuments with cosmic alignments over 5,000 years
ago. Any restoration or conservation work on these monuments must be
done tastefully and must ensure the preservation of the alignments.’
Spread the word. Come to Tara. Thank you.
