The Magic of Tara

The ancient and sacred Hill of Tara evokes memories of a magical time in the history of Ireland; The Inisfáil of ancient times; the Emerald Isle of today... Tara; home of kings and princes, epic warriors, fair ladies and mystic druids; The site of battles fought, of causes lost and won through the long millennia of its existence.

On the north-eastern slope of the hill lies a well known for many centuries past as "The Healer", and since the 6th century as "Saint Patrick's Well", since tradition holds that the saint himself baptized his new Christian converts in this very place. Purified by its passage through the soil of the sacred hill, the water emerges into a crystal-clear pool, protected within a box-like structure of flat stones. The earliest written records of the well go back to the 9th century, but undoubtedly it is of far greater antiquity than this, and is probably contemporary with the discovery of the hill itself by the first inhabitants of Ireland in the Neolithic era, some 5,000 years ago.

Each year people from all over the globe travel to this world-renowned place to experience the magic of Tara for themselves... Now some of this magic can be brought directly to you, in the form of a sample of water from the sacred well, contained in a miniature cobalt blue bottle with a spiral design in pewter, which can be worn as a pendant. For those of Irish descent living abroad, this unique memento of Ireland's most famous hill will serve as a proud symbol of your noble Celtic heritage.

From the very beginning, Tara has been regarded as a sacred place. In ancient Irish religion and mythology, the Hill of Tara was revered as a dwelling-place of the gods... An entrance gate to the "Otherworld" of eternal joy and plenty, where no mortal man or woman ever grew old. In the legends of Saint Patrick's mission to Ireland it is recorded that he came to Tara first, in order to confront the ancient religion in its most powerful place.

Dating back more than five thousand years to the Neolithic Age, Tara is known in both myth and history as the traditional seat of the High Kings of Ireland.On a clear day, it is possible to see 40% of the entire land area of Ireland from the summit of the hill. It was on the Hill of Tara that the Ard Rí, or high king was crowned, hence its title as the Seat of the High Kings of Ireland.In prehistory and in historic times, one hundred and forty-two kings are said to have reigned here. The Coronation Stone known as the "Lia Fáil", or Stone of Destiny, brought from the east, according to legend, by the mystical race known as the Tuatha Dé Danaan, has rested here down through the ages. It was here that the most powerful of Irish kings held their great inaugural feasts, and were approved by the Earth Mother, the goddess Maeve.Tara was the most important centre of political and religious power in pre-Christian Ireland.

Tara is one of the largest complexes of Celtic monuments in all of Europe, and in reading the ancient landscape we are transported back in time to when the first settlers arrived here some six thousand years ago. They, and the Celts who later followed them, chose the Hill of Tara as a very special place. Small wonder, then, that the magic of Tara survives to the present day, and continues to enchant all those who walk its sacred pathways.

"There are two Irelands from this day forward; the spiritual and the earthly...
The Dé Danaan dwell in the spiritual Ireland. Where the human eye can see
only green mounds and ramparts, the relics of ruined fortresses or sepulchres,
there rise the fairy palaces of the defeated divinities;
there they hold their revels in eternal sunshine..."

(from "Celtic Legends", by T.W. Rolleston)

As for the water's authenticity, you have the guarantee of my word of honor as a member of one of Ireland's oldest and most well-respected families, the clan Magennis, that what you will receive is genuine and true to the description above, drawn by me in person from the sacred well. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a very special memento of the magical Hill of Tara for yourself... A unique conversation piece and keepsake of Ireland to be cherished always.

Container description:

Celtic spiral design pewter cap on a dark blue glass vial with a 30" black satin necklace cord.
Approximate dimensions of vial are 1 3/4" long X 1/2" wide.
Capacity 1 dram (U.S.).