The Sun Sets behind the Stone of Destiny

Lia Fáil is a very special stone which sits atop one of the many ancient mounds on the Hill of Tara in County Meath. It is a standing stone of granite and stands proudly on An Forradh, the 'Royal Seat'. The stone has an extraordinary history and mythology.

Lia Fáil was said to have been brought to Ireland by the Tuatha Dé Danann, an ancient race of divine beings or deities who are said to have come here from some mystical islands in the north of the world. It was one of four treasures they brought, the others being the Sword of Nuadu, the Spear of Lugh and the Cauldron of The Dagda.

According to Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Book of Invasions, Lia Fáil is named from Lia (stone) and fó-ail, the 'under-stone', because of the incredible supernatural ability of the stone to scream aloud when the rightful king stepped on it.

The stone was moved to its current position atop An Forradh in the early 1800s to commemorate the United Irishmen who died in the Battle of Tara during the 1798 rebellion. Two conflicting reports say that it had either originally stood adjacent to Dumha na nGiall (Mound of the Hostages) or that it was lying recumbent in the ditch that surrounds An Forradh.

After a somewhat cloudy late afternoon, the sun finally appeared beneath the clouds as it set on the far distant horizon, its reflected light creating an orange and red flame effect on the underside of the clouds. I used remote flash to light the Lia Fáil.

This is probably my favourite of all the photographs I have taken of Lia Fáil over the years. It exudes a sense of majesty and the sovereignty associated with Tara, which was for many centuries the seat of the High King or Over-King of Ireland, hence the sobriquet Teamhair na Rí, Tara of the Kings.

You can own a high-quality limited edition lustre print of this image to hang in a frame in your home or office to remind you of Ireland's royal past.