The Hill of Tara
Sir- We have just returned from a visit to the Hill of
Tara, where we found that the work of destruction,
abandoned a year or two ago, has begun again. Labourers
are employed to dig through the mounds and ditches that
mark the site of the ancient Royal duns and houses. We
saw them digging and shovelling without any supervision,
hopelessly mixing the different layers of earth and
altering the contour of the hill. This is not being done
through any antiquarian zeal; but; apparently, that the
sect which believes the English to be descended from the
Ten Tribes may find the Ark of the Covenant.
We are assured that the Commissioners of Public Works in
Ireland can do nothing in this case, for by the Ancients
Monuments Protection Act of 1882 they can only interfere
when the "owner" has himself "constituted" them "the
guardians of the monument".
All we can do under the circumstances is to draw the
attention of the public to this desecration. Tara is,
because of its associations, probably the most
consecrated spot in Ireland, and its destruction will
leave many bitter memories behind.
We are, Sir, yours truly,
Douglas Hyde, LL.D
George Moore
W. B. Yeats
Dublin,
June 24.
© The Times, 27th. June 1902.
