58 The Boyne Valley. 



endowed, the demesne consisting of 245 acres, with a mill and 

 fishing weir on the rivtr. The Abbott of Bective sat as a 

 Lord of Parliament, and it was the only house of the Order in 

 Meath. Bective Abbey being built before the arrival of the 

 Anglo Normans, possesses more interest for Irish archaeologists. 

 The cloisters are very fine and fairly well preserved. The 

 great tower above the porch is quite perfect, and was evidently 

 intended for defensive warfare, in fact, for the Church militant, 

 as its battlements and loopholes testify. We now reach Navan, 

 where the Blackwater forms a junction with the Boyne. The 

 ancient moat is the principal object of interest to the anti- 

 quarian at Navan. Tara can be readily reached, either from 

 Bective or Navan ; the distance from the former is about five 

 miles and the latter six to the ancient seat of the kings of 

 Ireland. The drive lies through a beautiful and well-wooded 

 country, with some very pretty views of the river. The Hill 

 of Tara was the seat of Irish sovereignty for ages ; it was there 

 the laws were promulgated and there the great assemblits of 

 the nobles and people were held. The hill, which is about 

 550 feet high, has a commanding view, extending over several 

 counties. It has always been kept in grass, and ihe outlines of 

 the ancient raths and forts have been well prestrved ; also the 

 earthworks which outlive the great banqueting hall celebrated 

 in poems and story called Miodh-Chuarta, or the middle house 

 of the Palace of Tara. The buildings were constructed of 

 timber and protected by earth works ; the former have 

 perished j'ears ago, whilst the latter have remained to the 

 present day. Standing on a mound in one of the raths is the 

 Lia Fail, or stone of destiny, on which it is recorded the kings 

 of Ireland were inaugurated. The glory of Tara was brought 

 to an untimely end. The annals of Clonmacnois relate that in 

 the year 563 the hill was deserted in consequence of a curse 

 pronounced against Knig Dermot by Saint Ruadhan, because 

 of the king's determination to punish Hugh Guarry, his 

 relative, for killing one of the king's oflficers. Having examined 

 the raths and forts of Tara, as wtU as the very ancient church 



