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heritage · Wednesday 1 July 2026 · Various 
Hill of Tara Lecture Series - July 2026
At Hill of Tara Visitor Centre · Hill of Tara, Navan, Co. Meath
At Hill of Tara Visitor Centre · Hill of Tara, Navan, Co. Meath
Every July, the OPW opens the Hill of Tara Visitor Centre on four Wednesday evenings for a free lecture series that pulls together archaeologists, historians, and specialists to speak about one of the most significant ancient sites in Ireland. It is the kind of evening that suits anyone with a genuine interest in Irish history - not a tourist overview but a proper talk, the sort you would get at a university open lecture, held inside a deconsecrated church on the hill itself. Families who have already walked the site during the day get a second, deeper look at what they saw; those coming fresh get a grounding that makes a daytime visit far richer afterwards.
The series runs on the first four Wednesdays of July 2026 - the 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd - at the Hill of Tara Visitor Centre, Navan. Speakers across the four sessions typically include archaeologists from the Hill of Tara Discovery Programme and specialists in early Irish literature and mythology. Past series have covered topics ranging from Iron Age kingship and inauguration rites to geophysical survey finds and the site’s long afterlife in folklore. Each talk runs in an intimate setting inside the old church building, where the OPW’s own audiovisual exhibition also explains the site’s 5,000-year span, from Neolithic passage tomb to the hill that 142 High Kings of Ireland are said to have claimed.
The Hill of Tara covers around 100 acres in the Boyne Valley. The central enclosure - the Rath na Ríogh, or Rath of the Kings - contains the Stone of Destiny, said to cry out when the rightful king stood upon it. Geophysical surveys in recent years have revealed structures beneath the surface that are still being studied. The lectures draw on that ongoing research, so the talks change year to year depending on what is newly known.
The Hill of Tara is signposted off the M3 motorway at Junction 7, roughly 12 km south of Navan on the L2002. Driving from Dublin takes around 35 to 40 minutes; from Navan town it is a 15-minute drive. There is a car park on site. Bus Eireann runs services from Dublin and Navan to nearby Kilmessan, though a car is the practical option for an evening event. Taxis from Navan town are also straightforward to arrange.
Navan itself sits at the confluence of the Boyne and Blackwater rivers and is worth a stop - the town has a good range of cafes and pubs if you want to eat before the lecture. There is more to see in Navan and across Co. Meath.
Heading to Hill of Tara Visitor Centre in Navan? Meath has plenty more to see. Read the Navan area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.