TaraWatch is sending a delegation to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting, to the held in Quebec City, 2-10 July, to lobby for the preservation of the Hill of Tara archaeological complex, being threatened by the M3 motorway construction works.

This initiative is being taken in response to the proposal by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, to make a World Heritage site, with the M3 passing through the middle of it. TaraWatch supports the nomination of Tara, but wants UNESCO to insist that the M3 is re-routed first.

An art auction is being held on Saturday, 21 June, in the Pearse family home, at 27 Pearse Street, Dublin, in order to fund the delegation. The house was the birth place of Pádraig Pearse, (10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) Pearse was a teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the revolutionary leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. The perfectly restored building now houses the Ireland Institute for Historical and Cultural Studies. Pearse is recorded as wanting the 1916 Proclamation of Independence read out on the Hill of Tara, as well as outside the General Post Office,on O’Connell Street, where he read it out at the beginning of the Easter Rising.

Works of art are being donated by a number of celebrated Irish artists, including Louis le Brocquy, Jim Fitzpatrick and Tom Mathews. The auction remains open for other artists to donate works, if they wish to participate.

The print being donated by Louis le Brocquy can be viewed at the Taylor Galleries, 16 Kildare Street, up until the day of the auction. Mr le Brocquy will also provide a written statement, concerning the artistic importance of Tara, to be submitted to UNESCO.

All the works will be on display at Pearse House, from 11.00am onwards, on 21 June. The auction itself will take place at 7.00pm.

For more information, please contact info@tarawatch.org / +353-87-972-8603

The artists

Jim Fitzpatrick is an Irish artist famous for Irish Celtic Art. Perhaps his most famous piece is his iconic two-tone portrait of Che Guevara created in 1968 and based on a photo by Alberto Korda. In 1978, he wrote and lavishly illustrated a book called The Book of Conquests, retelling of a cycle of Irish myths, the Lebor Gabála Érenn. The book retells the legends interpolated into a linear story via a series of exceptionally detailed illustrations matched with text of the deeds of might and valour contained in the myth. It is replete with intricate Celtic scrollwork and knotwork. This was followed up by The Silver Arm, which retells further portions of Irish myth. A third volume, The Son of the Sun, is listed as “in preparation” as of 2004. He has also produced artwork for Thin Lizzy, for Sinéad O’Connor’s 2000 album Faith and Courage and for The Darkness’ 2003 single Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End).

Louis le Brocquy (born November 10, 1916) is an Irish painter. Born in Dublin, Louis le Brocquy’s work has received much international attention and many accolades in a career that spans seventy years of creative practice. Le Brocquy is widely acclaimed for his evocative “Portrait ‘Heads” of literary figures and fellow artists, which include William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, and his friends Samuel Beckett, Francis Bacon and Seamus Heaney. In 1967 Louis le Brocquy was commissioned by the publisher Liam Miller to illustrate Thomas Kinsella’s inspired version of the Táin Bó Cúailnge, the dramatic record of Ireland’s proto-historic past. He and his partner, artist Anne Madden, have been very vocal in their opposition to the M3 at Tara, writing letters to the Irish Times, and attending marches.

Tom Mathews was born in Dublin in 1952. After working for a time in advertising he studied Fine Art at NCAD, since leaving which in 1974 he has worked as freelance writer, critic, and cartoonist. His work appears weekly in The Irish Times and The Sunday Independent as well as in Cara Magazine, Hot Press, and other publications. He has had sixteen one-man shows to date including three exhibitions of paintings. These have also featured in the Living Art and RHA. His cartoons are in many private and public national and international collections.

For more information see http://www.tarawatch.org

Originally posted 2008-06-17 20:28:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The Hill of Tara Pic: Irish Central

The Hill of Tara (Irish Temair na Rí, “Hill of the Kings”), located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland. It contains a number of ancient monuments, and, according to tradition, was the seat of Árd Rí na hÉireann, or the High King of Ireland. Recent scholarship claims that despite the rich narratives derived from mythologies, Tara was not so much a true seat of kingship, but a sacral site associated with kingship rituals. Other historians have argued that the concept itself is mostly mythical. [Wiki]

The Destruction caused by the Motorway

The M3 motorway, which opened in June 2010, passes through the Tara-Skryne Valley – as does the existing N3 road. Protesters argue that since the Tara Discovery Programme started in 1992, there is an appreciation that the Hill of Tara is just the central complex of a wider landscape. The distance between the motorway and the exact site of the Hill is 2.2 km (1.37 miles) – it intersects the old N3 at the Blundelstown interchange between the Hill of Tara and the Hill of Skyrne.

The presence of this interchange situated in the valley has led to allegations that further development is planned near Tara. An alternative route approximately 6 km west of the Hill of Tara is claimed to be a straighter, cheaper and less destructive alternative. On Sunday 23 September 2007 over 1500 people met on the hill of Tara to take part in a human sculpture representing a harp and spelling out the words “SAVE TARA VALLEY” as a call for the rerouting of the M3 motorway away from Tara valley. Actors Stuart Townsend and Jonathan Rhys Meyers attended this event.

The Hill of Tara was included in the World Monuments Fund’s 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world. It was included, in 2009, in the 15 must-see endangered cultural treasures in the world by the Smithsonian Institution.

The Curse of Tara and its Fairy Forts

Irish Central reports that Activists claim desecration of Tara for highway sparked ancient curse.

An ancient curse of Tara has been unleashed in Ireland by the destruction of the Fairy Forts. That’s according to anti-highway activist Carmel Divine who says a “modern day Curse of Tara” has been unleashed on Ireland by the “destruction and desecration of the M3 Motorway.” She said that Seannachaí Eddie Lennihan warned the Irish Government in early 2007 against destroying the Fairy Forts in Ireland’s historic Tara Skryne Valley. She said the Seannachaí warned the Irish Government that they would be cursed. At the time, a spokesman for the National Roads Authority, mocked the Seannachaí and said they weren’t concerned. Diviney says all of Ireland’s woes date back to July 2007 when work began on the new M3 motorway. She lists the following incidents as evidence of the Fairy Fort curse.

Wakeman Plan of the Tara Complex Pic: Wiki

The Fey in Action

In June 2007 Minister for the Environment Dick Roche signed an order destroying the Lismullin Henge. Lismullin Henge was a 4,000 year old astronomical observatory and place of worship and hailed as one of the most important archaeological finds of the century.

Roche was since held up by an armed gang in the Druids Glen Hotel and also lost his job and was then demoted.

Martin Cullen the then Minister for Transport nearly got sucked out of a helicopter when the door fell off on one of his extravagantly expensive trips.

The chief Health and Safety Officer was seriously injured by a falling tree when felling began at Rath Lugh in 2007.

A worker was killed when he became trapped at Fairyhouse where there have been many accidents on this stretch of road.

A human tooth was discovered in a digger which was used to destroy the famous ancient feasting grounds and gathering place of ancient Harpers at Baronstown. Shortly afterwards the stairs in the National Museum collapsed.

And finally, just last summer, several large wasp nests were found throughout the valley. In Celtic Lore the appearance of the wasp was associated with the anger of Mother Earth.

Diviney says that Ireland will continue to be cursed as long as it continues to meddle with sacred ground.

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Originally posted 2010-11-24 13:25:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Anyone who starts to take an interest in the medieval texts relating to Ireland quickly picks up the idea that the country was divided into ‘fifths’. Indeed, the Gaelic word cuigeadh still means ‘fifths’ (singular coiced) and the modern-day Gaelic expression which translates literally as ‘the five fifths of Ireland’ refers to the political divisions of Ulster, Connacht, Leinster and Munster. Yes, you have counted correctly. There are only four ‘fifths’ in Ireland. The early legends subdivided Munster into east and west, but this is an artificial adjustment. The earliest clearly datable references to the cuigeadh relate to the kingdoms which emerged in the fifth and sixth centuries. At this date Ireland is considered to be divided into fifths but only four functional divisions are recognisable.

Ireland divided into four ‘fifths’ (adapted from Rees and Ress).

A region known as Midhe (perhaps meaning ‘middle’ or ‘neck’), which incorporated the royal centre at Tara, was regarded as having pre-eminent status and has for many centuries been popularly considered to be the fifth coiced. Yet, politically, from the iron age onwards, Midhe was under the domination of one or other adjoining kingdoms. Tara, with its impressive group of ditched earthworks and the Lia Fail (Stone of Density, used for the coronation of the High Kings of Ireland), indeed had enourmous prestige in the medieval literature yet, when the kings met annually (at Beltain), they did so at a natural outcrop known in recent years as Aill na Mireann, but probably traditionally as Carraig Choithrigi (the Stone of Divisions), which is situated near the less-impressive earthworks on the Hill of Uisnech. Furthermore, it is Uisnech, not Tara, which is the geographical mid-point of Ireland. For instance, it is claimed that a beacon fire on Uisnech can be seen over a quarter of Ireland [1].
Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2008-04-29 10:31:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

We found a short film by Mairéid Sullivan about the importance of the Hill of Tara on You Tube. She writes:

Over the past decade there has been considerable controversy regarding construction of the M3 Motorway through the Tara Valley, especially in light of the discoveries at Roestown and more recently Lismullin. While those finds are extremely significant, they pale in comparison to a more recent discovery at Tara.

This short film by the award winning documentary filmmaker and musician, Mairéid Sullivan, shows that the complexity and importance of The Hill of Tara goes well beyond what we’ve known about the site for the past few millennia.

Support the Anam Cara for Tara Arts Action Campaign
[Source]
(Anam Cara means “Soul Friend” in Irish Gaelic) an initiative of the http://GlobalArtsCollective.org

Originally posted 2009-04-12 08:52:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The Celtic Tiger? Pic: Tambako the Jaguar

As you know, we at the Celtic Myth Podshow, try and avoid any particular political and/or religious stance - our main sphere of interest is in the Ancient Celts. Where did they come from? Where did they go and what traces of them are left today? We found this following commentary by George Monbiot in the Guardian.co.uk newspaper website, and the political questions he asks bear a direct relationship to the religious, archaeological, and traditions/heritage of the Ancient and modern Celts in Ireland.The economical growth that Ireland has seen has been called the ‘Celtic Tiger‘. He looks at the economical growth over the past 60 years and asks the question: how much of this is real?I do not understand the politics involved, I do not understand the choices that have been made or are available to be made - politics has never been my strong suit – I only understand the destruction that the Sacred Landscape in Erin has suffered.

This post is for those who do understand such things and are in positions where they have the power to help preserve the land and traditions of the Ancient Celts, that precious Irish heritage that is genuinely so important to our global Celtic heritage as well as the Irish tourism industry.

George goes on to say:

How much of this is real? How much of the economic growth of the past 60 years? Of the wealth and comfort, the salaries and pensions that older people accept as normal, even necessary? How much of it is an illusion, created by levels of borrowing – financial and ecological – that cannot be sustained? Go to Ireland and you’ll see that even bricks and mortar are a mirage: the marvels of the new economy, built on debt, stand empty and worthless.

To sustain the illusion, we have inflicted more damage since 1950 to the planet’s living systems than we achieved in the preceding 100,000 years. The damage will last for centuries; the benefits might not see out the year. Ireland, again, points a withered finger at the future.

Among other iniquities, the government forced a motorway through the Gabhra Valley, part of a site – the Hill of Tara complex – comparable in its importance to Stonehenge. It was both an act of wilful vandalism and a notice of intent: no consideration would impede the economic miracle. The road hadn’t opened before the miracle collapsed.

Once our needs had been met, continued economic growth did most people few favours. During the second half of the growth frenzy, unemployment rose, inequality rose, social mobility declined, the poor lost amenities (such as housing) while the rich enhanced theirs. In 2004, at the height of the longest boom the UK has ever experienced, the Nuffield Foundation published this extraordinary finding:

“Rises in mental health problems seem to be associated with improvements in economic conditions.”

Now, bar the shouting, it’s over. Last week the Wall Street consultant Nouriel Roubini, one of the few who predicted the financial crash, spelt out the fix we’re in. Governments cannot afford to bail out the banks again. Quantitative easing can no longer help, nor can currency depreciation. Italy and Spain will be forced, in effect, to default, and Germany won’t pay out any more. The successful capitalist reached this striking conclusion:

“Karl Marx, it seems, was partly right in arguing that globalisation, financial intermediation run amok, and redistribution of income and wealth from labour to capital could lead capitalism to self-destruct.”

The Solution?

The most hopeful sign that politicians might now be prepared to ask the big questions was the presence, in Ed Miliband’s pile of holiday reading, of Prof Tim Jackson’s book Prosperity Without Growth. It’s a revolutionary text, now two years old, whose time has come.

But how do you escape from growth without tanking the economy – and our prosperity? Under the current system, you can’t: when growth stops, it collapses. So Jackson has begun developing a macroeconomic model which would allow economic output to be stabilised. He experiments with raising the ratio of investment to consumption, changing the nature and conditions of investment and shifting the balance from private to public spending, while staying within tight constraints on the use of resources. He finds that the redistribution of both income and employment (through shorter working hours) is essential to the project. So is re-regulation of the banks, enhanced taxation of resources and pollution and measures to discourage manic consumption, such as tighter restrictions on advertising.

His system is not wholly different to today’s: people will still spend and save, companies will still produce goods and services, governments will still raise taxes and spend money. It requires more government intervention than we’re used to; but so does every option we face from now on, especially if we try to sustain the growth illusion. The results, though, are radically different: a stable, growthless economy which avoids both financial and ecological collapse.

From now on, as the old dream dies, nothing is straightforward. But at least we have the beginning of a plan.
Read the full article on the Guardian website at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/22/economic-growth-environment

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Pic by : Tom

Irish Bards The BARDS proper occupied a high position in Ireland. The Ollamhs had colleges at Clogher, Armagh, Lismore, and Tamar. On this, Walker’s Historical Memoirs, 1786, observes that “all the eminent schools, delectably situated, which were established by the Christian clergy in the fifth century, were erected on the ruins of those colleges.” They studied for twelve years to gain the barred cap and title of Ollamh or teacher. They were Ollamhain Re-dan, or Filidhe, poets. They acted as heralds, knowing the genealogy of their chiefs.

With white robe, harp in hand, they encouraged warriors in battle Their power of satire was dreaded; and their praise, desired.

There is a story of the Ard Ollamh, or Archdruid, sending to Italy after a book Of skins, containing various chosen compositions, as the Cuilmeun, &c. As heralds they were called Seanachies. As Bards they sang in a hundred different kinds of verse. One Ollamh Fodhla was the Solon of Ireland; Amergin, the singer, lived 500 B.C.; Torna Egeas, was last of the paean bards. Long after, they were patriots of the tribes–

With uncouth harps, in many-colour’d vest,
Their matted hair With boughs fantastic crown’d Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2009-02-18 10:01:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

THE World Archaeological Congress has urged the Government to ensure that no large commercial or residential development is allowed along the route of the controversial M3 motorway. And the forum, made up of practising archaeologists, has said that excavations carried out along the motorway route in Co Meath — which runs near the hill of Tara — were performed to the “highest professional standards”.

Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2008-07-30 01:38:24. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Summer Solstice Sunrise over Stonehenge Pic: Wikimedia

Awakening As One exists for the sole purpose of inspiring and encouraging humanity to make the intelligent choice to unite and live for the peace and harmony of all, rather than for the material gain of the self. Awakening As One invites us all to join them this Summer Solstice (World Peace & Prayer Day) for the first in a series of events planned for this summer, where we can unite and shine our light for the world by sharing it on the streets of our own cities.

Our action of uniting to shine in public locations will allow us to find, and be found by, others who are seeking change in the darkness of this falling age, and by those whom we would not typically encounter because of our varied social backgrounds.

THE HEALING POWER OF PLAY

The Summer Solstice and other such Events will unite the voices and actions of their participants in public expressions of love and gratitude for the earth, her oceans and all living things.

And in accordance with “The Plan” acts such as this, where people Unite, to spread Truths, in Compassionate Service; will bring increased balance and healing to the world’s corresponding negative aspects of fear, ignorance, hate and greed.

Though a Summer Solstice Event could be ANY activity where people Unite, to acknowledge Truth, in Compassionate Service, we offer the following guidelines which will be used in a number of cities in Western Canada, and which anyone may adapt according to their own interests.

SOLSTICE EVENT SUGGESTIONS:

UNITE IN WHITE: Participants will wear white tops to symbolize the love, light and unity, which connect the individuals in their city with others around the world who are shining for peace, the planet and all living things.

ONE WORD GIFT: Each individual will write their one-word gift to the world (peace, harmony, fun, acceptance, etc) on a white balloon. This is an important aspect to the event because it allows each individual the opportunity to Serve by BEing their gift to the world through their embodiment of their offering.

THE PRESENTATION: Imagine if you will…. a silent single-file procession, where participants dressed in white hold white balloons displaying their one-word gift to the world in front of their hearts.

Silently embodying its offerings of peace, joy and playfulness, the procession brings a sense of upliftment to the space through which it moves, and peaks the curiosity of strangers stirred by the curious sight. Each of the silent participants carries cards that they provide to the curious onlookers.

On one side, the cards read:            “They may say that I’m a dreamer,  but I’m not the only one.”

And on the other:                                   This is “The Call” to Unite.       www.AwakeningAsOne.com

Before, the procession begins the group’s intentions will be aligned with those of others around the world who are uniting for World Peace & Prayer Day. (See info below.)

Please note: the above guidelines are suggested because they are simple, yet versatile, and because they provide each person the oh-so-important opportunity for self-expression, and personal service. We invite you to create your own format for bringing a vision of love, unity and service to the streets, and ask you to share it with us, through photos and video at: awakeningasone@gmail.com

EVENT VARIATIONS:

VARIATIONS: if the means lie within a city’s participants we heartily encourage the inclusion of Song and Music to the event, in addition to one or two roaming facilitators (people who are outside of the single-file procession & who pass out cards and/or interact with the onlookers.)

THE PLACE: The striking simplicity of a group of people united in compassionate service, with white balloons and tops, may be further expanded and explored by taking this basic concept and installing it in different settings.

It is one thing to weave the procession through a park or sunlit sidewalk teeming with weekend shoppers, and it is something similar, yet entirely new, to move the procession through soup kitchens, special care homes or through the chaotic streets of night-time revelers.

IMPORTANT NOTE: when deciding on a location for your event, each group must have safety as the number one consideration. It is also important to note that the nature of these events is NOT to mistaken for protests, rather they are meant as presentations of love and inspiration which occur to reflect the light inside of the people who experience them, and to open the doorway for them to find new information and interactions.

This event is timed to synchronize with hundreds of thousands people around the world who will be united in prayer for our Earth, her oceans, and for all life.

If you have any questions regarding this event please email awakeningasone@gmail.com

We are… Awakening As One

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WORLD PEACE & PRAYER DAY – June 21st, 2010

As we honor the Cycle of Life, let us call for Prayer circles globally to assist in healing Grandmother Earth (our UncπI Maka). We ask for prayers that the oil spill, this bleeding, will stop. That the winds stay calm to assist in the work. Pray for the people to be guided in repairing this mistake, and that we may also seek to live in harmony, as we make the choice to change the destructive path we are on.

As we pray, we will fully understand that we are all connected. And that what we create can have lasting effects on all life. So let us unite spiritually, All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer. Along with this immediate effort, I also ask to please remember June 21st, World Peace and Prayer Day/Honoring Sacred Sites day. Whether it is a natural site, a temple, a church, a synagogue or just your own sacred space, let us make a prayer for all life, for good decision making by our Nations, for our childrenπs future and well-being, and the generations to come.

Onipikte (that we shall live), Chief Arvol Looking Horse

19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

For more details and information visit  www.awakeningasone.com

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Pic: Laura Geraghty

One of the news sources I regularly read is the TaraWatch mailing list and this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to read something by ‘ghoop’, a regular contributor, that delighted me. He/she says that on Tuesday last (the 15th December 2009), the Pat Kenny radio show on RTE covered children’s books written in the Irish language on the "battle to save tara".

Ghoop says that the

names of the books are likely to be available from the Kenny show if someone contacts them and could be put on the blogs for those who might like to know and even buy them for their kids..

Spread it around. The new generation are entitled to know from an early age what a battle is and has been fought. Posterity demands it. With these books the battle guarantees this posterity.

I’ve only managed to find one of these books but it looks amazng. It’s called Cá bhfuil tú, a Phádraig?, which means ‘Where are you, Patrick?’ and tells the story of a young girl and her friends who are protesting about the construction of the M3 motorway. Written and beautifully drawn by Laura Geraghty, she quotes from Inis Magazine who say:

A topical story, beautifully laid out and designed, about Aoife and her friends who are protesting about the building of the M3 motorway near Tara. They are surprised to receive a visit from an unlikely guest, St. Patrick, who suggests that the problem maybe be solved by a very traditional method.

The review on the Pat Kenny part of the RTE site says:

Cá bhfuil tú a Phádraig?
Published by An Gúm
Written and illustrated by a young artist called Lára Nic Oireachtaigh
Illustrations are beautiful and very striking.
It deals with the topical issue of the M3 being constructed through Tara, and the characters in the story are doing their best to protect Tara’s heritage and to prevent its destruction.
This is not the first story for children in the Irish language to deal with this issue – the well known poet Biddy Jenkinson published a children’s book, An Bhanríon Bess agus Gusaí Gaimbín, on the same topic two years ago. It’s obviously an issue that is close to the heart of several Irish-language writers.
Suitable for 8-12 year olds.

Laura says:

This book is written in Irish and illustrated in mixed-media style using a mixture of drawing and photography. The book is aimed at Irish-speaking children aged between 7 and 10 years, or at a slightly older age children who attend English-speaking schools and take Irish as a subject. The book deals with the subject of the M3 motorway that passes through the Skryne Valley near the historical site of the Hill of Tara. In the book, St. Patrick hears about this new motorway and returns to Tara to help the protesters to stop it from being built. My intention is that the book will promote the Irish language by dealing with a topical issue in a visually interesting way that will capture the interest and imagination of readers.

It strikes me that not only is this book an excellent way to maintain awareness of the Tara problem but a superb resource for adults like myself wanting to learn the Irish language! I’ll see if I can find some more Irish texts for  a later post.

Thank you ‘ghoop’ for this info.

You can get hold of the book from Amazon, or from Amazon UK, under the name Lara Nic Oireachtaigh.

Pic: UCD School of Archaeology

Dean Edwards, from the Northwest Druidry group on Facebook, has discovered that this year’s Tara Symposium will be streamed live across the Internet, on the 23rd-26th October 2009. The stream can be found on the UCD website and there is a full programme available as a PDF. Facilities are available to overseas listeners to ask question via the symposium email address tara.symposium@ucd.ie. As the programme is compact, only a small proportion of questions will be relayed to the symposium auditorium.Featuring approximately forty papers by an international group of scholars, the symposium promises to be the most extensive review of the archaeology of Tara undertaken to date

. It focuses on the data from the two excavation volumes but extends to a wider consideration of research undertaken at Tara over the past twenty years.

Tara symposium overview (23rd-26th October 2009

Following the publication by Wordwell of reports on Seán P. Ó Ríordáin’s excavations at the Mound of the Hostages (Muiris O’Sullivan 2005) and Rath of the Synods (Eoin Grogan 2008), the UCD School of Archaeology, in association with the John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies, is hosting a symposium entitled Tara – From the Past to the Future.Featuring approximately forty papers by an international group of scholars, the symposium promises to be the most extensive review of the archaeology of Tara undertaken to date. It focuses on the data from the two excavation volumes but extends to a wider consideration of research undertaken at Tara over the past twenty years. Themes include:The archaeology of Tara* Papers subjecting particular aspects of the archaeology of Tara to detailed scrutiny* Underlying question: What more can be mined from the archaeological data?Tara in its local and regional setting*

Contributions examining the locality around Tara and exploring how Tara interacted with its surroundings at various times in the past*

Underlying question: What was the settlement history of the landscape around the Hill of Tara?Comparative perspectives on Tara* A variety of speakers examining Tara from the perspective of other iconic places such as Stonehenge and Carnac* Underlying question: What is the international perspective on Tara?The significance of Tara through time* Addressing the distinctive qualities that have set Tara apart from ancient times to the present* Underlying question: What dynamics have influenced the emergence of the Tara phenomenon?

They have also set up a Twitter account, @tara_2009_ucd, and may possibly take questions from viewers to pose to the Symposium.