Do you think the Hill of Tara should be added to Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites?

82% YES 18% NO

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Your Reaction

• Well, it meets seven or possibly eight of the listed criteria here:
  http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/
  and for UNESCO to consider it worthy of the title it would only need to meet one, so...on balance...yeah I'd say so. More than likely.
  JOD  Ireland
• Good G-d, you want a wee hillock to be marked as a world heritage site? Isn't it a good job we're building the M3 then so. To help all the tourists get to it. And we can build an interpretative centre and bathroom facilities on it. Tell then it's the grassy knoll from where JFK was shot. Otherwise they might all go away thinking it was just a wee grassy hill in the middle of nowhere and feel conned. Maybe a MacDonalds would be needed.

  Did you people ever go to Florence or Rome? See a real world heritage site.
  owen  United States Minor Outlying Islands

• "an antiquarian history of Ireland...might be written from the ruins still remaining in these localities. Thus, were we inclined to draw upon the sources of early Irish history, from documents of undoubted authenticity, referring to the Pagan and early Chirsitian times, and to point with certainty to the evidences which existing remains afford of the truth...set forth in those early records, the Bardic histories, which were written in the few first centuries of the Christian era, we might lead our readers from Belinter Bridge up a gradual ascent which rises on the right bank of the river, about two miles beyond this spot, and standing on a commanding eminence, point to the grassy mounds of Tara in proof of our assertion."
  Sir William Wilde - Beauties and Antiquities of the Boyne - 1849  United States Minor Outlying Islands
• One would have to say Tara does not impress the visitor as one would be by the Pyramids of Egypt or the Ming Tombs but the history is as ancient and just as real when brought to life by a good interpretive centre. The Boyne valley monuments are one of the two actual unesco sites in Ireland and taken as a prehistoric 'New York' deserve the title. Tara is part of that streach and in fact it runs all the way to Sligo at Carrowmore! The concrete skeptics cannot appreciate the significance of these ancient mounds just as a person who isn't moved by poetry which although not physical can when reflected upon evoke powerful emotional and sensual feelings. I would say Tara should be added to the list purely to stop any more motorway vandalisim in that part of the world. If the road planners had an ounce of the sense or imagination that our ancestors had they could come up with other alternatives...Why not by pass Dunshauglin, Navan and Kells towns only and then widen the existing road which has been done on the Naas streach pretty effectively? Why not reopen the Navan railway? Anyone who looks into the history of motorways sees that they are merely sticking plasters and become redundant in 20 years. That's 20 years as opposed to the 3,4 and 5,000 years that Tara has remained undisturbed. In another 20 years they'll be looking to add more lanes to the M3 as well. We aren't even sure of future oil supplies or road usage at this stage anyhow.
  colm  Iran (Islamic Republic of)
• Owen you clearly don't have any understanding of this topic so perhaps you'd be quiet for once. Tara predates your gaudy Italian tourist traps by quite some time.
  Seán  Ireland
• He's not able to make it personally today Mod so on behalf of Sir William, I'm sure he'd want me to, I'll vote Yes twice if that's OK. First time for everything.
  In fact Oscar makes three.
  Sometimes we have to put the rule of democracy and international law to one side don't we Bertie?
  JOD  United States Minor Outlying Islands
• (Hmmm. Strange. No jump in the Yes vote)
  JOD(x3)  United States Minor Outlying Islands
• Did you see a photo in a book of Tara owen or did you visit it? Seems strange that you would even bother to go there! The bathroom facilities are there years now, privately built you'll be happy to hear. I was never over impressed myself but if you could transport yourself back maybe six thousand years to the Neolithic era the whole Boyne Valley must have been a hive of ancient activity. What were the 'Italians' doing then? bashing each other over the heads with clubs?
  colm  Iran (Islamic Republic of)
• Whether it becomes one or not, it appears (for he told us it was so, and we must believe him) Green Gormless' hands are tied. Jobs for the boys indeed. And on and on it goes.....
  Dec  Ireland
• owen, when you and all the emptiness you espouse have long been forgotten, places like Tara will endure. Except where people driven by their emptiness determine to destroy what would outlast them, as much out of spite as out of greed.
  Brendan  Mali