"This is the third in a series of Tara-related volumes fr om the UCD School of Archaeology following the two excavation monographs, Duma na nGiall: the Mound of the Hostages (O'Sullivan 2005) and The Rath of the Synods (Grogan 2008). Conceived originally as a collaborative discussion and contextualisation of the data from these volumes, the collection of papers focuses centrally on that theme but extends into a wider discussion of the archaeology and meaning of Tara."-- "Although building on earlier research, this volume is not intended to be a definitive door-closing statement on the archaeology of Tara. There are many gaps between the themes, and others may be inspired to address those gaps or build on the work contained here. The shafts of light in the following contributions include significant insights about the human footprint on the hill and its neighbourhood, occasional references to issues requiring prioritised archaeological intervention, and a broad impression of Tara in the wider consciousness. Such a fusion of communal breadth and individual depth highlights the need for an agreed Tara research agenda that will be sufficiently comprehensive to make every scholar feel welcome and sufficiently flexible to allow for constant renewal as knowledge accumulates and circumstances change. The design and implementation of such an agenda is an urgent priority, and represent a massive collaborative challenge."--