Shades of Atlantis began with a visit to The hill of Tara or Teamhair na Rí (hill of the Kings) in County Meath and it’s where I wrote the final scenes. It is a magical place and one of my favorite places in all of Ireland. To the untrained eye it may look like an expanse of mostly flat land, trees and scattered mounds. In photographs the place is pretty underwhelming.  In real life I have never met someone who doesn’t experience a touch of Celtic magic at the archeological site. There are several ancient monuments at Tara, including a Neolithic tomb called the Mound of the Hostages and Lia Fáil, said to be the stone of Destiny.

It was said to be the seat of power in ancient Ireland, both politically and religiously. The site was built circa 3200 B.C., carbon dating reports Tara is 600 years older than the pyramids of Giza and 1000 years more ancient than Stonehenge.

I have spent hours walking around the site and I’m never surprise to see tourists standing, camera in hand by their side, simply absorbing the views of the surrounding Irish countryside.