¹²Newman, Conor. Tara: An Archaeological Survey. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy for the Discovery Programme, 1997, pp. 1-2.

While Ráith na Ríg may define a demarcated sacred space, the Hill of Tara serves also to bring together the sacred with the profane. According to Newman, "The Hill of Tara merges into this landscape, both literally and metaphorically, in so far as the absence of a clear dividing line between the Hill of Tara and its immediate hinterland is a metaphor for the mergence of ritual into everyday life in prehistoric Ireland."

According to the guide to the site, "The Irish name Temair incorporates the Indo-European verbal root *tem- 'to cut' and is cognate with Greek temenos 'sanctuary' and Latin templum 'temple'. It is a place cut off or demarcated for sacred purposes, 'a sanctuary'. In this is reflected the physical act of cutting a ditch around the crown of the Hill of Tara, literally cutting off this nexus between the human world and the world of the gods." (Bhreathnach, Edel, and Conor Newman. Tara, Co. Meath: a Guide to the Ceremonial Complex. Archaeology Ireland, 2008, pp. 1-6.)