Some 200 people gathered to celebrate the summer solstice at the Hill of Tara yesterday, including several modern-day Druids who came sporting full traditional attire to take party in a ceremony that’s been held at the site for millennia.

The sun rose as expected at 4:57am as a huge ball of orange fire shimmering above the eastern horizon.

Many at the site had stayed awake all night to watch the sun come up.

Local druid Annette Peard, who comes nearly every year, told the Irish Times how “Sometimes we only know the sun has risen because of the time, but this was beautiful,”

Druids and locals, alike, however, used the occasion to sound off about the M3 motorway which has controversially been built through the Tara-Skryne valley.

The “presence” of the motorway was “invoked” several times by the motley group of spiritual hearers and shamans gathered at the site, and they said that it had left a negative energy on the Tara area.

“Tara is wounded,” said local campaigner JP Fay wearing a traditional long gabardine cloak

“We need everybody’s prayers and help because the evil people [the Government] are working against us. They don’t care. The battle has been lost but there is such a thing as the curse of Tara. I wouldn’t wish it on any person,” said the Druid.