What hill is associated with Saint Patrick lighting the Easter fire?

The Hill of Slane is associated with Saint Patrick lighting the Easter fire.

According to the seventh-century Life of Patrick by Muirchú, Patrick lit a Paschal fire on the hill in 433, while the High King of Tara had ordered that no other fire be kindled before the festival fire at Tara. Because Slane is visible from Tara, Patrick’s flame was presented as a deliberate challenge to the king’s authority and to the older ritual order.

The story says that Patrick was brought before the king and defended his Christian mission. The king ultimately allowed him to continue preaching, although the episode is heavily shaped by religious legend. Historians and archaeologists have noted that the account may have relocated a fire lit elsewhere, so the precise historical event cannot be established with certainty.

The Hill of Slane nevertheless became an important Christian site. A monastery and centre of learning were associated with the hill for centuries, and Saint Erc is traditionally linked with its early Christian community. Croagh Patrick is instead famous for Patrick’s traditional mountain retreat, while the Hill of Tara is the royal site whose fire provides the story’s setting.