History was rekindled at the Hill of Uisneach in Co. Westmeath and at over seventy sites nationwide in 2009 when Ireland’s oldest recorded festival returned.
Originally known as Bealtaine, the summertime festival was an important fixture on the worldwide calendar, attracting attendees from the four corners of the ancient world. Having not being officially celebrated in hundreds of years the festival returned, rising from the ashes as Festival of the Fires. Now in its 4th year it is an event unlike anything ever witnessed in modern times – an iconic national celebration to truly ignite the summer.
Created through the alchemy of ceremony, heritage, music, theatre, literature, arts, crafts, poetry, holistic health and sustainability Festival of the Fires features the collective talents of hundreds of participants drawn from all over Ireland and the world, gathering at the exact centre-point of Ireland to celebrate the onset of summer.
One of the ceremonial highlights of the festival was the lighting of a national fire, ignited first on the summit of Uisneach and then carried to hilltops in every one of Ireland’s 32 counties. In ancient times, this sacred Uisneach fire was the catalyst for coast-to-coast celebrations with festivals and gatherings taking place in the fire sites, and in the communities below.
Festival of the Fires will take place on Uisneach hill at Bealtaine, looks like a fantastic line up, read all about it on their website.
