17/06/2026
Finally got around to editing some photos from the Bealtaine celebration on the Hill of Uisneach last month in Co. Westmeath.
An amazing gathering of like minded people, coming together to celebrate irish heritage at this spectacular sacred site.
The history of HILL OF UISNEACH - SACRED CENTRE OF IRELAND:
“Standing at 596ft above sea level, the summit of Uisneach commands extensive views with no less than 20 counties visible on the horizon. The roots of Uisneach lie beyond recorded history but its surviving monuments and relics range in date from the Neolithic and early Bronze Age to the medieval period, indicating human activity spanning some five millennia.
One of the most enduring legends of Uisneach is that it was the location for the first great fire to be lit in Ireland. Hearths were extinguished in every Irish fireplace in the country, in anticipation of a new flame from Uisneach’s Bealtaine fire. Using the flame from Uisneach, fires were then ignited on the other sacred hills of Ireland. As the centuries progressed, the great fire became the catalyst for the Bealtaine Festival, an annual gathering and fair at Uisneach that continued on into early modern times.
In Irish mythology, Uisneach is the resting place of the sovereignty goddess Ériu and the god Lugh and was seen as a gateway to the mythical fifth province, Mide. For centuries, the fifth province was accessed at ‘Aill na Mireann’ (the Stone of Divisions) a sacred, limestone erratic on the south west flank of the hill. It is here that Ériu is said to rest.
Uisneach became the seat of the High Kings in later years and ancient texts state it became customary for the claimant to the high throne of Ireland to ‘marry’ Ireland’s goddess Ériu at a ceremony on Uisneach. When another royal site, the Hill of Tara, later became the seat of the High Kings, Uisneach was still where laws were struck and divisions agreed. It was linked to the Hillof Tara by a ceremonial road, a section of which remains today.” - Discover Ireland
Part 1