Bealtaine fires and the Hill of Uisneach
We can’t talk about Bealtaine without talking about the Hill of Uisneach and the Bealtaine fires.
The etymology of Bealtaine could come from Proto-Celtic *belo-te(p)niâ, meaning 'bright fire'. This festival involved many customs to do with fire warding away evil spirits and preparing for a good summer. The hill of Uisneach, located in Rathconrath in County Westmeath, is a fascinating site and is said to have been the sacred centre of Ireland.
“The hill is over 600 feet high, it is in the centre of Ireland and from it a view from the Shannon to the Wicklow Mountains can be had.”
Fires were lit on the Hill of Uisneach for Bealtaine and they signaled for fires to be ignited across the whole island. Traditions around these fires and cattle were an important feature.
“Two great fires were lighted on the hill in honour of the sun god, "Beal" and the cattle of the province were driven round the fires to preserve them from sickness.”
This reference to the Beal here is tough to pin down. I can’t find too much information on Beal as an Irish god per se except for some hypothesis around him. I found a bit more on Belenus who was a Celtic god of health and had sun imagery in his worship. Belenus may have been similar to the Greek Apollo and was said to carry the sun across the sky in a chariot similar to Apollo.
In various extracts I read, in more modern times people had taken to lighting candles and passing them under the cows instead of the large fire procession. This may have been traditions changing with the adoption of Christianity in Ireland.
The Hill of Uisneach itself is said to have been the borders where each province met. The large glacial stone on the southwest side of the hill is known in Irish as Ail na Míreann "stone of the divisions". This place has mythological figures like Ériu, Lugh and the Daghda associated with it, as well as stores about St Patrick and St Brigid meaning its importance carried on throughout Ireland’s history.
The Hill of Uisneach will run its Bealtaine festival this year on the 7th of May 2022. Check out uisneach.ie for more info.Check out uisneach.ie for more info.
If you’d like to check out the Bealtaine pin I made to celebrate May 1st you can take a look below! There is also a box set with all the cross quarter festival pins included in a special Nine Arrow gift box.
