Uisneach the true capital according to Hector and Tommy!
Tommy Tiernan was on the excellent Breakfast with Hector this morning, Monday May 16th, and when asked where the true capital of Ireland was he replied with... Well, let's just say he didn't say Cork. Have a listen to the show at Hector's Podcast Page on the RTE2FM website and remember, wherever you are, to Keep Her Lit for Festival of →
Looking ahead to 2012…
Ladies and gentlemen and everyone else reading this, we are still smoldering with delight over this year's Festival of the Fires which was the most successful yet. We're only three-years old, and have a long way to go to match the ancient Bealtaine celebrations on Uisneach which are recorded as Ireland's oldest festival, but we are delighted thus far to have got →
THANK YOU!
Festival of the Fires 2011 was a tremendous success and that is down to you. With an attendance of over 4000 at the main Uisneach event, we were delighted to ignite the summer festival season in spectacular fashion. We'd like to thank everybody who helped make the festival what is was! Keep your eye on this site and on our Facebook page for →
THE FESTIVAL IS HERE!
Today is the day and tonight is the night! Festival of the Fires 2011 is finally here. We hope all who attend will have a Bealtaine experience they will never forget. Uisneach is a very important place in terms of heritage, natural beauty, faith and culture and we urge you to please respect the hill during your visit. We also ask →
LUXe presents… Our signature fire parade
The fire parade at Festival of the Fires is the brainchild of one of the most creative and imaginative arts groups working in Ireland today - LUXe. LUXe are an award winning processional spectacle company directed by Mark Hill and Mandy Blinco who have drawn to their company many of the countries finest street and circus performers. Their passion is to →
Music stages – final line-up
Musical Running Order for Festival of the Fires 2011 MAIN STAGE 13:00 – Touch the Earth 14:00 – Aldo (Mexico) 14:30 – Ronan Leonard 15:15 – Pete Courtney 16:00– The Aftermath 17:15 – Paddy Casey 18:30 – Republic of Loose 19:30 – Liam O’Maonlai plus VERY special guest 20:00 – Kíla *21:10 – FIRE PARADE - stage closes 22:00 – The Saw Doctors BUTTON FACTORY STAGE 12:30 - The Plex 13:00 – Stewart Agnew 13:40 – →
Festival of the Fires on RTE Radio 1′s ‘Drivetime’
We were delighted on Good Friday to feature on RTE1's 'Drivetime' show. They visited the Hill of Uisneach in the run up to Easter where reporter Brian Lally were lucky to catch up with the keeper of the Hill, David Clarke, and well-known local historian, author and Town Councillor Ruth Illingworth. They were giving a tour of the hill to local →
Last call for Arts and Crafts and Hollistic Villages
If you are interested in displaying your arts and crafts or even hosting a workshop to pass on your skills to an eager an appreciative audience then you only have a few days to do so. Applications for free spots in out Arts & Crafts Village close this weekend. From Sunday night we will also not be taking any more applications →
Why is Uisneach so special? Did you know…
Why is the Hill of Uisneach special? 1. Uisneach is the exact geographical centre of Ireland. 2. For many centuries, Uisneach was also regarded as the sacred centre of the island. 3. On Uisneach is a stone known as ‘Aill na Mireann’ or the ‘Catstone’. According to tradition, the five provinces of Ireland met there and Ireland was →
March on the Dail!
Festival of the Fires will be officially launched on Thursday April 14th! You are all invited to attend the launch, which takes place at the National Wax Museum in Dublin's Foster Place at 10.30am. After the launch, in the company of our fabled Uisneach Warriors we are marching to Dail Éireann to invite An Taoiseach and all the political 'chieftains' →
Festival of the Fires – design by Mindsi, Mullingar
Tickets on sale now priced €35 Camping tickets (including festival admission) €40 On sale at selected local outlets in the midlands, Ticketmaster outlets nationwide, the Button Factory and National Wax Museum Plus in Dublin.
Workshops, Arts and Crafts on Uisneach
Festival of the Fires welcomes arts and crafts practitioners from all over Ireland to come along and showcase your work at our arts and crafts village, situated beside the ancient palace. If you have anything creative you'd like to show, small arts and crafts items you'd like to sell, or a trade or skill you'd like to display to an appreciative →
President sends her best wishes
President Mary McAleese has formally bestowed her best wishes to Festival of the Fires! In correspondence received today at the festival office, the President writes that she "sends her best for the success of your Bealtaine events." We are delighted that Áras an Uachtaráin has picked us as one of the festivals to watch, and with the President's blessing we hope →
Free entry for OAP’s and Children Under 12 – T&C
Once again, Festival of the Fires is showing that it's the friendliest festival in the country for familes, with OAP's and Children Under 12 allowed free entry to the main Hill of Uisneach event! There are, however, some terms and conditions that MUST be adhered to in order to get your free passes. In order to avail of free entry and in →
Updated Ticket Information
Just to clarify any confusion out there about tickets: The €30 Early-Bird Tickets have now SOLD OUT Full-price tickets priced €35 are ON SALE NOW Tickets with camping are priced €40 and are available from Ticketmaster outlets and ticketmaster.ie ONLY You can buy online by following this link: http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Festival-of-Fire-tickets/artist/915708 If you want to book luxury tents, please contact our friends at LPM Bohemia info@lpmbohemia.com, mail@lpmbohemia.com →
Line-up additions
The line-up for Festival of the Fires just got even hotter with the addition of more acts to the bill. On top of the previously announced acts, we are delighted to announce that PADDY CASEY, PREACHER'S SON, THE REVELLZ and none other than the current European Marching Band Champions THE MULLINGAR TOWN BAND have all joined the growing musical line-up →
Early Bird tickets SOLD OUT!!!
Early Bird tickets to Festival of the Fires 2011 have now SOLD OUT! Thanks to everyone who has bought early bird tickets to date, and we look forward to hosting you on Uisneach on Saturday April 30th, from 10am! Full price tickets are now on sale in person from a selection of leading arts and cultural venues in the midlands, alongside →
Early bird tickets almost sold out
We are literally down to the last few Early Bird tickets for Festival of the Fires, which are priced at €30. Once these run out they are gone and ordinary tickets priced €35 will go on sale from all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.ie and from a selection of arts, music and cultural venues throughout the midlands and in Dublin. A full →
Major Arts Awards for Festival of the Fires outdoor artists
Huge awards await artists who wish to display their work on the historic Hill of Uisneach in County Westmeath as part of ‘Festival of the Fires’, the major Bealtaine arts, culture and heritage event which takes place annually on the Hill and at locations nationwide. A prize fund of exhibition and workshops space, an artists retreat at a luxurious country mansion →
The Aftermath return to Uisneach
Currently hard at work finishing their second album, Mullingar's finest mod-rockers The Aftermath are the latest addition to the musical bill at Festival of the Fires. With a July release date, the new album is to feature guest appearances from the legendary hellraisers Shane MacGowan and BP Fallon. It is the follow-up to their critical and commercial triumph that was "Friendlier →
St Patrick’s Day volunteers wanted!
Are you interested in spreading the word about Festival of the Fires and, in doing so, earn yourself some VIP tickets to the festival? If you have a few hours to spare on St. Patrick's Day then you could do just that. We are looking for volunteers to help us spread the word about this year's festival at the biggest →
Additional musical acts!
We are delighted to announce that due to MASSIVE public demand, the brilliant KÍLA will be re-joining us on the Hill of Uisneach this Bealtaine. The band, who triumphed on the main stage last year, are bringing their full show back to the same stage, where they will usher in the fire ceremony and parade with their sparkling blend of →
Early-bird tickets almost sold out
Early-bird tickets to Festival of the Fires 2011 at the Hill of Uisneach are selling out fast. Priced at only €30 the tickets give you full access to the festival and all associated events. They won't be around at this price for much longer so get yours today! Festival tickets with camping are also selling well. Priced €40 these will →
Call for artists!
Festival of the Fires, the midland’s biggest and most iconic arts, cultural and heritage event, returns to the historic Hill of Uisneach on Saturday April 30th and we are looking for arts groups, artists, historians, storytellers and more to participate. The Hill of Uisneach is to come alive as an arts and heritage trail, and we are currently looking for people →