Thank you!
A big thank you to everyone who came, everyone who helped out on and everyone who played a part in the 'Gathering at Uisneach'. The support of Irish Public Bodies and Westmeath County Council was crucial in making the event happen, and we were delighted it passed off safely. The attendance of so many from abroad was testament to the draw of this magical →
Stage times
The first ever Gathering at Uisneach takes place this Saturday and Sunday at the Uisneach Inn venue, set into the foothill of the Hill of Uisneach. With Festival of the Fires taking a well-deserved year off, we could not let the Bealtaine weekend pass without staging something, so this year we bring you a boutique music festival featuring some great →
Gathering at Uisneach – next week at The Uisneach Inn!
There are only days left to the very first 'Gathering at Uisneach' at the Uisneach Inn Bar and Restaurant, Ireland's most central venue at the foot of the Hill of Uisneach. The two day boutique music festival will feature music from some of the biggest names in Irish music, all gathered together in the centre of the country. Our headline acts are →
Festival of Fires not happening in 2013
**FESTIVAL OF THE FIRES IS NOT TAKING PLACE IN 2013** Due to agricultural and archaeological reasons, the organizers of Festival of the Fires have decided to take a year off this year to allow the venue of the iconic festival, the historic Hill of Uisneach, time to recover. The Hill of Uisneach is a sacred site of supreme national importance, and she needs a →
Now THIS captures the festival
Amazing video courtesy of Mark Bennett
Ireland’s most spectacular festival is back!
Ireland's oldest, most spectacular and hottest festival will once again ignite the summer festival season when it is rekindled on the historic Hill of Uisneach in County Westmeath on Bealtaine, Saturday May 5th. Festival of Fires will set the ancient seat of the High Kings alight with the very best in arts, culture, ceremony, history and heritage, crafts, debate, artisan →
New additions to the bill
We are proud to announce some brilliant musical additions to the festival bill. Ireland's oldest band - in fact the oldest band in the world - will be coming to Ireland's oldest festival. The award-winning KILFENORA CÉILÍ BAND will change the way you think about traditional music. As will the legendary DÓNAL LUNNY who will be bringing some very special →
The stage is set… almost
We are delighted to announce that we will have six main music stages at this year's festival. Here's a taste of what's to come on May 5th, and we'll be releasing details of some top new acts on each of these over the weekend! UISNEACH MAIN STAGE: Chart toppers, show stoppers, award-winners & living legends - an eclectic mix of old →
Night time is the right time…
Festival of the Fires acts RYAN SHERIDAN and BRESSIE stole the show at the RTE2FM 'One Night Only' gig in front of a packed Olympia Theatre in Dublin over the weekend. The ONLY other time these guys will share a stage this summer will be on the Hill of Uisneach on Saturday May 5th, bring it on! And be sure →
Festival tickets moving fast!
General admission tickets to Festival of the Fires are on sale now from all Ticketmaster outlets nationwide and from their website here, priced €39.50 (not including booking fees). Tickets with camping will be on sale later this week, no later than Thursday March 8th for €5 extra. If you have already bought a festival ticket and want to camp, then you'll →
Festival of the Fires returns to ignite the summer
Ireland's oldest festival will once again ignite the summer festival season when it returns to the Hill of Uisneach in County Westmeath on Bealtaine, Saturday May 5th. Festival of Fires will bring Uisneach (the ancient seat of the High Kings and once Ireland's capital) to life with the very best in arts, culture, ceremony, heritage, crafts, debate and, of course, music. Following →
Stay tuned…
Please check back here this Friday, February 24th, when we'll have a little something to tell you about a certain Bealtaine gathering...
Can you bring something special to Festival of the Fires?
Festival of the Fires is proudly independent and sponsor-free, it's one of the few remaining festivals that is of and for the people. The festival cannot take place without its participants and with plans at an advanced stage for the Bealtaine 2012 event, we are looking for like-minded people to get involved. So, if you want to be involved in the →
Irish Festival Awards
Greetings from the Hill of Uisneach! Sadly, we did not win anything at the Irish Festival Awards despite being nominated SEVEN times in an assortment of different categories. It seems there is no stopping the brilliant Electric Picnic, so congratulations to John Reynolds and all his crew on their record haul of awards. When it comes to a big event, →
Irish Festival Awards
We are extremely proud to announce that FESTIVAL OF THE FIRES has received an unprecedented SEVEN nominations at the Irish Festival Awards 2011! We are nominated as Best Small Festival, Best Festival Line-Up, Best Family Festival, Best Service, Best Social Responsibility, Best Irish Act Performance (our pals The Saw Doctors) and Best Toliets. Yes, best toilets. Voting takes place at www.irishfestivalawards.ie in December & →
Now booking for 2012!
Festival of the Fires is now looking for artists to take part in the 2012 event. The festival will return to the Hill of Uisneach for the May Bank Holiday weekend and we want that hill to be full of artists in all genres, disciplines and media. We will be making an exciting announcement shortly about the artistic →
Electric Picnic needs creative recyclers!
Our friends at the Electric Picnic festival in association with the European Recycling Platform wants you unplug your talent using electrical waste! Building on the success of last year’s 2010 Electric Art Competition, European Recycling Platform urge all budding designers, artists, industrial engineers and enthusiasts to take part in the Picnic's electrical waste sculpture competition. Winning creations will be made entirely from →
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 →
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.