The Hill of Uisneach
Since prehistoric times, the Hill of Uisneach has been the great assembly for the tribes and High Kings of Ireland. It was here that laws were made and disputes settled.
A place of energy and renewal, people have been drawn here for over 5000 years. This was the seat of High Kings, a sacred site of worship, the place where St. Patrick established a presence and the burial ground for Éiru, the goddess after whom the Ireland was named.
And it was from here that Catholic Bishops met in 1111AD to begin the work of dividing Ireland into Dioceses. This is the royal centre of Ireland and the coming together of the five provinces. The fifth being Mide, the magical ‘otherworld’. This sacred site still hosts Ireland’s oldest festival, the Uisneach Bealtaine celebration. It is a festival of Irish culture, art, heritage, ceremony and sport which has been held here every May since time memorial.
Text courtesy of Athlone.ie and image courtesy of Uisneach.ie.