Bonfires lit to launch Westmeath's "Festival of the Fires

Fires blazed on hilltops of the midlands on Friday night - May 1 the festival of Bealtaine - to mark the announcement of a festival to take place on the historic Hill of Uisneach in 2010.Fires were lit at several locations on Uisneach - ten miles from Mullingar town - and once the Uisneach fires were blazing, similar fires were lit at other hills across the midlands.Next year, it is planned that fires will be lit on hills across the country as the Festival of the Fires takes place at Uisneach.The Festival of the Fires, Europe's oldest recorded festival, is recalled in several historic texts, and referenfed by such historic figures as Caesar.The event historically took place on the Hill of Uisneach, once the residence of the High Kings of Ireland, and the Godess Eriu, after whom Ireland is named.In May of next year, the Hill will be the location for a cultural celebration desgined for national and international audiences, featuring theatre, literature, music, poetry, holistic health, arts, traditional crafts, installations and a focus on sustainability.Festival "villages" sympathetic to the hillside and surrounding environment will be created for the event, which is to be family and eco-friendly.There will of course be music as well.Read more details in the Westmeath Examiner of May 9, which is on the streets this Tuesday evening.