In May, Irish President Michael D. Higgins became the first Irish leader to light the ceremonial fire on the hill of Uisneach in County Westmeath since the last High King (presumed to be Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair) nearly 1,000 years ago. Higgins follows in the footsteps of previous modern Irish leaders to make the pilgrimage to Uisneach, including Daniel O’Connell, Pádraig Pearse, … [Read more...] about Michael D. Higgins First Leader to Light Uisneach Fire in 1,000 Years
Bealtaine
Sláinte! Women Rule
“I was elected by the women of Ireland who, instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system.” – Mary Robinson, President of Ireland, 1990 – 1997 Several months ago, when 2016’s presidential campaign launched with more hoopla than has been seen in U.S. politics for more than a century, a Dublin-born friend told me he was placing his bet that, for the first time in American … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Women Rule
Sláinte! The Feast of Bealtaine
By Edythe Preet
May/June 1994
The Celtic feast of Bealtaine (Bright Fire) began on the first day of May with the lighting of the May Fires. The clan gathered to celebrate the end of the dark months and the return of the light. The fires symbolized the earth's life-giving forces-fertility and rebirth after the dormant winter months. Dancers enacted the sun's movement through the skies and the Maypole and … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Feast of Bealtaine