Hill of Uisneach

Uisneach rises only to 182 metres but early Irish tradition made it the symbolic centre of the country, the point where the five provinces met, paired with Tara as the seat of kingship. Archaeology has found a great deal on it: around twenty monuments including barrows, enclosures, a possible royal residence and a large ceremonial site with evidence of enormous fires. The Ail na Mireann, the Stone of Divisions, is a fissured glacial erratic on the western slope, said to mark the meeting of the provinces and associated with the goddess Eriu, from whose name Ireland derives. Bealtaine fires were lit here, and the tradition was revived from 2009 with an annual May festival. It is working farmland in private ownership and access is by guided tour only, booked in advance - the ground is rough, wet in places, and there are livestock throughout.

What to look for

• Ail na Mireann - the Stone of Divisions on the western slope.
• The monument complex - around twenty barrows, enclosures and sites.
• The view - a claimed sightline over a large part of the country.
• The Bealtaine ground - where the ceremonial fires were lit.

When to go

May to September; tours are seasonal and must be booked. The Bealtaine festival falls in early May and is a separate ticketed event that fills.

Good to know

Working farmland with livestock - access is by booked guided tour only, not open ground. Rough, wet walking over about three kilometres. Most of the archaeology reads as low mounds rather than visible structures.

Nearby

Athlone and the Shannon are west; Mullingar and Belvedere are east.

Key facts