An Tairseach: Samhain at Uisneach 2026

What to Expect

An Tairseach, meaning “the threshold”, is Uisneach’s free Samhain festival, held over two days on the same hill used for the site’s ticketed Lughnasadh evening in August. The programme runs from mid-afternoon each day and builds toward a torchlit procession up the hill and the lighting of a sacred Samhain fire, alongside live music, exhibitions, storytelling and performers spread across the site. Where Lughnasadh is run as a small, guided, paid evening, An Tairseach is listed as a larger, free, open festival marking the old Celtic new year and the start of winter, with organisers pitching it as suitable for all ages.

Because admission is free and the festival spans a full weekend rather than a single evening, it draws a different crowd than the smaller August date, with the listing highlighting family-friendly activities, autumn-themed programming and the site’s history and heritage alongside the fire ceremony itself. The two-day format also means visitors can choose between the Saturday and Sunday programme, or attend both, depending on which elements of the storytelling and music line-up they want to see.

Good to Know

• Dates and time: Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026, from 3pm each day
• Venue: Hill of Uisneach, Rathnew, Loughnavalley, Co. Westmeath
• Admission is free
• The festival includes live music, exhibitions, storytelling, performers and games for all ages, culminating in a torchlit procession and fire lighting
• Contact Uisneach on +353 87 718 9550 for accessibility or group queries
• This is a separate, larger event from the site’s paid Lughnasadh evening in August, run on the same hill

Getting There

The Hill of Uisneach is signposted off the R390 between Mullingar and Athlone, close to Loughnavalley, with on-site parking at the visitor centre. As this is a free, two-day event without the capacity limits of a ticketed booking, visitors travelling from either Mullingar or Athlone should allow extra time for parking on the day.