Fire Eye Suite

Fire Eye is a musical suite in five movements with prelude written by Garry Jones in 2001. The music is inspired by the major goddesses of Ireland. Each movement represents the goddess of each of the five provinces of ancient Ireland and the spiritual power of their sacred sites: Brighid at Cnoc Álainne (Leinster); Áine at Cnoc Áine (Munster); Medhbh at Cruachain (Connacht); Macha at Emhain Macha (Ulster); and Ériú, the goddess of Sovereignty (after whom Ireland/Éire is named) at Uisneach (Midhe).

The music is a metaphor for the spiritual coming together of the four provinces at the sacred centre, Uisneach, in Midhe – the fifth province (the existence of five provinces in ancient times is echoed in the modern Irish word for a province – Cúige, which also means a fifth).

This spiritual coming together actually happened on the Hill of Uisneach at the ancient fire festival of Bealtaine (May Eve). Here the first fires were lit; cattle were driven between paired fires to ensure fertility and freedom from disease; and responding fires were lit on hills all over the island of Ireland. There are many mythological and historical references to this great coming together or Aonach.