In the shadow of the sun-kissed Slieve Bloom Mountains, a traditional custom that stretches back thousands of years was kept alive on Sunday by a merry band dancing around the May bush to the sound of a traditional tune. And this year I was privileged to be among them.

Cadamstown village in Co Offaly was en fête as members of the Slieve Bloom Association gathered to mark the ancient festival of Bealtaine with a May bush to welcome summer and a community gathering.

Each person, young and old, filed up towards the bush with a colourful piece of cloth, a ribbon and even some painted egg shells strung together in a garland, which traditionally would have been left over from Easter, to adorn the mountain ash taken from the mountain and brought to the riverside site. In other areas of the country, hawthorn or gorse branches would be used. We all then made a wish for the year ahead and hoped for good luck and a good summer or harvest, not unlike what our ancestors would have done back in the day. There were a few farmers no doubt hoping the beef prices stay high and others silently hoping for a drop of rain to soften the hard ground and accelerate the growth needed for a good season ahead.

Kathleen Culliton, secretary of the Slieve Bloom Association, spoke to us about some of the Bealtaine rituals and traditions, like the May bush, a symbol of luck and a way to ward off bad spirits and fairies at the time when it was vital that crops were bountiful, as everyone was living off the land. She also recalled that many people would have washed their faces in May Day dew, which was believed to be good for the complexion, or spread flowers at the door for luck.

Bonfires and dancing were also a feature of Bealtaine; indeed, it means bright light or bright fire, and they would be seen on all of the pinnacle points around the country. As you will see, that tradition is still alive and kicking on the sacred Hill of Uisneach in Westmeath and at many other ancient sites. While we didn’t have a bonfire in Cadamstown, we did have a little dance after Kathleen and chairperson Johnny Rigney invited the womenfolk to make a ring around the inside of the tree, followed by the menfolk holding hands around the outside to the whoops and laughs of everyone present.

Many people would have washed their faces in May Day dew, which was believed to be good for the complexion, or spread flowers at the door for luck

The Slieve Bloom Association, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is constantly striving to ensure the old mountain traditions, heritage and history are not forgotten, and for this it deserves enormous credit. In recent years, it has revived celebrations around the four ancient pagan or Celtic festivals of Imbolc (this one was particularly memorable for me, several years ago, seeing a goat milked on the side of a windswept mountain in February), Bealtaine, Fraughan Sunday at the end of July, where the group climbs to the mountain’s highest point at Arderin, and a rambling house session to mark Samhain.

In an increasingly frenetic world, Sunday’s simple ritual to bring people together to dance and laugh is a comforting reminder of the need to mark the end of winter and connect with others around us as summer brings the promise of good days ahead.