Oct 4th;
We travel south of Dublin to County Wicklow and the monastic settlement of Glendalough, founded by the hermit monk, St. Kevin.
County Kildare, home to St. Brigid’s Church and Holy Well where St. Brigid’s priestesses kept a flame eternally lit.
Oct 5th;
We leave Dublin and travel to County Galway. En route we pass through County Offaly and stop at Clonmacnois, the monastic site on the River Shannon founded around 544 AD by St. Ciaran, the “soul friend” of St. Kevin of Glendalough. The smallest of the churches on the site is dedicated to St. Ciaran and was believed to contain his relics at one time. The land around this church was also believed to hold magical/healing properties.
In County Westmeath, we visit the magical Hill of Uisneach, once the center of Ireland. This landscape is closely associated with the Divine Feminine and the goddess Ériu (Erin) who is said to be buried under the Cat Stone on the southwestern slope.
Once in County Galway, we visit Clontuskert Augustine Priory, reputedly built on the site of St. Baetan’s earlier Celtic monastery. We also stop at the Turoe Stone, a granite stone carved in an abstract curvilinear Celtic design known as La Tène. It may have been a ritual stone for the transferring of power in initiation ceremonies.
Oct 6th;
We spend a peaceful day at Lough Corrib, enjoying the 180 acres of parks and woodland surrounding Currarevagh House. In the morning we visit the secret Holy Well of St. Cuthbert and take a boat to a few of the 365 islands in the lake, many with early Christian holy sites.
