A Pilgrimage to Ireland 2010

Each  pilgrimage has its own style and focus. This pilgrimage was not to be a tour of as many holy sites as we could see, but a slower paced and prayerful journey to some very special places. There would be time for individual and corporate prayer, meditation, and wanderings in some incredibly beautiful, peaceful, and important places where the Saints of old lived out their lives in pursuit of holiness.

May 11 - 21, 2010

May 11, Tuesday
Belfast
After arriving in Belfast and checking in to the Europa Hotel the pilgrims were invited to the home of Father Irenaeus and Genevieve for a time of relaxation.  There a delicious meal prepared by the loving hands of Genevieve was served. Following the meal Father John Musther gave a talk on the meaning of pilgrimage and the life of holiness. Father John is the author of the book The Living Tradition of the Saints and has spent 40 some years researching the history of the Saints of the British Isles. He is the author of the massive Website, Early Christian Sites of Ireland Database, as well as a Website on the Living Tradition of the Saints of the British Isles. Following the talk it was plain to all that we would be in capable hands in the days ahead.

Excerpts of Father John's talk will soon be available on a multimedia page planned for this Website.

May 12 Wednesday

Saul, Downpatrick, Struell
Wells, and Mahee Island

This day we visited some of the very important early Christian sites around the Belfast area.

Saul is the reputed landing place of Saint Patrick , the site of the barn (Saul in Gaelic) where he is said to have made his first convert. There was a monastery at this site and now there is a twentieth century Church of Ireland replica of an ancient church, and an age old mortuary house. The site looks over a beautiful green valley surrounded by rolling hills. The day of our visit the sky was filled with spectacular clouds.

We then moved on to Downpatrick, the home of a beautiful Church of Ireland Cathedral where the relics of Saints Patrick, Brigit, and Columba are said to be buried beneath a great stone in the graveyard.

This evening the pilgrims celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord at Saint Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church where Father Irenaeus in the pastor. Following the service the parishioners set a table before us with a fine welcome of food and friendship.

May 13 Thursday
This day we left Belfast travelling across the breadth  of Ireland to lovely Glendalough between its twin lakes in the Wicklow Mountains. Our route enabled us to stop for a time of reflection and instruction at the ancient monastic city of Monasterboice. Here there are some beautifully preserved high crosses, a round tower and an interesting sundial. The site is miles from any town and surrounded by quiet farms.

By mid afternoon we came to the indescribable Wicklow Mountains where we drove down the windy roads through green hillsides clothed with bright yellow flowers. Just when we thought nothing could be more lovely we arrived at the small and picturesque village of Glendalough (Irish: Gleann Dá Loch, meaning "Glen of Two Lakes"), surrounded by wooded hillsides. It must have been equally lovely centuries ago when Saint Kevin sought a place of solitude to pray. His solitude was not long lasting for soon his reputation as a holy man drew followers from far and wide and a monastic city grew up in this place. Much of the ancient city is still left standing, and the foundations of Saint Kevin's hermit cell can still be seen. There is so much here to be seen and enjoyed, and the site is so wonderfully scenic and peaceful we allotted two nights here. The Glendalough Royal Hotel where we stayed is welcoming and cozy beyond description in a brief journal such as this.

This first evening on our journeys we had a wonderful meal at the hotel looking out over the river with the oak woods beyond.

May 14, Friday

This day the pilgrims spent either relaxing or exploring the ancient stones and hillsides around the village. The surrounding oak woods are mixed with holly, hazel and mountain ash, with mossy forest floor and green meadows teeming with the flowers of May-- bluebells, wood sorrel bright anemones. In the high leaves all manner of bird song could be heard, including the cheerful cries of the cuckoo. Here ample time was given for personal meditation and for group worship as well.

May 15, Saturday
Today we headed for the South where we would catch the ferry to Inis Mor in the Aran Island. In route we passed through County Kildare where we stopped in the town of Kildare to see the great cathedral built in honor of Saint Brigit (died 524), the most famous female saint of Ireland. Here Saint founded the dual monastery of Cill Dara for both men and women. The Church of Ireland cathedral stands on the site and on either side of the High Altar are the tombs of St Brigit and St Conleth the Abbot. Here some of the braver souls climbed to the top of the round tower while the rest of us watched and chatted with the tower keeper and his wee wife.

Then it was on to Galway and the ferry to the island of Inis Mor sitting in the gray Atlantic.  

May 16 to May 20 Sunday through Thursday

After setting ourselves up in the Aran Island Hotel we were given free reign to do as we like, either joining with others in organized visits to sacred sites, or rambling on our own. This island, with its long history as a monastic settlement and its many and varied ruined churches, monasteries, and bee hive shaped hermit huts made from piled stones affords endless opportunities for exploration and adventure. One place alone (Teglach Enda)  is recorded to be the burial place of 120 saints.

During our stay the local Catholic priest graciously allowed us to hold Divine Liturgy in the Church of Saint Bridget. The people of the island are friendly, but somewhat reserved. Their mother tongue is Gaelic (Irish, they call it), and most of them come from families who have lived on these islands for hundreds of years. The island is also famous worldwide for its knitted goods, especially sweaters, and there was ample opportunity for the pilgrims to poke around in the sweater shops for that perfect gift.

The main ferries serving the islands are for foot passengers only, so the traffic on the island is mostly bicycles and horse drawn traps.  There are also taxis available for hire for those who wanted to arrange their own visits to holy sites, or to the iron age forts Dun Aengus and Dun Duchathair (the Black Fort). There are two very well stocked bicycle rental shops with bikes available at a reasonable fee for people of all sizes and shapes.

Each pilgrim experienced Inis Mor in his or her own way, and each pilgrim was blessed with peaceful moments and happy adventures, some of which have been captured in photographs and video and appear on this Website. Before the pilgrimage I wondered if maybe four nights in the same spot was too much, but now, remembering how hard it was to leave, I am glad that we planned this pilgrimage the way we did, and I remember Inis Mor with fondness and familiarity arising from having had a deeper experience than just a brief visit.

May 20, Thursday

Today was a full day of travelling once again across the breadth of Ireland, sometimes on motorways, but mostly on the narrow roads that wind through the farms and villages that make Ireland the tourist's delight. Halfway through our journey we came to the famous monastic city of Clonmacnoise. Here are some of the most important and historic ruins in all of Ireland. There is also a fine museum containing the more valuable works, and a gift shop well worth waiting until the final leg of the trip to pick up souvenirs for the folks back home.

Sitting on the high banks above the river Shannon Clonmacnoise is a place of incredible beauty where many a fine photograph can be taken.
St Ciaran founded the great monastery here in the sixth century. He was a pupil of some of the monks of Inis Mor and the monastery here was once one of the great centers of learning and culture in the West. Some of the structures date to the 8th century, and much of the later architecture is ornamented with impressive stonework. There are three impressive high crosses, two round towers, and many other marvelous relics of ancient Irish Christianity. It was a grand finale for a wonderful pilgrimage, for alas, after spending one more night in the classy Europa Hotel in Belfast we will all depart for our diverse homes.

One final note. After having been on a pilgrimage together a bond is formed that will last for years. This is one of the reasons that we provide the Picasa photo page for everyone to upload whatever photos they please so we can continue to share our memories, not only with each other, but with pilgrims in the pilgrimages to come.`