May 12th to 21st 2023
“Listen to the river and you will catch the fish.” Old Irish Proverb
For me, the heart of Irish Celtic spirituality is in all the tales that nature has to tell. It is in the winding rock walled roads, the green beyond green landscape, or the wild Atlantic way with its surf worn shores and the Irish mist on a ‘soft day.” Seamus
Explore the city of Galway for three nights, then Ferry to the island of Inis Mor for a day of ecploration. Head south to ‘The Golden Vale’ for four days of “Turas d’Anam” (Journey of the spirit) with with Rev. Dr. Noirin Ní Riain and her sons Owen and Mícheál for Celtic ritual, song and walking the sacred sites. We will then proceed to Dingle town, for three days where we will complete our pilgrims’ journe
What sets Spirit Tours apart on this journey is that while we experience the culture of Ireland, we are also introduced to the magic of the country and its spirituality. Where the seen and the unseen meet in a wondrous magical moment, and then another and another. We will focus on the wisdom of the landscape, the blessing and poetry of the ages and the joyful Presence of the Irish people. We wish to fill your hearts with the mystery..
“Nature is a constant presence to the Irish that whispers gently and some times not so gently that life is here and now and oh so full of laughter and love.” Seamus
Optional Tour Day. The City of Galway: After our morning gathering, we will have time to explore Galway on our own. Galway is a harbor city on Ireland’s west coast, where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean. The city’s hub is 18th-century Eyre Square, a popular meeting spot surrounded by shops and traditional pubs that often offer live Irish folk music. Galway is a hotbed of traditional Irish music, as you’ll find out walking the lively pedestrian streets of the Latin Quarter, where buskers abound and there’s always music in the pubs. Nearby, stone-clad cafes, boutiques and art galleries line the winding lanes of the Latin Quarter, which retain portions of the medieval city walls.
After breakfast we will bus toward the Ros a Mihl Ferry Terminal and cross to the Aran Island of Inis Mor, a wild, majestic, and yet peaceful island. This Gaeilge (Irish) speaking island off the west coast of Ireland is a perfect setting to cultivate silence and solitude in the soul. We will stay with journey to the far side of the island for a walk to the famous ancient fort of Dun Aonghasa. Dun Aonghasa is a magnificent semi-circular fort that rests on the edge of a high cliff 300 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. That afternoon after lunch we will visit Clochan na Carraige, a hermit’s hut and have time to walk on a nearby beach. We will return to Galway later this after noon for dinner together.
After breakfast we depart Galway and along the Great Alantic way to Nóirín’s cottage, in Dromineer, County Tipperary. Turas d’Anam, is a welcoming community where we will walk the landscape and encounter the genius of the soul and soil of Ireland. Each morning we gather for a session of song, story, poetry and myth, opening us up for a day of exploration through the ancient and holy lands of the surroundings. This evening we will have a welcome session after dinner together. Following dinner we will light two fires on the green in the center of the cottages ado a group ritual of intention setting – letting our souls catch up.
Cottages are stocked with everything you need for a good breakfast.
8.15am – Noirin’s optional morning meditation
9.30am – Morning session
12.30pm – lunch in cottages
1:30pm – Depart on a small boat to Holy Island. This deserted island on the Lough Derg was once a great European site of pilgrimage. A perfect place to experience Ireland’s Golden Age.We will have a morning meditation and gathering and after lunch depart on a small boat to a Holy island. This deserted island on the Lough Derg was once a great European site of pilgrimage. A perfect lace to experience Ireland’s Golden Age, when it was known through the Dark Ages in Europe as the isle of Saints and Scholars.
8:30am – Depart for Glestal Abbey
10:00am – Session in the monastic library
11:30am – Visit to the Icon Chapel in the crypt of the church. This is home to an astonishingly valuable collection of eastern Orthodox Icons that has been a very important part of Norin’s life at the monastery.
12:30pm – Lunch in Glenstal
1:45pm – Walk in the woods with Fr. Anthony, the woodsman of the monastery. Experience the mystagogy of trees through his own mystical eyes.
6:00pm – supper in a local restaurant called Matt Threshers – a place very close to our family’s heart. Nóirín’s great aunt and uncle used to live in this old house and she used to visit them here as a child.
8.30pm – evening session of song and story with Mickey Dunne and his family. Mickey is one of Ireland’s greatest treasures from the Irish ‘Traveler’ community, the indigenous and ancient nomadic people of Ireland. He will share some of his life stories and play the Irish ‘Uilleann’ pipes, one of the most majestic instruments in the world. Mickey hand makes these pipes now for people all over the world.
After breakfast and Celtic Gathring, we will walk as a group, along the harbor to the nearby ancient tower on the peninsula. We will walk by eclectic little fashion and jewelry shops on Green street and cozy pubs along the Dingle harbor. The afternoon and evening are free for you to dine and explore on your own.
We will travel along the beautiful Slea Head Drive, forming part of the Great Alantic way, around the Dingle Peninsula. We will visit Saint Govenath’s holy well before visiting the Blasket Island Center for our final Celtic gathering. After lunch we will visit St. Brandon’s house and take a one-hour pilgrim’s walk toward the sea. We will dine together in Dingle for our Farewell Dinner