SPIRAL
JOURNEYS TO IRELAND
(Spiral Journeys has CEUs pending.)
Day
One
Spiral Journeys travelers gather in Terminal E at Logan International
Airport, Boston MA for overnight transatlantic flight to Shannon, Ireland.
Day
Two
6AM: Welcome to Ireland! Ann & Frederica will be at Shannon Airport
to greet and assist you as you disembark. Following Customs, Immigration
& baggage claim we will board Spiral Journey’s private coach
and wend our way toward The Southwest. Aboard the coach we will make
our initial connections as a group and with one another Ann will orient
us with stories of the landscape and the region. A warm welcome awaits
us at our first destination, *Carrig House, Killorglin, Co. Kerry
11AM: Arrival, unpack and refresh.
12 Noon: Meet in the dining room for welcoming luncheon reception
*Carrig House. This charming and meticulously restored Victorian residence has a sense of timeliness about it that has captured the imagination of poets and adventurers alike. Situated on the shores of beautiful Caragh Lake in Kerry, the air is clean, the gardens beautiful, and the natural green woodlands have spectacular views across the still waters to the wildness of the Kerry Mountains. "The bedrooms look out onto the four acres of gardens and onto the lake with its rampart of mountains. In the morning light this is breathtaking" - Mary Leland, Irish Exam-iner.
2PM-3:30PM: Rest, walk the land journal, explore your new surroundings.
4-6PM: Group gathers and Frederica will lead a breath meditation and open our first circle. Here we will share stories about ourselves, how we chose this journey (or the journey chose us), and we will each create an intention for our time together in Ireland.
6:45PM Dinner is served!
8PM: Gather together and meet our remarkable guide Pamilla Kelleher. Pamilla will outline our first full day’s adventure in the Medieval town of Kinsale and the magical Ring-of-Kerry. A gifted poet, writer, humorist and leader in the Irish Women’s Spirituality Movement Pamilla will share both her native and academic knowledge of this region and also gift us with story, poetry, wit, wisdom.
Day
Three
7:30AM: Breakfast
with Pamilla Kelleher
9AM: Off to Kinsale. This gentle cobble stoned walking town brings us into coastal, West Cork on the border of Co. Kerry. While often referred to as one of the prettiest villages in Ireland, Kinsale is also Ireland’s “Gourmet Capitol” and home to many food festivals. With Pamilla as our guide, we will feast on legend, mythology, fun and of course, great food!
4PM: Return to Carrig House for dinner and a pre dream-time circle with Pamilla for sharing stories of our day’s experiences, laughter, and music. Sweet dreams!
Day
4
9AM: With
our cooler and boxed lunches aboard, we head for the Ring-of-Kerry where
we will visit our first stone circles and holy wells. As we move along
this breathtaking rugged coastline and mountainous terrain exploring
the villages and towns, there will be quiet time for journaling and
reflection. Time permitting we will stop in Killarney for the ultimate
tourist experience! Filled with small gift shops and houses adorned
with colorful window boxes, this lovely town best reflects a combination
of traditional and modern Ireland, known as "The Celtic Tiger".
Killarney is the gateway to one of Ireland’s finest National Parks.
4PM: Home in time for dinner and a peaceful closing circle and sharing.
Day
5
7AM: Breakfast, a fond farewell to The Southwest and to our hosts at
Carrig House
9AM: All aboard for our journey to the East and our next lodging, *Barberstown Castle, Straf-fan, Co. Kildare (27 miles south of Dublin). Our journey East (approximately 5 hours) will include light hearted stories, fun, songs, and stops along the way. We will lunch in the very center of the country, in Birr, Co. Offaly, one of Ireland’s finest 18th century Georgian towns. There, we will make a visit to Birr Castle Demesne and Science Center, or just enjoy meandering the shops!
* Barberstown Castle is an internationally acclaimed historic Country House. A lavish Blue Book accommodation, it is made up of several different parts: A 13th Century Castle Keep, A 16th-Century Construction, A Georgian Country House with a 20th century addition. The en-suite rooms are elegantly appointed with antiques, reproductions and sumptuous fabrics. This exquisite property is one of the first great Irish country houses to open up it's splendour to the outside world. Each en-suite bedroom has been decorated in an individual style. The Castle prides itself on a tradition of generous hospitality, a creative gourmet menu and fine service. Its peaceful winding woodland paths are a haven for songbirds, indigenous wildlife, flora and fauna.
Day
6
From our location in Straffan, Co. Kildare, followng breakfast we will
visit Ireland’s Capital, the Viking city of Dublin, a city filled
with intriguing alternatives – museums, art galleries, book-stores,
antiques, clothing shops – the day is yours!
4pm: Return to Barberstown Castle for dinner and circle that evening
Day
7
9AM: Immediately after breakfast, we will set out for The Boyne Valley
and the majestic Hill of Tara. Situated on a high point of land, Tara
is chief among the best known sites of Ireland. The barrows, mounds,
conjoined circular earthworks and buildings, timber hinges, linear embank-ments
and sacred springs make up a pre-historic ritual landscape that has
evolved, in part by ac-cident and in part by design over many centuries.
Tara’s several, unusual mounds lead the imagination to regard
this whole region as the home of Gods & Goddesses, not of mere mortals.
Tara’s mythology is every bit as real and potent as the mounds
themselves. Our day on the land will conclude with a special celebration
of the Triple Spiral at Newgrange, a passage cairn that pre-dates The
Pyramids. Passage cairns in Ireland have been compared to wombs and
this belief is reinforced by the objects found inside them.
4Pm: Weary and fulfilled from a beautiful day on the land we return to Barberstown Castle for our last dinner and circle.
Day
8
9AM: Off to Connaght and the West through the lush Irish Midlands. Two
hours into our journey West, we will have our picnic lunch and celebrate
at Uisnagh. Whether it be called the “Earth Mother”, “the
goddess” or the “Cosmic Mother” Uisnagh is the strongest
access point to the being of the whole landscape of Ireland. Nearby
is a hidden well of the goddess and if the faeries are with us we will
find it!
3PM: Arrive at *Lisdonagh House in time for afternoon tea. We’ll settle in, relax, wander, explore and nurture ourselves.
5:30PM: Circle and sharing.
7PM: Dinner followed by some wild Irish singing and laughter. Nighty night!
*Lisdonagh House is a place with an ancient and magical history, where time appears to have no bearing. One would, at any moment expect to hear the call of the hounds or to see a fairy peeping from behind a limestone wall. Lisdonagh House is located magnificently amidst 200 acres of woodland and parkland. The fact that there is so much land with the house ensures guests exclusivity and provides wonderful opportunities to go for woodland walks or to ramble around the estate. With its own vegetable and herb garden, Lisdonagh House is famous for superb cuisine, the finest fish from the locality, and prime beef and Connemara lamb (in season). Our hosts will take great delight in preparing a different menu for us each evening. Bon Appetite!
Day
9
8:30AM
Day
10
9AM: On the morning of our last full day together, we will gather for
a circle on the sacred land at Lisdonagh House. Here, each woman will
be invited to contribute a story of her experience and share any form
of creative process that has come to her along the way.
“If
you ever go across the sea to Ireland and it may be at the closing of
your day, you will sit and watch the moon ise over Claddagh, and watch
the sun go down on Galway Bay”
11AM: The sun is setting on our Spiral Journey as we head off to Galway City for our last full day together. Situated on peaceful Galway Bay, Galway City is never-the-less a buzzing University town overflowing with theater, music, industry and youthful energy. The city with its famed Spanish Arch, was the last stopping off point for Christopher Columbus prior to his crossing the Atlantic for The Americas. The shop keepers will welcome Spiral Journeys women, and be happy to relieve us of the weight of our remaining Euros!
4PM: All aboard for Lisdonagh House, dinner and our last evening celebration. Let’s adorn ourselves in the colors of our now Celtic selves, turn up the music and let the spirit move us in song, dance and play! Sweet dreams!
Day
11
7:30 AM: Breakfast will offer us time to share all contact information
before we depart from each other and from Ireland’s shores. Following
breakfast, we will join for our last circle so that we leave complete
and filled with the sacred energy of our Spiral Journey together.
10 AM: Departure. Our coach driver will assure that each woman has ample time to make her departing flight from Shannon Airport.