Ireland Pilgrimage
Spiritual Director: Fr. Jeremiah Lange
June 2 - 11, 2022
202JL060321
Your trip includes
- Round-trip airfare from your desired Airport
- *
- All airport taxes & fuel surcharges
- Centrally located hotels: (or similar)
- ~ 1 night: Trinity Capital, Dublin
- ~ 1 night: Minella, Tipperary
- ~ 2 nights: Castlerosse, Killarney
- ~ 2 nights: Salthill, Galway
- ~ 1 night: Knock House, Knock
- ~ 1 night: Trinity Capital, Dublin
- Transfers as per itinerary
- Breakfast and Dinner daily
- Wine with dinners
- Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
- Assistance of a professional local guide Throughout
- Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary
- Catholic Priest, Mass daily & Spiritual activities
- Luggage handling (1 piece per person)
Not included
- Lunches, Tips to your guide & driver, Items of a personal nature.
Itinerary
Day 1, Thursday, June 2: Depart USA to Ireland
Depart USA for your overnight flight to Europe. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2, Friday, June 3: Glasgow - Dublin
Following breakfast, board the bus that will bring you to Glasgow Airport for your flight to Dublin, Ireland. You will arrive midday, and will be greeted by your tour guide and driver, who will bring you on a panoramic city tour on both sides of the River Liffey. You will pass by the General Post Office on the city's main street, O'Connell Street, view the Custom House, and Phoenix Park, the largest city park in Europe. On the other side of the river are Georgian squares characterized by colorful doors, Grafton Street and Trinity College which is the oldest university in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I. Time permitting, you may visit the ancient library containing over 20,000 manuscripts, among which is the Book of Kells, a manuscript from the 9th-century written by the monks at St. Colombo's monastery on the island of Iona. Today you will also visit St. Patrick's Anglican Cathedral, built in 1213. This Gothic Cathedral has a splendid interior, with some beautiful tombs and monuments. The ornate stained glass windows can be found in the Chancel. In the late afternoon, transfer to your hotel for dinner and a restful overnight.
Day 3, Saturday, June 4: Wicklow - Glendalough - Tipperary
Following breakfast, travel through the beautiful mountains of Wicklow, called the "Garden of Ireland" until we reach Glendalough. This ancient monastic city, established in the 6th-century by St. Kevin, is in the heart of "the valley of the two lakes." It was a very important center for learning, as well as a pilgrimage destination at that time. There are many legends concerning St. Kevin and he is often compared to St. Francis of Assisi. You will be taken on a guided tour of the site, in which you will see the Round Tower, the ruins of the Cathedral, and "St. Kevin's Kitchen" that is surrounded by an old cemetery. The tour continues to Baltinglass, where the ruins of a Cistercian Abbey are found. Next, pass by Castledermot, where we set eyes upon the remnants of a Franciscan Abbey, before arriving into Tipperary for dinner and an overnight.
Day 4, Sunday, June 5: Rock Of Cashel - Kerry
Today, you will depart for the "Rock of Cashel," standing high in the middle of the "Golden Vale." These religious buildings, dating from the 12th-century, form the most spectacular medieval set in Ireland. The Cathedral, the Round Tower and Cormac Chapel, which was the first Irish Romanesque Church, testify to the importance of this site, which used to be the seat of the High Kings of Munster. So, once more we find two traditions and cultures meeting with one another, where the story of St. Patrick's Cross will tell us more. Our journey continues towards Kerry for dinner and an overnight.
Day 5, Monday, June 6: Kerry - Dingle Peninsula
This morning continue towards the Dingle Peninsula, the most northern of the Kerry peninsulas. From the town of Inch, where David Lean shot the movie "Ryan's Daughter" - and the last part of the country where Gaelic language is commonly spoken - continue along the Eagle Mount and the cliffs of Slea Head. In Early Christian Ireland, monks were looking for isolated places such as Gallarus Orator, which dates from the 9th-century, and is excellently preserved. Oratory used to be a place of prayer for monks. Our next stop is the Kilmalkedar Church, built in the 12th-century and once part of a complex of religious buildings in Romanesque style. Dinner and an overnight in Kerry.
Day 6, Tuesday, June 7: Shannon - Cliffs Of Moher - Galway
After a good Irish breakfast, you will be heading north through Listowel and embark on the ferry at Killimer to cross the Shannon estuary. You will enter County Clare, which has a beautiful landscape, and where you will visit the Cliffs of Moher. From the Cliffs of Moher, continue on to Galway, a city that has kept its medieval charm with its colorful streets and authentic pubs. The coastal road from the Cliffs of Moher travel along the blue Galway Bay, with natural rocky landscape on the other side. Dinner and an overnight in Galway.
Day 7, Wednesday, June 8: Galway - Corrib Lake - Clonmacnoise
Today, enjoy a Cruise on Corrib Lake, which is the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland; it is also the best way to see Galway and its surroundings. You will also visit Clonmacnoise, which is Ireland's most important monastic site, overlooking the River Shannon. This site was founded by St. Ciaran in the 6th-century and consists of a walled field containing numerous early Churches, high crosses, round towers and graves. Dinner and an overnight again in Galway.
Day 8, Thursday, June 9: Knock
Today, visit Knock and the Shrine situated in the plains of East Mayo, which is one of the world's leading Marian Shrines. On June 21, 1879 fifteen men, women and children witnessed an Apparition of Mary. Next, visit the Basilica, the largest Church in Ireland. Knock is a very popular pilgrimage destination, and in 1979 Saint John Paul II visited this holy place. After Mass, you will have time for private prayer at the Shrine, followed by free time for lunch and shopping on your own. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight in Knock.
Day 9, Friday, June 10: Knock - Dublin
Today as you leave Knock, enjoy beautiful scenery whilst travelling to Dublin. Arrive in Dublin in the afternoon and visit the National Museum, situated in the heart of the city. Its collection of golden prehistoric jewelry is without a doubt the most beautiful in Europe. You will be particularly interested in the Celtic finery, as well as numerous early Christian ornaments and relics of great beauty. In the afternoon, there will be some free time for lunch and relaxation. Enjoy a delicious dinner before retiring for your last overnight in Ireland.
Day 10, Saturday, June 11: Depart Dublin - USA
This morning, transfer to Dublin Airport for your return flight(s) home.
*206 Tours Disclaimer:Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.
About your trip
Ireland: In the Footsteps of St. Patrick
St. Patrick succeeded in bringing Catholicism to Ireland, and in time, the whole country converted from their pagan gods to the one true God. Although a small country, Ireland has played a large role in saving and bringing Christianity throughout the world. During the early Dark Ages, the Irish monasteries preserved Western writings while Europe remained in darkness. But as the Catholic country remained solidly Catholic, the Irish spread the faith to all corners of the world.