Itinerary Ireland's Celtic Goddess and Sacred Feminine May 4th – May 14th 2011 (11 days)

May 4th - Sunday - Day 1:

After arriving in Dublin at 9:00 AM we begin our adventure.  First, travel a short distance to the center of Dublin, where we discover the charm of the city as we embark on a brief walking tour. We will visit the many historical sites, including Christ Church Cathedral, National Museum of Ireland, and Trinity College, home of the "Book of Kells." We may also explore the many shops in Dublin, take time for afternoon tea, or frequent one of the many pubs. Then enjoy country hospitality when we arrive at our hotel. There, we are served a delightful meal in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere, retiring early to relax and refresh yourself after your long journey.

Overnight at Newgrange Hotel.

May 5th - Monday - Day 2:

From here we travel to the magnificent valley of The Boyne River (sacred to Boand, goddess of healing and feminine wisdom) where we find the neolithic monument of Newgrange. Inside this sacred Goddess Temple we will see many beautiful carvings including the triple spiral representing the Mother, Maiden and Crone.

We will Visit Knowth and The Hill of Tara (womb of mother Ireland). This journey will link us to the ancestors, and help us establish our own personal connection to these sacred and powerful places. We will visit three ancient temples in the Boyne Valley. These sites are older than the pyramids of Egypt and their uniqueness will astound you. Each temple was carefully built to be aligned to the sun. Some believe these are remnants of the Atlantian civilization.

At Newgrange we view the enormous stones etched with ancient art that surround the temple. As we enter the temple, we experience its energy as the ancients did before us. On winter solstice the sun rises in perfect alignment, casting a beam of light down the center of the temple.

Next, we travel on to Knowth which consists of one large temple surrounded by more than eighteen satellite structures believed to be tombs. Ancient kings once ruled from this site.
Later, we visit Dowth the third of the great temples. This one honors the goddess, since Dowth's alignment with the setting sun at Winter Solstice places it at the end of the sun cycle taking it into the womb of Ireland, believed to be female.

Tonight we take pleasure in a typical Irish meal and join in the friendly atmosphere.

We return to our hotel in Navan for dinner.  Overnight at Newgrange Hotel.

May 6th - Tuesday - Day 3:

Today, we visit the magnificent Cairns of Loughcrew, also known as Slive Na Callaigh or the Hill of the Witch.
The hills on the Loughcrew lands have been named in the past as "Tri Choiscéim na Caillighe" that translates as "three footsteps of the hag", Later they became known as the "Calliagh Steppes" and then the "Witches Hops". Three of the hills then became known as Carn Beg and Carn Mor with Loar in the middle. There is a 4th hill, which in legend says is the  burial site of the goddess Cailleach Bhérra.

The central and biggest Cairn is known as Cairn T, and is famous for its equinox sunrises lighting up the cairn's backstone of ancient sun images. The largest kerbstones are near the entrance to the tomb. A large stone in the northern part of the kerb is known by three names, 'Chair of the Witch', 'the Chair of Queen Tailtiu' and 'Queen Maeve'.

In the afternoon, we visit Tara, one of the most venerated places in early Ireland. Tara is one of the largest Celtic monuments in Europe. In ancient Celtic spirituality and mythology, Tara was revered as a dwelling place of the gods.

We will have time to visit a Tara gift shop, featuring all things Celtic. There you can partake in afternoon tea. That evening, we drive to Dublin to our hotel and have a wonderful dinner with new and old friends

Tonight we move to our hotel in Dublin for two nights.   Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel Killiney

May 7th - Wednesday - Day 4:

The little people are sure to touch our hearts in Glendalough. Here, we will be enchanted by feelings of joy, love, and peace as we walk the well-traveled and the less traveled paths through this ancient monastery. This exceptional place, Glen of the Two Lakes, is the only surviving example of an entrance to an early Irish monastery and  university. As we stroll through this ancient Celtic spiritual power site, we will be encouraged to take in the calmness and natural beauty. Here we can take part in a local custom. Tie your wish on the tree at the holy well and become part of the landscape.

Wells were powerful healing sites and women would often visit to be cured of infertility by goddess energy. St. Kevin’s well is cradled in a horse-shoe shaped mound of earth and flanked by birch trees, both goddess symbols.
As we walk through this picturesque valley, we will encounter Trinity Church, Saint Mary's Church, Reffert Church, the Green Road, lakes, streams and Saint Kevin's Cell.

In the late afternoon, you bid farewell to Glendalough and travel to our hotel in Dublin for dinner.  Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel Killiney

May 8th - Thursday - Day 5:

We say goodbye to Dublin and head south to Limerick where adventure awaits us as we discover the beautiful settlement of Lough Gur, with its megalithic tomb and stone circles. Legend has it that Lough Gur was formed by the Goddess Aine who appears here in different forms as a mermaid, a young woman, and a hag. As a mermaid, she rises from her traditional home beneath the sacred waters of the lake. As a maiden, she empowers the land's human custodians and as a hag she defends her realm.

This afternoon we travel to Killarney where we will stay for two nights at the Dromhall Hotel.

May 9th - Friday - Day 6:

At Muckross House we will view the house and the gardens and have lunch. You may choose to rent a jaunting car and journey back in time as you explore the mystical grounds, waterfall, and magical forest. Some have reported seeing a leprechaun or two.
Later that day, we will wander through an ancient abbey and view the Yew tree growing in the center courtyard. We continue to explore Killarney and its lakes.

For those of you with a paranormal interest, we offer an optional visit to Ross Castle, where ghost sightings are common.

In the late afternoon we return to our hotel, where we have time to put our feet up in preparation for dinner.  Dromhall Hotel

May 10th - Saturday - Day 7:

As our journey continues, we travel along the coast to The Dingle Peninsula and the mystical Gallarus Oratory with its inscribed stone. This part of Ireland is made up of mountains, cliffs, glacial valleys, lakes and beaches; the scattered islands and strange headlands are said to be the remains of a great volcanic explosion that occurred when the lost continent of Atlantis sank into the sea. Later, we experience Kilmalkedar Church and Cross, Ogham Stone, Alphabet Stone, Sundial and Saint Brendan's House. This land is sacred to the goddess Dhuibhne, and poets, singers and film-makers are among the many who come to her for inspiration. It is also the starting point of 'the Way of the Saints', which takes you to the top of Mount Brandon along the old pilgrims' path. We visit ancient Beehive Huts and experience how ancient communities lived.

In the afternoon we travel to Kenmare to explore its stone circle. Here, we can take part in a ritual, getting in touch with the past. Experience these stones as our ancestors may have done thousands of years before us.

Later, we travel to our hotel in the exquisite seaside town of Glengarriff where we take in the local color, spend two nights, do some fine dining and listen to traditional Irish music.  Overnight at the Glengarriff Park Hotel.

May 11th - Sunday - Day 8:

We experience the exquisite seaside town of Glengarriff where we take in the local color, Garnish Island, a subtropical paradise, a remarkable place on a 37 acre island reachable only by boat from the village of Glengarriff. The gardens were created in 1911 and are the joint work of John Bryce, then owner of the island and Harold Peto, architect and garden designer. The signature area of the garden is undoubtedly the Italian Casita, overlooking a formal pool in an area lushly planted with fuchsias, camellias, myrtles and scented rhododendrons.
Today, we journey to the enchanting valley of Gougane Barra, Saint Finbarr's first settlement on the shores of a beautiful lake. We visit the oratory; walk the grounds of the old monastery feeling its energies and sacredness.

Overnight at the Glengarriff Park Hotel.

May 12th - Monday - Day 9:

Today, you experience the beauty of Blarney and its ancient Druid heritage. This is the province of Munster - "land of The Sun Goddesses". In Rock Close, we may ask the giant Dolmen if it still rocks, and maneuver the Wishing Steps to have a dream come true. We experience the sacredness at the altar of the Druids and stand in their ancient circle. Will we see the Witch as she pokes the ashes of her kitchen fire? Are there fairies at the bottom of the garden? We can, of course, simply marvel at the unrivaled beauty that Mother Nature so generously sets before us.

Overnight in Blarney at the Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel.

May 13th – Tuesday - Day 10:

We say goodbye to Blarney and travel to Kildare. There, we visit the flame of Saint Brigid. Her flame burned for over a thousand years prior to the English reformation and was rekindled in 1993 by the Brigidine sisters. Saint Brigid is believed to have been a Druidic priestess who converted to Christianity.

Brigid’s well is a powerful point of Goddess energy and people who visit often tell stories of miraculous healings and divine inspiration.

Later in the afternoon we  experience the Japanese Gardens in Kildare.

These beautiful gardens were created between the years 1906-1910. The Gardens, planned to symbolize the 'Life of Man', are now of international renown and are acclaimed as the finest Japanese Gardens in Europe. The gardens at Tully are a living monument to the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures in a Western setting. The symbolic garden traces the journey of a soul from Oblivion to Eternity and the human experience of the soul’s embodiment as it journeys by paths of its own choice through life. Typical ambitions toward education, marriage, or a contemplative or carefree life, achievement, happy old age and a gateway to Eternity are portrayed. Furthermore, as an example of Japanese Gardening of its period, it is perfect - a Japanese Garden with a hint of Anglicization about it was precisely the type of garden being designed in Japan in the early 1900s.

As our journey comes to a close, we travel to our hotel at Dublin Airport for an Irish farewell dinner and overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel.

May 14th - Wednesday - Day 11:

We say our farewells and depart for home, grateful for all that we encountered and experienced.

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Purchase: 11 Day Tour May 4th – May 14th 2011

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