Alone with none but Thee, my God,
I journey on my way;
What need I fear when Thou art near,
Oh King of night and day?
More safe am I within Thy hand
Than if a host did round me stand.
--Attributed to Saint Columba
Let’s plan your trip to Ireland!
Before scheduling my visit, I was never well informed—hardly even curious—about Celtic saints. I didn’t understand just how many there were, nor their time period, nor the characteristics of their ancient sites. Thankfully I caught up quickly through my first two strategic stops in Ireland.
First, a friend had advised me to go to the National Museum of Archaeology in Dublin. Their displays on Glendalough, St. Columba, and religious relics helped set the stage. I also visited the gorgeous Book of Kells exhibit at Trinity College. These exhibits are walking distance from each other and well worth it.
After 24 hours in Dublin, I took a train to the Romanian Orthodox Monastery in Shannonbridge. The monastery was established in Dec. 2019 and although they are just two sisters, the monastery has a lot to offer. Sr. Iosifia loves Ireland and has been to many of the holy places. In the monastery library, they have several books about Celtic saints and historic sites, in addition to having sixteen icons of Irish saints in the chapel. The monastery is dedicated to the Lifegiving Spring and also St. Ciaran of nearby Clonmacnoise. While at the monastery I met a local man and his daughter who are passionate about visiting ancient Christian sites as well and they recommended two sites related to St. Colman in County Clare: the Kilmacdough monastery south of Gort, and the saint’s hermitage in The Burren.
In the monastery library, I found Early Irish Saints by John O’Riordain a helpful introduction to many of the saints whose sites I would visit. Meanwhile I was already reading How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill, A Staff to the Pilgrim by Fr. Gabriel Rochelle, and The Life of St. Columba by St. Adamnan.
Basic outlines to the Christian story in Ireland
There were a small number of Christians in Ireland before Patrick, but little is known about how they came or were converted. St. Patrick was a Christian from birth, but he had been captured in England and sold into slavery in Ireland when he was fifteen. During this time, he was inspired to bring Christianity to Ireland, and planned his escape and subsequent theological training and ordination with this goal. In 432, St. Patrick returned to Ireland, this time as a bishop. He landed in the north, near Downpatrick, UK, where he was later buried. The two most important places in Ireland at the time were Tara and Cashel, both seats of kings. St. Patrick began teaching Christianity at Tara and after baptizing the king and establishing Christian communities there, he moved on and did the same, starting with the king of Cashel.
Additional key figures who were contemporaries with Patrick were Sts. Enda of the Aran Islands, St Finnan of Clonard, St. Ita, and St. Brigid of Kildare. St. Finnan’s monastic school in Clonard produced the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, among whom are St. Ciaran and St. Brendan and St. Columcille (Columba). Several of these “graduates” then went to the Aran Islands and lived under the direction of St. Enda before going on to establish their own monasteries in the 5th and 6th centuries. Christianity flourished, but then…
…multiple Viking raids in the 9th and 10th centuries!
…Norman Conquest in the 11th century!
Because most early dwellings and churches were made of wood, they did not survive all of this plunder and destruction. This means that today, to venerate the Orthodox Christian saints, we travel to places where the ruins of 11th-12th century buildings stand over the foundations of 5th-10th century monasteries. Because Irish people (and people from the Old World in general probably) believe it is important to be buried in holy ground, or near a holy person, most of these ancient sites are now surrounded by cemeteries--with a mixture of very old and brand new graves. When I was visiting St. Ita’s place in the place called Killeedy (Cell of Ita), I was hunting for the monastic site across the street or down the road from the cemetery. I asked a person whom I found there and he explained that the cemetery was on the land that would have been her monastery. After I understood this in Killeedy I was able to adjust my expectations and it made my pilgrimage easier. From then on, I found that I was visiting an average of three cemeteries a day.
Other features of an Irish pilgrimage are round towers, high crosses, cross slabs, sundials, holy wells, wishing trees, beehive-shaped stone huts, other structures made from stone without mortar, and ruined stone churches without roofs. Each of these things became familiar and precious to me the more I came to understand their meaning, artistry, or rarity.
I did not get a vibe on the current Roman Catholic or Church of Ireland (Anglican) culture in Ireland—size of congregations, worship style, etc. I was impressed to see cemeteries well-tended and frequently visited, as well as individuals and student groups gathering at holy wells and other sites. I'm told that the churches have relatively low attendance, and that pilgrimage and reverence for the early saints of Ireland is generally not emphasized. Small wells and cemeteries are maintained by local faithful, while the large, archaeologically-significant sites are managed by the Office of Public Works, OPW.
Ireland has a strong tradition of pilgrimage walking trails and loops and there are multiple guide books dedicated to walking Ireland. The terrain is relatively gentle, though there are some steeper mountains in County Kerry and at Glendalough. There's even a Kerry Camino--a part of the Camino de Santiago-- that starts on the Dingle Peninsula and then continues by sea and finishes, like the other arms, in Santiago, Spain.
Driving in Ireland
You can do a lot with public transit, but renting a car was essential in order to visit all the sites I intended to see. I had a great experience with Europcar rental company. I picked up the car in Athlone and returned it in Dublin for an extra fee; having the flexibility to end the trip in another city was important.
I love driving manual and shifting with my left hand was okay, but I struggled a lot with getting my little red Ibiza into first gear. It got easier as we went.
Adjusting to driving on the left wasn’t so difficult, but I couldn’t do anything to make the roads wider! Rural roads in Ireland are extremely narrow, without a shoulder, and usually bordered by a stone wall or a thorny bramble, obscuring the view around corners. I was nervous about scraping the car on a stone wall, but also about running into oncoming tractors, trucks, or buses! After a few days I fell into the rhythm of Irish drivers, driving carefully and attentively around blind corners, and easily pulling in and out of turn-outs. The car was returned without a scratch!
Renting a car was an investment and absolutely worth it. Over ten days, we drove 2200 kilometers!
Favorite Destinations
Of the many things that went right on this journey, here are a few moments that truly stood out:
At the Cliffs of Moher, we had to retreat into the visitor center after twenty miserable, stormy minutes, with no visibility of the cliffs at all! We were feeling very unlucky. Fifteen minutes later, however, we reemerged to find balmy evening sunshine and enjoyed walking along the cliff-side trail for another two hours!
Our favorite hike was across a windy expanse of limestone to the hermitage of St. Colman in The Burren. Afterward two or three hours in the elements, we warmed up with hot tea and a slice of cake nearby at The Burren Perfumery.
Even though we weren’t allowed to land and climb up to the 6th century monasteries, I loved the boat tour around Little Skellig and Skellig Michael. We spent the rest of the sunny afternoon visiting monastic sites and Skellig Chocolate, all in view of the Skelligs.
Orthodox Ireland
The Monastery of the Lifegiving Spring and St. Ciaran is a beautiful haven for Orthodox faithful, and combines perfectly with the ancient site of Clonmacnoise, in the middle of the country, halfway between Dublin and Galway.
There are several parishes—one Greek parish in Dublin, a couple of ROCOR parishes, Antiochian, Serbian, and Georgian. The biggest communities, by far, are the Romanian communities, under Metropolitan Joseph in Paris. I visited Romanian parishes in Dublin, Galway, and Cork, and I think they have even more missions.
The Romanian Church’s ministry includes a Missionary Centre in Dublin with a chapel, offices, youth activities, a garden, and dormitory. They celebrate liturgy on Tuesday and Thursday mornings as well as Sundays and feast days. On my last day in Ireland, those of us in attendance sang the liturgy together in Romanian, Greek, and English.
Increasingly the Irish are finding the Orthodox Church. The nuns introduced us to one Irishman who became Orthodox while living in England. Now he and his family live on the Dingle Peninsula and although his nearest church is the monastery over two hours away, he is prayerful that a parish could grow in his area as well.
Quick Tips
Definitely plan a visit—or a 2-3 day stay—at the Orthodox monastery, as well as a liturgy in Dublin, Cork, Galway, or Belfast.
If you rent a car, plan to rent a manual. Automatic cars are hard to find and more expensive.
Note that on the M50 highway near the airport, one goes through an e-toll that can only be paid at eflow.ie or in the airport at the Wright Food deli in the building across from terminal 1, or another shop in terminal 2. This process was smooth—I took a picture of the car license plate before I turned the car in, and then told the cashier how many times I went through the tollway. In my case it was four times and the toll was 12.70 euro.
Besides the Book of Kells and Blarney Castle at about 18 euros each, most site entrance fees are not expensive—5 to 8 euros for an adult. Many sites charge 4 to 8 euros for their carparks, however, and this is where you can save money if you park on the street and walk in, or at the Cliffs of Moher, there’s a 3 euro carpark nearby that you can walk into the site from. If the weather is good, this is a walk along the cliffs that you’re going to want to take anyway!
On Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands, there are three good options for seeing the island: tour bus, rented bicycle, or horse and cart. Expect to pay 20 euros for either the tour bus or the bicycle, and more for the horse, cart, and local guide.
If you drive into Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, be prepared to suddenly be working with miles and pounds instead of kilometers and euros!
Make time in your itinerary for
Castles! Blarney is fun for the whole family near Cork, and there are many, many others.
National beverages! Guinness and Jameson in Dublin are among the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland, and you can find many other whiskey distilleries throughout the country.
Wool! Consider leaving a fisherman’s sweater-sized space in your luggage.
Literary pilgrimage! You can find sites relating to W. B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, and James Joyce in Ireland, and C. S. Lewis sites around his birthplace of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Dairy! Irish dairy cows appear to be the happiest in the world and this is why Kerrygold is now a global brand. Unlike Tillamook, however, they don’t appear to have a factory tour though. Nevertheless, you have easy access to delicious butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream at every Aldi, Lidl, and Supervalu market!
National Parks! Killarney and Connemara are two expansive favorites.
Be prepared for
Wearing layers - Wool socks, hats, and sweaters are perfect here.
Rain - You’ll be very happy to have a waterproof jacket, pants, and footwear.
Walking - I recommend hiking shoes with good ankle support.
Sun - Bring sunscreen! We enjoyed fantastic weather in early May, with just enough rain to keep us humble.
Final Thoughts
Embrace your limitations. Whether it’s a lack of time, money, energy, athleticism, or a traveling companion, these conditions make it easier for you to decide how to spend your time.
Go slowly. If you can focus your time on a specific saint or two, you’ll have more time to spend in the area where they lived. The ideal pilgrimage is slow, deliberate, and prayerful. Consider setting aside time to walk one of the pilgrimage loops and get a feel for the local landscape and the speed at which these saints journeyed across the land. For example, if I were planning for just one week, I would visit the monastery and then spend the remainder in just County Clare and County Kerry.
Bring hymns. Collect a short life and hymn for each saint you expect to honor into a pocket-sized book, or document that you can download onto your phone. This page offers a good start. You can also include information from EarlyChristianIreland.net into this document to help you remember the significant points of each place. You may also bring an akathists or molebens to a saint. Some pilgrims pack small icon prints and even candles to light.
Now I’m looking forward to…
Ferries on fjords, wooden stave churches, and gamalost. Where am I?
Kristus er oppstanden!
Thomaida