Ireland and the United Kingdom

Highlights

This trip centralizes Celtic culture, faith traditions, and nature as we explore peace, justice, and reconciliation. We will hike our way through the beauty of Ireland and neighboring areas in the Anglo-Celtic Isles (geographically known as the British Isles), and the trip will include options for other outdoor activities like kayaking, biking, bouldering, and horseback riding. We’ll learn, experience, and identify the impacts of historic culture and faith traditions on modern lived experiences: from ancient pre-Christian traditions to Celtic Christian spirituality and even more recent conflicts with political religious identities. The Anglo-Celtic Isles have experienced various waves of settlement and colonization, and Celtic peoples and practices have been alternately celebrated, suppressed, or syncretized. We will bear witness to significant natural/cultural sites relating to peace, justice, and reconciliation while using Celtic reflective practices to help observe and process our cross-cultural experiences.

We plan to visit the Republic of Ireland (Éire), Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales (Cyrmu), exploring a mix of larger cities, smaller towns, and national/regional/country parks. Starting in Dublin with its live music scene and nearby cultural/historic sites like Newgrange and Glendalough, we’ll follow a generally coastal loop through all four Éire provinces, which come from former Irish kingdoms: Leinster, Munster, Connaught, and Ulster. To the south we’ll kayak by night in the bioluminescent waters of Lough Hyne, visit standing stones, and pay respects at a famine memorial mass grave. To the west we’ll walk the Cliffs of Moher and bike the Aran Islands along the “Wild Atlantic Way”. To the northwest we’ll hike Croagh Patrick pilgrimage site and surf some beachtown waves with an option for horseback riding. To the north we’ll stroll atop the Derry city walls and traverse rope suspension bridges and the Giant’s Causeway. We’ll visit Belfast with its murals depicting the legacy of “The Troubles” (1968-1998), a period of armed political/religious conflict in Northern Ireland. Beyond this general loop of Ireland, we’ll take two ferry excursions to neighboring regions with Celtic traditions in the UK (Holyhead, Wales for coastal orienteering and Glasgow, Scotland to visit a herd of highland cattle and try lawn bowling). If flight schedules allow, we may also visit the Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin), a self-governing Celtic nation in the Irish sea. According to the Manx, the summit of their Snaefell Mountain holds a view of six kingdoms: Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, the Isle of Man, and Heaven. If flights don’t align for Isle of Man, we’ll space out our days elsewhere. 

We plan to attend music, theater, religious services, and/or other cultural events as they are available along the route. Our road-trip-style pace will be steady, but not strenuous between locations/activities, and we’ve built in opportunities for rest and self-exploration in the cities.

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