Dear Fellow Travelers,

Thank you for your interest in our 2011 Sacred Sites of Ireland trip. We are now eagerly looking forward to having you join us for this very special event.

Ireland has some of the oldest and best-preserved megalithic monuments in Western Europe. Constructed of enormous stones, many have passages that are aligned to significant rising positions of the sun, moon or stars or to other monuments. These places were built by farming people some four to six thousand years ago, who erected them as houses for their dead and as places for the community to make contact with the spiritual world. I heard an Irishman once describe them as “the churches of our ancestors.”

Today, these places are again opening themselves to people as sacred sites. I’ve met people who, while in Ireland, felt a strong urge to visit one of these places, and sometimes that visit made a significant difference in their lives. The primary purpose of bringing people to these places is to help make it possible for them to experience this sacred spirit.

This pilgrimage will focus on the oldest monuments, the passage cairns and court cairns. Our small group will travel across Ireland, from west to east, following the main route of passage cairns in the order in which they were built. On the way we will also visit places associated with more recent sacred tradition in Ireland: monastic sites from the early Celtic Christian period of the sixth to the thirteenth centuries, and holy wells that are places of devotion to this day.

Our well-balanced tour also has free time for shopping, time to explore the highlights of each city and relax in centrally located hotels. Plus, you’ll be travelling in the very best of company! Come join our small group of inquisitive and free-spirited travelers.

Sincerely,
Jo Coffey

Tour Leader

Gwen Erwood

President Travel Concept International