Pilgrimage to Ireland with Fr Andrew Marr

Depart on an overnight flight from Minneapolis to Dublin. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board the aircraft.

Welcome to Ireland. Upon arrival at Dublin airport, we are greeted by our driver & guide, who will accompany us on the entire pilgrimage. We board the bus and drive to the City of Tribes- Galway. We celebrate Mass and settle into our hotel. Welcome dinner is at the hotel. Overnight Galway. (D)

We visit Our Lady of Knock Shrine, one of the world’s leading Marian shrines. On August 21, 1879, fifteen men, women and children witnessed an Apparition of Mary. We celebrate Mass and visit the Basilica, the largest church in Ireland. Knock is a very popular pilgrimage des-tination, which has been visited by many pilgrims, including Saint John Paul II, who visited in 1979. Following lunch (included today), we continue through the magnificent scenery of Connemara to Kylemore Abbey. In the afternoon, we return to Galway. Dinner is at leisure as Galway is a perfect city for a pub crawl, where many local pubs serve great food accompa-nied by Irish music. Pilgrims have an open evening to explore the pub music scene and Irish culture. Overnight in Galway. (B, L)

After breakfast, we celebrate Mass before heading south along the coastline toward the famous Cliffs of Moher. Along the way, we stop to visit an authentic Irish farm, where pilgrims can get a glimpse of this important part of Irish industry (including a scone-making demon-stration at the farmhouse). We then travel through the Burren’s ancient burial grounds and unique countryside before arriving at the Cliffs of Moher, where we have time to hike along the cliff trails, relax, read poetry, etc. We arrive in Cork for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Our first stop is Cobh, with one of Ireland’s most spectacular vistas. We visit the Cobh Heritage Centre, which tells the story of the two million-plus immigrants who departed from Cobh Harbor to foreign lands. Cobh was also the last port of call for the Titanic before she sank. Cork is also home to one the best Irish Whiskey distilleries, so naturally, we will also have some time for a ‘spirited’ visit to the famous Jameson Irish whiskey distillery. Our evening tonight is in the historic seaport town of Cork. Some main streets are built over channels where ships nuzzled their anchor chains a century ago. We stop to see St. Francis Brewery, where they have come up with a wonderful award-winning mix of ale and Jameson’s whiskey. Mass will be celebrated. Dinner tonight is at a local pub. (B, Special dinner)

oday, we are off to Blarney Castle, where you acquire the ‘gift of gab’ by kissing the Blarney Stone. The Woollen Mills next door offer some great shopping for traditional Irish gifts. We continue to the lovely city of Kilkenny, where we have time to walk around and visit some lovely pubs and shops. Dinner is at leisure tonight. Mass will be celebrated in a local church. Overnight in Kilkenny. (B)

We drive to Cashel to see the spectacular Rock of Cashel, where St. Patrick converted the King of Munster to Christianity. Following a lunch stop, we arrive at Glendalough, where ac-cording to legend, St. Kevin retired to be alone because his good looks made him a source of temptation. 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 and a pilgrimage destination. There are many legends concerning St. Kevin, and he is often compared to St. Francis of Assisi. We have a guided tour of the site, where we see the Round Tower, the Cathedral’s ruins, and “St. Kevin’s Kitchen,” which is surrounded by an old cemetery. This community became a great center of learning known as the “Rome of the West.” We celebrate Mass at St. Joseph Church. In the afternoon, we arrive Dublin and settle into our hotel. The rest of the day and the evening are at leisure. Overnight Dublin. (B)

This morning, we are depart for Armagh, Ireland’s ecclesiastical capital, home of two cathedrals named after St. Patrick. We celebrate Mass at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. We then travel through St. Patrick’s country to Downpatrick. According to tradition, St. Patrick was buried in 461 on Cathedral Hill within the grounds of Down Cathedral. We also stop to see Saul Church, the first Catholic Church on Irish soil. Return to Dublin for dinner and overnight in Dublin. (B, D)

Dublin, the name derives from “Dubh Linn,” the Black Pool in the heart of historic Dublin. Many know the city by its nickname, “The Fair City.” Our day starts by celebrating morning Mass at St. Mary Pro-Cathedral, followed by a panoramic bus tour of Dublin. Our next stop is the Guinness Brewery to taste the famous ale. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore Dublin on our own. Tonight, we gather in the lobby of our hotel to board the bus, which takes us out for a fun and festive Irish evening. We enjoy a night of laughter, singing, and dancing in true Irish party tradition. Overnight Dublin. (B, Farewell dinner)

Following breakfast this morning, we depart for the USA. (B)