|
||||||||||||||||||
A JOURNEY TO THE
FIVE HEARTS OF IRELAND
August 15th - 24th 2008
Every country has a center, and for Ireland it is Uisneach. Sometimes acknowledged, sometimes overlooked, it has remained the geographical and energetic center of this island.
From this point the Stone of Divisions marked out the land into four provinces with a fifth in the center around Uisneach.
Our journey through the beauty and power sites of Ireland will take us to the heart center of each of these provinces in turn.
We start in the north in the land of Ulster. Politically separate from the rest of the island it is part of Great Britain. The traditional heart of this region is Navan Fort, the ancient Emain Macha of Irish history and legend, a Neolithic enclosure atop a hill outside of Armagh. We will hear the legends and stories of this historically rich land.
We explore the huge megalithic complex of Beaghmore Stone Circles set in a stunning landscape. The Janus Idol and Lusty Man stone figures on Boa Island are a pre-christian mystery.
Making our way south over the border (no passport controls here!) we enter the province of Connaught. After a visit to St Hugh's Well (Tubbervoey) and Sweat House we explore the western heart center of Cruachain Ai.
At Rath Cruachain, the coronation site of the kings of Connaught, we find solar energy. Close by Oweynagat, the Cave of the Cats or the entrance into the Underworld, is a place of the goddess.
Moving further south into Munster province we discover some of Ireland's Christian heritage on Holy Island, or Iniscealtra in Lough Derg. We will take the short ferry ride across to the island where we find one of the enigmatic Irish round towers and the ruins of three early churches. We will stay overnight in world-renowned Limerick and sample traditional Irish music and maybe a pint of Guinness in one of the many local pubs.
Heading back north we will visit the heart centre of All Ireland at Uisneach in Westmeath. This is the sacred site of the ancient goddess Eri from which Ireland gets its name, Ire.
Just a short drive away we stay for the rest of our journey in the old town of Kells famous for The Book of Kells and its High Crosses. We are now in the eastern province of Leinster.
Here we visit the Bru na Boinne visitor center where we learn about Newgrange and Knowth cairns, Ireland's most famous Neolithic sites. We will be guided inside Newgrange, a passage tomb but also a place of initiation and spiritual initiations that is aligned to the midwinter solstice sunrise.
Knowth has some of the finest Neolithic stone carvings in Europe that decorate most of the kerbstones around the base of the cairn and we will get the key to enter Dowth cairn for private ceremony.
The ancient seat of the high kings of Ireland at Tara is our final heart center to visit before utilising the wonderful acoustic properties of Fourknocks underground chamber. Finally we get a bird's eye view of seventeen counties from the top of Loughcrew or Slieve na Caillighe - the Mountain of the Witch. We will make our final connections with this special land both within some of the chambered cairns and in the Hag's Chair.
This tour will be co-led by Glenn and Cameron Broughton and Marcus Mason.
Click here for the itinerary for this tour
