In
the Footsteps of St. Patrick
Pilgrimage
to Ireland with Fr. Gerard Power O. Carm.
Pastor St. Patrick Church, Niagara Falls
September
17 – 27, 2012
Day
1,
Monday September 17
Depart for Ireland
Meet
at St. Patrick Church in Niagara Falls for a group departure to the
Toronto airport. We board the flight to Dublin; in flight meals will be
served.
Day
2,
Tuesday September 18
Dublin – Faughart –
Newry
Our
experienced Irish driver/guide welcomes us to the Emerald Isle. He takes
us northward along the Boyne River valley to the Hill of Slane offering a panoramic countryside view. Tradition holds
that St. Patrick lit an Easter fire here in AD 433 to proclaim
Christianity throughout Ireland. We stop in Faughart,
reputed to be the birthplace of St. Brigid, Ireland's most revered saint
after St. Patrick. Here we visit a shrine in her honour. We proceed to
Newry for dinner and overnight.
Day
3,
Wednesday September 19
Downpatrick –
Armagh
– Donegal
Today
we drive to Downpatrick for a visit to Down
Cathedral. St. Patrick's final resting place is believed to be a
shrine on the grounds of the cathedral. The grave of St. Patrick is
believed to be shared by Ireland's other main saints, St. Brigid
and St. Columba. We learn more about the life of Ireland's patron saint
by visiting the St. Patrick's
Centre. After Downpatrick we proceed to Armagh,
one of the most prominent religious places in Ireland associated
with St. Patrick. According to legend, it is here that he constructed
a stone church around AD 445 and proclaimed it to be the most holy church
in Ireland, thus founding the See of Armagh. Armagh is today the
primary seat of both the Catholic and Protestant Churches in Ireland and
both cathedrals in the town are named after St. Patrick. Dinner
and overnight in Donegal.
Day
4, Thursday September 20 Lough
Derg –
Donegal
A
morning ferry takes us to Lough Derg, renowned as a place of
pilgrimage for thousands of years. St.
Patrick's Purgatory is more commonly associated with penance and
purgatory but these days pilgrims are more conscious of the spiritual
atmosphere of the island. In today's noisy and hectic world, people
appreciate a haven of peace. Here we pray the rosary and the Way of the
Cross. The afternoon gives time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as
well as personal time for reflection and connecting with travel
companions. A simple lunch is included. Return to Donegal for dinner and
overnight.
Day
5,
Friday September
21
Knock – Galway
Today
we travel to Knock Marian Shrine,
one of the world's leading places of pilgrimage and where the Virgin
Mary appeared to fifteen people on August 21, 1879. Next we will visit the
765 meter high pilgrimage mountain of Croagh
Patrick, where tradition maintains that St. Patrick fasted for 40
days. Nearby is the moving National
Famine Memorial commemorating the Irish famine of the 19th
century. Dinner and overnight in Galway.
Day
6,
Saturday September
22 Clonmacnoise –
Clonfert
– Galway
Today we drive to Clonmacnoise, Ireland's most important monastic site, which was
founded by St. Ciaran in AD 545. Situated on the banks of the River
Shannon, the site contains a well preserved round tower, high crosses and
remains of nine churches. A short drive over country roads takes us to Clonfert
Cathedral, founded by St. Brendan the Navigator in 557 and now
belonging to the Church of Ireland. We admire the remarkable six arched
Romanesque doorway with its human and animal heads and dating from 1160.
Dinner and overnight in Galway.
Day
7,
Sunday September
23
Galway – Kilkenny
We
start the day by celebrating Sunday morning Mass in the Galway
Cathedral. Before leaving town we view the Spanish Arch and the
Claddagh area, which was once Galway's main commercial fishing area. We
then drive via Limerick (for a lunch stop) on to the Rock
of Cashel, one of Ireland's most spectacular archaeological sites.
Its mighty walls encircle a now roofless abbey, round tower and the most
beautiful Romanesque chapel in the country. The Rock is the place where
St. Patrick is said to have picked a shamrock to explain the doctrine of
the trinity. We enter the Holy Cross Abbey before driving to Kilkenny for dinner and overnight.
Day 8, Monday September
24 Kilkenny –
Glendalough – Dublin
We
begin the day with prayers at St. Canice's Cathedral and Tower, a
beautiful Norman cathedral now belonging to the Church of Ireland. We will
spend some time in this medieval town with the opportunity to visit the Kilkenny
Craft Design Centre, the
best craft shop in Ireland, which fosters new Irish craftsmen (potters,
weavers, wood carvers, jewellery, etc). Afterwards we travel to Glendalough through the wild and desolate scenery of the Wicklow
Mountains to the valley of the two lakes. We watch an introductory video
and then walk through the ruins of a monastic settlement founded by St.
Kevin in the 6th century. Glendalough's most famous building
is St. Kevin's Church, also known as St. Kevin's Kitchen. Our
destination for dinner and overnight is Dublin.
Day 9, Tuesday September
25 Dublin
This
morning's sightseeing tour introduces us to the capital of the Republic
of Ireland, a beautiful city with many historic buildings, delightful
gardens and lively shopping streets. The tour includes a visit and prayers
at St. Patrick's Cathedral
(Church of Ireland) where St. Patrick is said to have baptized converts at
a well within the cathedral grounds and where Jonathan Swift, author of
Gulliver's Travels, was Dean for over 30 years. We then go to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, a famous early Christian
manuscript of the four gospels, and the college's impressive Old
Library. The afternoon is at leisure to explore the Temple Bar area, shop
or linger along the River Liffey. Dinner is on your own tonight. Overnight
in Dublin.
Day
10,
Wednesday September
26
Dublin
Today
we celebrate Mass in St. Mary's Pro Cathedral. In the afternoon
we visit the Old Jameson Distillery
to learn about one of the vital ingredients in Irish life –
Irish whiskey. This leaves some leisure time to pack
and to prepare for a farewell
dinner with traditional Irish music and dance at Irish House Party, set in a cozy Georgian house hotel in a historic
area of Dublin. Overnight in Dublin.
Day
11, Thursday September 27 Dublin – Toronto
All
good things must come to an end. After a last fine Irish breakfast, we
transfer to the Dublin airport and fly home.
Pilgrimage
Tour Price: $2,495
per person, based upon double occupancy
+ $474 taxes and fuel surcharges, subject to change
(Single supplement $495; limited availability)
Price
includes:
-
Daily Mass/prayers and services of your spiritual leader Fr. Gerard Power, Pastor of St. Patrick Church, Niagara Falls
-
Roundtrip transportation from St. Patrick Church to and from Toronto airport
-
Roundtrip airfare Toronto to Dublin
-
Nine nights hotel accommodation in fine Irish 4 star hotels; all rooms with private facilities
-
Sightseeing as per program
-
Local Dublin City Guide for sightseeing tour
-
English speaking driver/guide throughout the entire tour
-
Touring by luxury coach
-
Daily full Irish breakfast
-
Seven 3 course dinners in hotels
-
One dinner and show at the Irish House Party
-
All hotel service charges and taxes for accommodation and included meals
-
Visits and entrances to places as per itinerary
Price
does not include:
-
Expenses of a personal nature
-
Lunches, except for lunch in Lough Derg
-
Tips to driver/guide and Dublin local guide
-
Optional but highly recommended insurance package (which can be obtained through Brinkman Travel)
For Terms and Conditions click here.
Please complete your booking form and return it to Brinkman Travel.
All travel arrangements are made by Ineke Brinkman, owner of Brinkman Travel Inc.
Brinkman Travel Inc, 8 Duke
Street, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2R 5W3
Phone: 905.988.9100 Email: mail
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