ENCHANTED IRELAND TOUR

A Spiritual Travel Adventure in the Land of the Faery Faith

April 29 – May 8, 2023

Tour operated in cooperation with Gothic Image Tours

Come join us on a tour of sacred sites in Ireland, a country known throughout the world for its friendly people and rich culture. The Emerald Isle is a land of unfading beauty that takes your breath away – a land with an astonishing array of ancient sacred sites, each with a story to tell.

More than any other country in Europe, Ireland has retained its mythological heritage which lives today in the oral tradition of folk tales, myths and legends, in literature, in festivals, ceremonies and monuments. So here, a sense of the Otherworld is palpable. On our tour of sacred sites in Ireland we explore all this and more.

We also discover Ireland’s extraordinary heritage by way of pilgrimage to some of the most evocative sites in the world. From stone circles to holy wells, from faerie forts to ogham stones, ancient crosses to beehive huts, sacred lakes to round towers, passage cairns to Celtic shrines. We relax in Ireland’s famous pubs, where local musicians and poets of the Irish tradition provide lively entertainment. This tour of sacred sites in Ireland is truly a soul journey towards spiritual refreshment and renewal.

Highlights of this fully-escorted Sacred Ireland tour include:

• Kildare – St Brigid’s Holy Well and St Brigid’s Cathedral
• Knockroe passage tomb
• Grange stone circle where we hold a Druid ceremony to celebrate Beltane
• Rock of Cashel
• Lake of Lough Gur
• Skellig Michael with its World Heritage listed 11th century monastery and beehive huts (weather permitting)
• Ring of Kerry and Dingle
• Newgrange, Knowth and the Hill of Tara.

Join us for a once in a lifetime experience in Ireland, a country rich in folklore, fairytales, myths and legends – a land with a magic all of its own.

Your Ireland Tour Hosts

Jamie George
Director of Gothic Image Tours, Jamie has been taking spiritual pilgrims on tours since the mid 1980s. “It’s been an honour to journey with so many interesting and inspiring people, helping them tune in to the history, mystery and magic of ancient sacred places, where every site has a story to tell. I imagine myself coming there for the first time, and if you put yourself in that position, all kinds of things can open up. For me, it’s a dance between memory and revelation. Some of the most memorable times are those when we’re just having fun. You find yourself laughing and joking because you’re opening up, you’re becoming much more at one with yourself and the land. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of organizing this mystical Ireland tour many times and look forward to warmly welcoming you to this magical land.”

Linda Marson
A professional Tarot reader, teacher, video producer and founder of Global Spiritual Studies, Linda has been in a working partnership with Gothic Image Tours since 2013. “The Tarot cards tell a story about the universal human journey…from the big challenges in life to the mundane,” she says. “Travel is a way of life for me and those 78 cards are my favourite travel companions. Consulting the Tarot as you travel can yield amazing insights into stuff that’s going on in your life. Think of those cards as a GPS, one that puts you in the driver’s seat and alerts you to road blocks and shortcuts to where you want to be in your life.” During this mystical Ireland tour, Linda facilitates a process for using Tarot to explore the messages sacred sites and landscapes have for each person.

Your Tour Guests

Eimear Burke is a practising Druid who works both as a Psychologist and a Celebrant.  In 2020 she became the Chosen Chief of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. With her late husband, Howard Campbell, she founded the Kilkenny Druid Grove, where she hosts celebrations for all eight festivals in the Wheel of the Year. The ceremonies, attended by Druids and Pagans of all paths, as well as by people from all sections of her local community, celebrate Druidry as a creative way of living in balance with the natural world. As a storyteller (and harpist), she takes a particular pride in continuing the oral tradition of Irish folklore, and focus on Irish mythology. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see Eimaer telling the Tale of the Hazel.)

Jack Roberts is an independent researcher, publisher and author of Sheela-Na-Gigs of Ireland and Britain: The Divine Hag of the Christian Celts and The Sun Circles of Ireland, joins the tour as expert guide. His lively mind and wealth of knowledge of this megalithic wonderland bring the ancient sacred sites in Ireland to life. “My wide knowledge of the archaeological and historical heritage of Ireland is the result of more than three decades of research. My publications cover some of the more important and often less well understood aspects of Irish history and archaeology,” says Jack. In addition to being a researcher and writer, Jack is also a designer and artist. You can find his work at Bandia Design, where his books, illustrated maps, and jewelery are available for purchase.

The video below shows highlights of some of the places we visit on this mystical Ireland tour.

IRELAND TOUR ITINERARY

DAY ONE: Saturday, April 29 – Dublin to Clonmel (D)
We rendezvous at 12 noon at Dublin Airport Terminal 2 Arrivals – adjacent to the SPAR Shop where there is a seating area. We travel by coach to Kildare, where we visit the charming St Brigid’s Holy Well and gardens and the 13th century St Brigid’s Cathedral, the site of a 5th century nunnery founded by St Brigid and her followers. After her death, a perpetual fire was kept to honour her memory. From Kildare we travel to Clonmel. Overnight: Clonmel

DAY TWO: Sunday, April 30 – To Lough Gur (B,D)
Our day starts with a visit to the Knockroe Neolithic passage tomb in Kilkenny where we are joined by Eimear Burke. Knockroe is a megalithic burial site, which dates back more than 5,000 years. Known as the Newgrange of the south, it is unique in that it aligns with both the rising and the setting sun on the Winter Solstice. Then to the spectacular Rock of Cashel, the power centre of southern Ireland. This massive and imposing outcrop of limestone rises to 200 feet with commanding views across fertile plains. In the 9th century, the legendary hero Brian Boru overcame it and became the King of Munster. Our day ends at the sacred and delightful lake of Lough Gur. Legend has it that the lake was formed by the goddess Aine, who appears in different forms as mermaid, young woman and hag. Overnight near Lough Gur

DAY THREE: Monday, May 1 – Grange and Tipperary (B,D)
Today we visit Ireland’s largest stone circle of Lois at Grange near Lough Gur. This exquisite circle dates to around 2000BC. Its entrance aligns to the setting sun at the Celtic festivals of Lammas and Beltane. Here we hold a Druid ceremony to honour the ancestors, our journey together and the fertility of the land at Beltane, the beginning of Summer. Eimear leaves us after our visit to Grange. Free time in the afternoon in Tipperary. Overnight near Lough Gur.

DAY FOUR: Tuesday, May 2 – Kilgarvan and Kenmare (B,D)
We travel to Kilgarvan where lies the impressive recumbent stone circle of Gurteen overlooking the Slaheny valley. From there we travel on to the market town of Kenmare and visit its atmospheric stone circle with a huge seven ton boulder burial stone. Time for lunch and shopping. Onwards via Sneem to the quiet coastal village of Waterville. Overnight: Waterville

DAY FIVE: Wednesday, May 3 – Skellig Michael (B,D)
Today, weather permitting, we sail to the awe inspiring and otherworldy island of Skellig Michael. This lonely rock was where early Christian hermits found refuge and sat in contemplation at the edge of the known world. Depending on your fitness level, you may wish to climb the rock to explore the extraordinary beehive huts and chapel studded with quartz crystal. The view from the summit across the Atlantic ocean is breathtaking. Overnight: Waterville

DAY SIX: Thursday, May 4 – Ring of Kerry (B,D)
We continue along the Ring of Kerry via Kilorglin – along the edge of Dingle bay to the delightful town of Dingle. Afternoon free to explore the town and its many shops. Overnight: Dingle

DAY SEVEN: Friday, May 5 – Dingle area (B,D)
A place of unfading beauty, Dingle has a cornucopia of sacred sites including the remarkable and beautifully constructed 8thC Gallarus Oratory. We also visit the site of 7thC Kilmalkedar Monastery with its ogham and sundial stones and the ruins of St Brendan’s Oratory with the nearby enigmatic Keeler stones. In the evening, we have the opportunity to enjoy some of the famous traditional Irish music. Overnight: Dingle

DAY EIGHT: Saturday, May 6 – Hill of Tara (B,D)
Today we travel to Drogheda to the north of Dublin via Tralee and Limerick. En route we visit the Hill of Tara, the womb of Mother Ireland and the traditional burial place of Tea, ancestor queen and goddess of the Celts. We visit her 3000 BC tomb which is aligned to the rising sun at the Celtic fire festivals of Samhain and Imbolc. Tara is the site where the sacred marriage took take place between the new king and the goddess who held power over the fertility of the land. With this union the people would enjoy prosperity and plenty. We also visit two delightful holy wells known for their healing power. Overnight: Drogheda

DAY NINE: Sunday, May 7 – Newgrange and Knowth (B,D)
As our journey begins to come to a close, our day is spent exploring the Boyne Valley where lie the most revered and eminent of all the sacred sites in Ireland – Newgrange and Knowth. These sites represent the flowering of the megalithic age and reveal astonishing examples of some of the finest megalithic art in the world. Newgrange was the abode of Aengus og and Daghdha gods of the faerie race of the Tuatha de Danann. Here a beam of light of the rising sun penetrates the mound on the shortest day of the year at the winter solstice illuminating the wondrous art in the back chamber. At Knowth, the largest of the monuments, the sun sends its light through the passageway at the spring and autumn Equinoxes. Overnight: Drogheda

DAY TEN: Monday, May 8 –  To Dublin airport (B)
We travel to Dublin Airport for international flights and transfers arriving 9.30 am for flight departures from NOON onwards.

Tour includes:

• Full escorted tour throughout
• Excellent, comfortable accommodation.
• Quality coach travel
• Full English breakfasts and three course dinners each day
• All sea transportation
• Entrance fees to sites
• Guide fees, taxes and gratuities (excl. driver)
• Plus protection by BMSJ’s $1,000,000 per traveler Errors & Omissions coverage

What to expect on this tour

We always spend a good amount of time at each site so that you benefit fully from the ambience and subtle magic of the experience. Ours are not ‘now you see it – now you don’t’ tours. Our focus is on experiencing the ‘spirit of place’ and the peculiar enchantment that each site offers, and learning something from it.

We visit inspiring locations where the ancient spirits of each place still reside. In addition, some of you will be returning to the homes of your ancestors. This can raise spiritual and emotional issues. On our tours we seek to build a supportive atmosphere, and your fellow travellers tend to be of a supportive and understanding disposition. At different sites that we visit, you will be given opportunity for reflection and peace. This inner dimension is what makes our tours especially memorable – a pilgrimage and nourishment for the soul.

The pace is not rushed. There are some areas where we climb steps or hills, but otherwise each site is easily accessible and within walking distance from the coach. Nevertheless, you will get some physical exercise!

We reserve the right to vary the itinerary as necessary, to provide the best possible experience under the circumstances prevailing at the time.

Please read the Terms and Conditions for this tour.

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PRICING

All prices are in U.S. dollars

ALL INCLUSIVE PRICES FOR 10 DAYS (LAND ONLY)

Price Per Person
Double Occupancy: $3,299 by check or money order, $3,469 by credit card
Single Occupancy: $3,779 by check or money order, $3,979 by credit card

Special Discounts

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL DISCOUNT (if prepaid by December 31, 2022) Price Per Person
Double Occupancy: $3,179 by check or money order, $3,349 by credit card
Single Occupancy: $3,539 by check or money order, $3,719 by credit card

Deposit Schedule

FIRST NON-REFUNDABLE PAYMENT
(Due as soon as possible in order to ensure a place on the tour)
Per Person Double or Single Occupancy: $700 by check or money order, $735 by credit card

FINAL PAYMENT

BALANCES for payments (other than Early Bird reservation, in which the total balance is due in full by December 31, 2022) are due on or before February 28, 2023 as per your invoice.

FINAL PAYMENT

BALANCES for payments (other than Early Bird reservation, in which the total balance is due in full by December 31, 2022) are due on or before February 28, 2023 as per your invoice.

After you register you will automatically be re-directed for payment by mail-in check or securely online.
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