Ancient & Mythical Ireland
Dates offered: Thursday, July 23 and Friday, July 24
Cost: €135 (includes boxed lunch, opportunity for coffee en route)
Minimum to proceed: 20
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore ancient and mythical Ireland in the company of internationally acclaimed Celtic spirituality expert, writer and singer Nóirín Ní Riain. You will learn how Celtic mythology has influenced modern literature, art, and popular culture.
Nóirín has had an extraordinary career as Ireland’s Celtic jewel of song and soul. An internationally acclaimed singer, she has collaborated and performed worldwide with diverse artists such as John O Donohue, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Anjelica Huston, David Whyte, Seamus Heaney, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Sineád O Connor and Russell Crowe.
Special places in Irish Mythology & spirituality you will visit
Glenstal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland. The abbey is housed in a 19th-century Norman Revivalist castle, originally built for the Barrington family in the 1830s. The estate spans over 500 acres of farmland, forests, lakes, and streams, making it a place of great natural beauty and tranquility. Today, Glenstal Abbey is home to a community of Benedictine monks who live according to the Rule of Saint Benedict. Their daily life is centered around prayer, work, study, and hospitality.
The abbey’s name, Glenstal, comes from the Irish “Gleann Stail,” meaning “Glen of the Stallion,” hinting at ancient connections to the land and its mythic past. While Glenstal Abbey itself is a Christian monastic institution, its location and ethos resonate with Ireland’s deeper spiritual heritage: The surrounding landscape, with its ancient oak forests and lakes, echoes the sacredness attributed to nature in Celtic spirituality.
Lough Gur is a lake in County Limerick whose archaeological features reinforce its role as a sacred landscape, used for ritual and storytelling for millennia. But more than that, it is the famous “thin place,” where the veil between worlds is especially permeable. Here, the myths of Áine, Gearóid Iarla, and the Sídhe reflect themes of sovereignty, transformation, and the cyclical nature of time.
Planned Itinerary:
This is to give an overview of the possible day’s itinerary. It is subject to change based on the weather or other unforeseen circumstances. An updated itinerary will be provided closer to the date.
8:45: Load coaches for departure at 9:00.
9:45: Arrive at Glenstal Abbey and meet your host for the day, Nóirín Ní Riain.
10:30: Visit to the Icon Chapel.
12:10: Attendance at community Mass and experience the magical chant of the community of monks.
13:00: Depart from Glenstal Abbey.
13:45: Enjoy your packed lunch and grab a coffee in Bruff, Co. Limerick .
14:30: Arrive at the Enchanted Lake.
15:15: Experience Grange Stone Circle.
16:30: Load bus for a 16:45 departure.
17:15: Arrive at University of Limerick.
What to Bring:
Participants are advised to have comfortable walking shoes and to wear light layers! We suggest a sweater, rain jacket, jeans or pants and small backpack. Temperatures may vary with rain a possibility.
Disclaimer:
All parties participating in the tour and activities do so at the participant’s own sole risk. UWPIAA organisers of the tour are released from any claims, actions, damages, liabilities, losses, costs and expenses by participants in the tour, and all persons accept full responsibility for themselves during the tour.
