"My heart was set on seeing this Purgatory of Patrick rather than merely hearing about it from many and diverse Knights."
Ramon Perellos, 14th century Catalan Courtier
PILGRIM PROGRESS is Ireland’s mini Camino Santiago, an eclectic circuit that embraces all faiths and none, a week's movement winding its way through marshes, lakes, o'er high seas, to monastic islands, over heath and bog, steep hills, by quiet rills, through driving rain and blasts of sun - through 6 counties, a full soul discovering circuit with night stops at an extraordinary array of "hostelries."
1. Gather at evening at the hobbit like cairn The Gyreum
2. the first day leads via Carrowkeel and Temple House home to Europe’s most westerly Templar Preceptory, on to to the Celtic Hermits' dens on the Atlantic crest of The Ox Mountains
3. by sea to the remote sea isle of Inishmurray with the best monastic settlement remains in Ireland from there back to the dodgems, amusements, temptations and ghost trains of Bundoran,
4. By the bogs and forests a long hard hike to St. Patrick’s Purgatory on Station Island in the dark waters of LOUGH DERG
5. Moving from island to island along Lough Erne toward Inish Rath, to be immersed in Vedic garlands
6. And ever onward to the Tibetan Buddhists to some fathoming of Goddess worship, to the Poor Clares of Drumshanbo, to the Sweat Lodges of Leitrim and back to ground zero, to yourself, to The Gyreum, a 250km circle on land sea and lake.
7. Upon return to Gyreum there is a 24 hour quiet retreat which is always at the cusp of the Full Moon. This allows Pilgrim time to assess the transformations of the journey and ready themselves for a return to the real world. At its conclusion there is a great celebratory banquet.
FURTHER PILGRIMAGES in 2008
Sun 13th - Sun 20th April
Wed 14th May - Wed 21st May
Thur 12th - 19th June
Fri 11th - Fri 18th July
Sun 10th - Sun 17th August
Mon 8th - Mon 15th September
Wed 8th - Wed 15th October
Fri 7th - Fri 14th November
Fri 5th - Fri 12th December
