A very special, personal tour taking in holy wells, cairns, tombs, standing stones and fairy forts located in areas of outstanding natural beauty. You will learn from a historian and local author about Celtic women, Goddesses and Saints, myths and legends through the years. You will leave with rich memories and a good understanding of history and how myths have been recycled to suit modern times.
Tuesday 23 May
Check into accommodation after 4pm
Welcome. Meet your guides, get to know each other and discuss the itinerary for the coming days.
Four-course dinner at Clancy's Restaurant, Glenfarne
Wednesday 24 May
This day you'll explore the pre-Christian and early Christian world in Ireland where the two spiritual vistas, still to this day, sit side by side. You travel North to Fermanagh and take in The Erne and find out about the role of rivers in Pre-Christian worship.
Visit Killadeas Graveyard with holed stone, Bishop's Stone and ancient cross, fairy trees, Caldragh Graveyard with Janus figure and Sile na Gig, Lough Derg, Drumskinney Stone Circle, Carne Graveyard, Kiltierney Deerpark ancient necropolis and sacred landscape. Learn about early female deities which were re-registered as Christian saints, such as St. Brigid and St. Dympna.
In the evening you return to Glenfarne for dinner. Afterwards you will learn how to make your own Brigid's Cross and take part in a traditional St Brigid ceremony.
Thursday 25 May
The day focuses on the important role women had in Celtic society -
they could rule, own property, divorce via a Telltown Marriage, go into battle with their husbands and were often as skilled as men in warfare. You will visit Carrowkeel Court Cairn, Queen Maeve's Tomb on Knocknarea with climb to the top (optional), Keash caves and hear Irish love stories such as Diarmaid and Graine and Deirdre of the Sorrows.
Evening: free time. Evenings are light and, if the weather is fine, take a walk in Glenfarne Forest. Finish with a night cap with the locals in the charming pub across the road from Clancy's.
Friday 26 May
The last day of the tour pulls the threads of the previous days together, bringing ancient beliefs into present times - how do Irish women weave the beliefs and practices of the past into their lives now?
You will meet a modern 'healing' woman who possesses two ancient
cures handed down to her by her grandfather. She can cure hemorrhage
and burns in person or over the phone and has been doing so for a lifetime with excellent results. She is a very active woman who reared a family of twelve, started a school for handicapped children, was Secretary of Co. Monaghan Ploughing Association and, in 2005, was elected to the prestigious title of the County Monaghan Hall of Fame. She will discuss her cures with you and bring along a selection of cures she has collected, talk about the philosophy of the person who has the gift of a cure.
You will also take in Margaret Gallagher's traditional cottage for tea. Margaret's home is a traditional thatched cottage; she draws her water from a well, lives with oil light, uses an open fire for cooking. She is a fount of local knowledge, stories and folklore.
Visit to the source of the River Shannon, St Patrick's Holy Well and a Rag Tree.
Late afternoon: transfer to Wise Woman festival
Price includes:
Three nights accommodation with private bath/shower in Clancy's Hotel, Glenfarne, Co. Leitrim, which offers comfortable accommodation and a restaurant.
Services of a personal guide who is a local historian, broadcaster and author, during your tour
Three days of private tours and entrance fees
Special St Brigid's evening
Full Irish breakfast each day and two four-course dinners
Transportation during tour
Price does not include:
Lunches
Dinner on Thursday
Travel insurance
Transfers
Optional transfers are available from Belfast, Dublin, Knock, Sligo airports.
Optional pick-up service from Enniskillen, Carrick-on-Shannon public
transportation points - just let us know when/where your flight gets in
and we'll advise all your options accordingly.
Self-catering accommodation for groups of four staying in idyllic Pairc na Sionainne is also available.
