Tag Archives: Celtic Camino

Celtic Camino – dark cliffs

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My photography always lets me down.

It’s not possible for me – I don’t have the skill – to adequately convey the beauty that is Ireland.

I love this place.

I will do the best I can – and start off with my first image of the day – out my hotel bedroom window (a truck unloading fruit and veggies) – through to breakfast and black and white pudding, and the hotelier arriving with fresh eggs, through to a drive over the Connor Pass, which in no way captures the extraordinary breathtaking beauty of this way – then to a ferry trip across the Shannon River, then to the Cliffs of Moher, and finally to Doolin, and a track out of town as the sun was setting, and a bunch of cows that stared at me.

Went back and had a Guiness in a pub in Doolin, and a beautifully lyrical singer/guitarist played a special request for me – The Star of the County Down. I knew it from a track by Van Morrison and The Chieftans.

(Paddy Malone and the Chieftans did the score for a movie I did for Warners Bros.)

What an incredible day.

Tomorrow Jennifer and I are going to walk 18kms from Doolin along the Cliffs of Moher and back again. Should be amazing…

Here are today’s pics –

truck unloading Dingle breakfast Dingle eggs Dingle Connor Pass bollard smoke stacks lunch Cliffs of Moher2 Cliffs of Moher3 Cliffs of Moher birds.1 cliffs of moher.ws bird tower

Cows fence and cliff Guiness singer in doolin pub rocks and sunset

 

The Celtic Camino – The Saints’ Road

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Today Jennifer and I walked one of the oldest pilgrim paths in Ireland – the Saints’ Road.

It starts in a beautiful little fishing village called Ventry west of Dingle, and ends at Mount Brandon. The full path is 18kms – we only walked a section – but it was spectacular.

It was great to get out on a pilgrim path again – the weather was perfect, unusual for this time of the year, and the air was clean and crisp. Early spring flowers were in bloom along the path.

We saw a few other walkers on the path – six in total – but it was largely deserted. And this on a gorgeous sunny Sunday.

Jennifer and I are starting to figure out a Celtic Camino, which would follow these ancient Irish pilgrim paths. They have their own particular way markers –

Here are some shots from today’s walk…

Plgrim marker.5*

jen walking away on path

Plgrim marker.5 wider Jen on track with bird Jen by castle tower boat by cliff

bike tractor

Horse

Plgrim marker.4 waymarked track

Plgrim marker.6

Jen walking back to car

The Celtic Camino – pt 2

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There is magic in Ireland.

You can feel it.

You can see in in the moss covered rocks, in the swirling mist that sweeps off mountains that loom up beside the road. You can see it in the gnarled lichen crusted trees.

There are ancient energies simmering here, available to the poets, the seers, the sensitives, to those that open their hearts.

I feel at home here.

For some reason, I feel like I have come home.

That I was always here.

Green vale.2

The Celtic Camino – pt 1

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Sheep in field

Jennifer and I have come to Ireland for a number of reasons –

I’m researching a book.

But also I’ve been fascinated by the Celtic influence in Galicia, and wanted to explore more the Irish connection with Spain.

Celtic Cross

Jennifer and I have also been researching the pilgrim paths of Ireland, of which there are many. In fact we’ve discovered Ireland is full of sacred trails – some of them going back to early Christian times.

walking sign

Jennifer walking

Glendalough path

They pass through some truly spectacular countryside, particularly on the west coast.
And the thought has started to seed – of organising a Celtic Camino.

gravestones and trees Glendalough 1

It would involve walking the trails around possibly the Dingle or Kerry “rings,” and then connecting through to Ferrol and completing the “English” Camino.

This is how pilgrims came from Ireland and England – they walked from their homes and villages, and landed either in France or the north of Spain, then walked to Santiago.

Here are just a few pics of the country we’ve been walking and driving through these past few days-

white house house in rocks boats in distance

tussocks