This is the last call to join a small group of us visiting Ireland in July 2018 - at the annual sessions of Ireland Yearly
Meeting in Limerick, and before and after, exploring countryside, culture(s) and history.
The itinerary is in three parts: before, during and after yearly meeting. I hope that you will be able to join me for the whole time, but it's also possible to join for one or two parts.
First part: July 9 - 18, 2018
- Cashel, Co. Tipperary, home of the Rock and of the fictional 7th century Sister Fidelma
- Mountmellick and Rosenallis, Co. Laois, and Ballitore, Co. Kildare, historic Quaker towns. Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
- Bennettsbridge, Co. Kilkenny: Nicholas Mosse Pottery.
- Waterford, founded by Vikings in 914
- The Copper Coast UNESCO Geopark, Co. Waterford
- Join Friends for meeting
for worship in Cork
- West Cork: Clonakilty, Rosscarbery, Baltimore, Skibbereen and Bantry
- The Ring of Kerry, including Portmagee, the Skellig Experience Visitor Centre, Valentia Island, home of the cable that began to link Europe with Newfoundland in 1866, Waterville and Killarney
- The Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry: Dún Chaoin, the Blasket Centre, Louis Mulcahy pottery and Lisbeth Mulcahy, Weaver
- Limerick, established by Vikings in 812
Accommodation will be in hotels in Shannon, Kilkenny, Horse & Jockey, Waterford, Cork, Bantry and Tralee.
Second part, Ireland Yearly Meeting, July 18 - 22
Ireland Yearly Meeting's annual sessions will be in Limerick,
at Limerick Institute of Technology. As guests at the yearly meeting, we will spend time
in worship and conversation with Irish Friends. It's an opportunity to appreciate
the rich 350-year-old history of Friends in Ireland, and to enter into the
spirituality of this diverse group.
Accommodation will be in a student village.
When yearly meeting ends, we will head northeast, pausing to refuel at Barack Obama Plaza in Moneygall, Co. Offaly, crossing the border near Newry to Moyallon, near Portadown. We will visit:
- The County Down coast and the Mountains of Mourne, Downpatrick and Strangford Lough
- Belfast
- The Glens of Antrim, Co. Antrim
- Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, Co. Londonderry
- The north Antrim coast: Ballycastle, the Giant's Causeway
- Lough Erne, Belleek Pottery and Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
- The City of Derry, Co. Londonderry, and Co. Donegal
- Sligo, Céide Fields prehistoric site and Westport, Co. Mayo
- Connemara: The hunger trail from Louisburgh to Doolough and Killary Fjord, Co. Mayo
- Letterfrack and Clifden, two small Co. Galway towns with Quaker connections
Getting there
All parts of this itinerary
begin and end at Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland. There are currently
direct flights to Shannon from:
- Boston (Aer Lingus)
- New York JFK (Aer Lingus and Delta)
- Newark (United Airlines) and
- Philadelphia (American Airlines)
Look for a flight that connects through one of these cities.
Cost
Part 1 July 9-18 the south and southwest: $2,900
Part 2 July 18-22 Ireland Yearly Meeting, Limerick: $520
Part 3 July 22-30 the north and west: $1,720
Part 2 July 18-22 Ireland Yearly Meeting, Limerick: $520
Part 3 July 22-30 the north and west: $1,720
What's included
- All accommodation
- Three meals each day
- Travel within Ireland. Two of us who have years of experience driving manual (stick shift) cars on the left side of the road will be your volunteer drivers
- Attendance at the residential sessions of Ireland Yearly Meeting(bring a traveling minute or letter of introduction from your Friends' Meeting)
- Entrance fees, tips
- Advance reading materials.
What's not included
- Airfare to Shannon
- Travel insurance
- Some of the more popular tourist destinations. This is an opportunity to explore parts of Ireland that aren't easy to reach by public transportation or tour bus. So no Blarney, Cliffs of Moher, Dublin or Glendalough. If you want to visit places not on this itinerary, consider doing so before or after we meet. I can advise you on how to get there to or from Shannon.
I am currently serving as interim pastor of Reedwood Friends Church in Portland Oregon. Last year I was interim pastoral minister at West Richmond Friends, in Indiana. As a Quaker, inevitably I see things through that lens, and that shapes our conversations. But you don't have to be a
Quaker to join in! Maybe one of you loves to sit through business meetings and
the other doesn't, and needs to escape for a few days. If so, here's a handy map to
Bus Éireann's routes. Look for the 'Expressway
Coach Service" lines radiating out of Limerick, to see where you might want to visit.
Last call to sign up
The hotel accommodation is now booked. However, we can squeeze one or two people into the vehicles, and I will do my best to get rooms for you if you would like to join. Please email me at margaret at goodnewsassoc.org or message me on
Facebook. A non-refundable deposit will secure your place. You will be able to pay the
balance by installments.