The Last Day

I really don't know what to say. We've come to the end of a wonderful trip filled with beauty, adventure, discovery, and joy!  Truly!  It really is so!

We left Killarney this morning and headed a little South and East to Cork where we took a break.  Then on to Kilkenny for lunch, a castle, and some old churches.  Back on the bus for our final destination to Dublin.

By this point in the trip we are all a bit silly or willing to laugh with each other as others present their awesome talents.  So we had a Talent show on the bus as we ended our day.  Singing, poetry, church camp songs and stories!

Once in Dublin, we stopped at Phoenix Park for closing Holy Communion, singing, and sharing the

"thin places" of the last 10 days.

When we reached our last hotel stop most all of us had "hit the wall" and were ready to stop.  Some didn't even venture out on the streets of Dublin, but stayed in for a quiet last night.

Tomorrow 34 of the 42 in our group will be on their way back to Denver.  4 will travel on to Scotland and 4 will stay for a few more days in Dublin.

Perhaps the greatest thanksgiving and blessing of the day was saying "thank you" to Paul and Padraig for being such wonderful local hosts as tour guide and driver.  We have truly been blessed by them.

A big thanks to all who shared the last 10 days with us in Ireland!  Thanks to friends and family that have followed the blog.  We were blessed with a trip without travail! And we were especially blessed with an experience filled with the sacred!

Carolyn Waters
Cindy Bates

Random moments of joy part 2!

Random moments of joy!

Day 9

Incredible day!  This is how we started!

The Dingle Peninsula was breathtaking! We thought there might be rain............but ......... NO..........it started misting when we turned the corner!




What can we say?  We saved the best day for the last!


Or at least that's what the planners think!

It just doesn't get any better than this!









Just in case you wondered.........this is where blue sweaters come from!!!!!!
We also did the Bee Hive Huts and Gallarus Oratory.

Lunch in Dingle.........

And then a group "happy hour" with tea and things!!!!!  at a great pub!

Into Killarney.  Some went on a pony cart ride!  Others chilled.  Some walked into town.  Other waited for the bus ride!  But all was grand!

This was a fabulous day!  And it was our last day of "sight seeing!"  Tomorrow we head to Dublin and all will be grand!

Have we told you how wonderful Paul and Pardrigh are??????

C&C

Day 8!

We are in the late afternoon of day 8, it's Thursday at 4:10.  Today was a travel day, but an enjoyable one.

We crossed the River Shannon on a ferry!  Big ferrys take big busses!


A little later was a great stop in Tralee!  Home of the Rose Queen!

And home of good pub food and bakery!














A quick stop at an overlook in Killarney for a group picture!

                                                                            
And then a early arrival at the Victorian Hotel in Killarney! Tonight about 30 of our group are going to an Irish song and dance event!  The others of our group are going downtown for a local experience.  I'm sure some of you will hear about the night at another time!

But for now, we're just relaxing and feeling very blessed.

C&C

Random moments of joy!

This is it for tonight!!!!!!!!

It takes a L........O.............N...............G................ time to upload in Ireland!~

It it really Day 7?

We've covered a lot of countryside today!  Woke up in Inismor, had a fabulous lecture from a local authority on all things Celtic and all things Spiritual and all things Aran Island!  She was amazing.  The funny part is that we have been trying to find this woman for the last 2 years and could not get in touch! Marcus Borg had suggested her leadership to us, but we didn't connect until this trip. She just happened to be the National official at Dun Angus yesterday and found us because of our Celtic Cross on our name tags!  How small can one world get?

Her name is Padraigin Clancy.  She has a PhD in Irish Folk Lore, speaks fluent Gaelic, is working on certification as a Spiritual Director, and would like to go to seminary!  A good Catholic that thinks her grandmother would die if she were a priest or if she left the Catholic church, but has a deep sense of call to ministry.  It was fantastic!  Check out her work at www.clancyireland.com

We crossed back over on the ferry, found our bus, and took off for the Burren!  Wow!  Wow!  Wow! It was absolutely beautiful! Padraigh was awesome at the wheel of the bus on the most narrow of lanes in Ireland.  The view was just amazing.  Topped off with Paul's singing and bizaar sense of humor.........it all totaled up to a day!

But wait.......there is more..........the Cliffs of Moher that is!

Tonight we are staying in a little village near the Cliffs of Moher called Liscannor.  Local pub for dinner.  An early evening to bed to prepare for an exciting venture tomorrow!
If life gets better than this, it's only because more friends and family are near.

Blessings your way...........

Carolyn & Cindy