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TOUR DESCRIPTION
TOUR PERSONNEL
Andrea
Mikana-Pinkham is the Director of Sacred Sites Journeys. She has
Irish ancestry and a deep and abiding connection with the Celtic energies of the Emerald
Isle. Andrea has been leading spiritual pilgrimages around the world since 1994. During this spiritual journey Andrea will facilitate sacred ceremonies and meditations to assist you to connect with the powerful energies of the sacred sites and Celtic Gods and Goddesses, as well as group Sharing Circles. Tour Guide (Killarney area): Patricia Gogsch
Patricia Gogsch is loved and appreciated by our groups for her friendly, caring, knowledgeable and professional services. Since she is a Killarney native, she is able to offer us a very unique experience in County Kerry and the surrounding areas.
BRIEF TOUR ITINERARY Day 1. Saturday, September 19. Arrive Ireland, To Killarney, Welcome
Dinner (D) Day 2. Sunday, September 20. Innisfallen Island, Ross Castle, Free Time
(B/L)
Day 3. Monday, September 21 - Fall Equinox! Paps of Anu, Sacred Well,
Sheela-Na-Gig, Free Time, Sharing Circle (B)
Lunch
on your own in Adare, known for its quaint cottages and monastic ruins, with a bit of time
for more Retail Therapy and to explore on your own. Day 9. Sunday, September 27. Depart Ireland (B) Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions beyond our control.  TESTIMONIALS "The spiritual pilgrimage to Ireland with Andrea was
very rewarding. I especially enjoyed the sacred sites of Newgrange and Skellig Michael,
and the sacred wells. Ireland its people are beautiful. We even had great weather!"
- L. Merrill - KS
- Accommodations in charming 3-star Irish B and B's and hotels (includes taxes, service charges & daily breakfast) - Roundtrip transfers from airport / train station to accommodations - 2 lunches, 2 dinners - Motorcoach and train transportation - Sightseeing as per the itinerary, including entrance fees - Pre-Paid Gratuities - Local Guides in Killarney area and Newgrange/Hill of Tara Special Features - Travel in a smaller group with other spirit-centered people - Fully escorted by SSJ's Director, Andrea Mikana-Pinkham - Sacred ceremonies and meditations facilitated by Andrea Mikana-Pinkham - Optional Sharing Circles - Welcome Dinner - Special Medieval Banquet at Bunratty Castle NOT INCLUDED: - Roundtrip international air to Ireland (Arrive Shannon/Depart Dublin) - Meals not included, as indicated in the itinerary - Cost to obtain valid passport - Any items of a personal nature such as laundry, drinks and telephone calls. Any item that is not specifically detailed on the SSJ website or final trip itinerary
TOUR PRICING This tour is LAND ONLY. You are responsible to book your international flights.ARRIVAL: Please book your international arrival on Saturday, September 19th to arrive in Shannon by 9:00AM in order to connect with our group transfer to Killarney. DEPARTURE: Please book your international departure on Sunday, September 27th to depart from Dublin no earlier than 10:00AM.  DISCOUNT!
Make ALL of your payments by check or money order and receive a 3% discount! This discount
is INCLUDED in the prices below listed for this payment option.
Spiritual
Pilgrimage to Sacred Sites (September 19 - 27, 2009) Per Person,
double occupancy, land only$2,295.00 for payments via check or money order OR $2,366.00 for payments via credit card Plus: Pre-paid Gratuities: $90.00 for payments via check or money order OR $93.00 for payments via credit card Single Room Supplement: NOTE: This is the additional amount you will pay if you choose to have your own private room throughout the tour. The number of single rooms for our group is limited, so book early if you want to reserve this rooming option. $395.00 for payments via check or money order OR $407.00 for payments via credit card ROOMMATES: Would you like to meet and make a new friend on your journey? If you're not traveling with anyone you know, and would like for SSJ to try to match you up with a suitable roommate, we'll be happy to try to do so. Per our Terms and Conditions, we will hold the registration for the trip open until 30 days before the departure date (or later if possible) in order to try to match you with someone. If by that date we have not been able to do so, you will be responsible to pay for the single supplement. If you would like to be matched with a roommate, please register early. TOUR REGISTRATION To request a registration form for this Sacred Sites Journey to IRELAND,email Andrea Mikana-Pinkham at info@SacredSitesJourneys.com or SSJourneys@aol.com at 888 501-3853 Participation is open to the first 20 people who register. This Sacred Sites Journey is already filling quickly! Book NOW to reserve your space and to avoid disappointment! Registration closes August 21, 2009, or sooner if the tour fills before that date
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We board our motor coach and
depart to Killarney, home base for our time in County Kerry and
southwestern Ireland. Arrive and check in at our charming country home Bed and Breakfast,
situated on several acres of private gardens with woodland and river walks and close to
downtown. All bedrooms are individually styled and include a private bathroom. Other
amenities are relaxing lounges with open wood and peat fires, antique furnishings, a
reading and music library, as well as DD / Multi TV / WIFI access. Settle in and rest a
bit before our Welcome Dinner at one of the local pubs or restaurants in
the nearby downtown area. 
senses at one of
the most beautiful areas in all of Ireland - Lower Lake Killarney in Killarney
National Park. We take a boat to Innisfallen Island on Lough
Leane or "Lake of Learning" named for the monastery that was built there
more than 1,000 years ago, and where the first writings of Ireland came from in the late
5th century. It was here where Brian Boru, the last High King of Ireland was educated. An
ancient Celtic Cross remains in the Romanesque chapel on the tip of the
island. People journey here from all over the world to leave their offerings for wishes to
be fulfilled. We'll leave ours! In this place of beauty and serenity, we have time for a
meditation to welcome in the energies of the Fall Equinox.
After our picnic style box lunch
we return to shore to visit the ruins of Ross Castle, built in
the 15th century by O'Donaghue
chieftains. Though most of the castle is no longer standing, a recently restored tower is
furnished as it would have been in the 16th or early 17th century. Typical of strongholds
of Irish chieftains built during the Middle Ages, the tower house had square bartizans on
diagonally opposite corners and a thick end wall. The top of the tower offers breathtaking
sweeping scenic views of the lakes and local countryside. Legend says that that O'Donoghue
leaped or was sucked out of the window of the grand chamber at the top of the castle and
disappeared into the waters of the lake along with his horse, his table and his library.
Some of the locals believe that he lives in a great palace at the bottom of the lake where
he keeps a close eye on everything that he sees!
After breakfast we depart for our
drive through the lovely Irish countryside. As we pass
the Paps
of Anu, two mountains shaped like breasts, and named after Anu,
the Mother Goddess of the Tuatha de Danann (see below). Anu or Danu
as She was also called, was originally a European Goddess, Her name being commemorated
most famously in the River Danube. She was the ancient Celtic goddess of fertility,
prosperity and comfort, a very ancient figure whose name means delight, pleasure,
and melody. She was the patroness of springs and fountains. In Celtic Christianity she
became known as St. Anne, to smooth the path of conversion, and many St. Anne's Wells are
named for Her. Commune with the Goddess Anu and open your heart to receive Her blessings! 
The Tuatha Dé
Danann (People of the Goddess Danu/Anu), the Ancient Ones, or the Shining
Ones, were one of the mythical races of deities and heroes. They were skilled in art and
science, poetry and magic. Legends say they were a were a branch of the ancient seafaring
Dananns of the Mediterranean, who, beginning in the 2nd millennium BCE, abandoned some of
their coastal territories in the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor coast to conduct a series of
migrations to the windswept regions of northern Europe. Danu's son Dagda
was their most powerful leader. He came to Ireland with Arch Druids and Druidesses. Upon
reaching the shores of Ireland the magical Danaan cloaked themselves in mist, appeared
unexpectedly to the current residents, conquered them, and spread throughout the land.
Eventually they were conquered by the Milesians from Asia Minor. They retreated to Tir
na n-Og (Land of Youth) or continued to lived on the land with the Milesians, but
their homes, subterranean palaces entered solely thorough the sidh-mounds,
the "hollow hills", were hidden by magic from the eyes of mortals.
Their homes were called Sidhe (síd or sídh) or the Otherworld. Another
name for the Tuatha Dé Danann was the áes sídhe or the "People
of the Sídhe". Today they are known as the "Faery People".
These fairies are not the ones with tiny pixie with wings that are found in folklore and
children's fairy tales. Rather they are human-like, with supernatural powers.
We continue to
nearby Ballyvourney to the local sacred well dedicated
to St. Gobnait, a woman saint from the area; it has long been visited as
a place of pilgrimage. Many of the sacred wells in Ireland were originally the sites of
pagan shrines. The Celts believed the earth's waters were especially sacred and healing,
that they issued from the realm of the Underworld Goddess who ruled both birth and death,
linking her domain with the Upper World. For them, the waters represented Her eternal
wisdom and Her life giving properties. They believed that the easiest way to gain access
to the Otherworld was through the divine springs and wells. Every well had its own
guardian spirit or local goddess who presided over it. Andrea and our Guide Patricia will
facilitate our sacred ritual, or "doing the rounds", during
which we will encircle the well a certain number of times, while reciting prayers and/or
affirmations. We then offer water to the Mother Earth in thanksgiving, then to our
ancestors, finally drinking of Her lifeblood! (Bring a small plastic bottle and you
can take some of the blessed water home with you!)
Afterwards we walk to
the nearby abandoned church to see one of the few
remaining
in-situ Irish Sheela-na-gigs, an ancient symbol of woman's freedom and
creativity, and perhaps with the last vestiges of what some researchers believe to be the
pagan connection with Celtic Christianity. These stone carvings of a female figure consist
of an old woman squatting and pulling apart her vulva. They are usually associated with
"hags" or the Crone. The Sheela is situated above a window on the south wall the
old church. The locals still refer to Her as the ancient Mother Goddess and regularly make
their personal pilgrimages to Her, especially each year on February 11th, the feast day of
St. Gobnait. Our ritual to connect with our own creativity will consist of rubbing of the
image - to touch and feel Her, communing through meditation. 
This morning we're off
to the large magnificently intact 5,000 year old Bronze Age Druid's Stone Circle
in nearby Kenmare, probably the largest in southwest Ireland and the only
monument of its kind found so close to a town. There are a total of 15 stones of
greenstone or brownstone forming a large egg-shaped circle. The stone in the center is an
impressive boulder-burial with a giant capstone of almost seven tons. Stones of this type
cannot be found for many miles, so were undoubtedly moved to this location. The circle may
have been a sacred site for the Druids. Its exact function is unknown, though it may have
served as a calendar or as a burial site. Andrea will facilitate a meditation
to connect with these powerful ancient energies that are still very palpable in the
circle. 
visit the museum
and information center to learn of the town's history, which is divided into these theme
areas: Kenmare lace, famous visitors, the Nun of Kenmare, the Famine, and landlords. Or
wander along the main street, poking your nose into the many little shops to find some
treasures. 
Today is a full day of
exploration along the world-famous Ring of Kerry, a winding scenic route
on the Iveragh Peninsula in southwestern Ireland, which many people claim has the best in
scenery and magic that Ireland has to offer! Dominated by the MacGillycuddy Reeks, a
mountain range that includes Ireland's highest peak, the route includes coastal vistas,
verdant mountain passes, bogland, woodland, and glimpses of ancient Ireland with its Ogham
Stones, stone circles and more! Our drive takes us to Cahergall Fort (Caher
Gael) at Cahersiveen, built by the first Celts around 600 CE. Like many ancient forts
the local community used it as a supply of building material after it was abandoned around
900 CE. The current reconstruction of the drystone wall of the ring fort gives a
good idea of what it might have looked like in its day. Take some time to meditate to
connect with the bygone times. 
miles southwest off
the coast of Valentia Island. The main highlight of the island is the monastic complex
perched on its steep sides. Built by Christian monks in the 7th century, the community
probably consisted of about 12 monks and an abbot. The monastery survived a number of
Viking raids in the 9th century. Sometime in the 12th century the monks abandoned the
Skellig and moved to the Augustinian Monastery on the mainland. After their departure, the
hermitage was forgotten until the 1500s, when it became a popular destination for annual
pilgrimages. Due to its extreme remoteness, the island has until recently discouraged
visitors; thus the site is exceptionally well preserved. Today there is still a strong
feeling of intense spirituality there. You can climb up to the area where the monks lived
in stone 'beehive' huts. As you look at the drifting clouds, the heaving ocean below, and
birds sailing above, you may become deeply conscious of the primeval forces ruling the
world, and in your meditation your thoughts may give way to a deep and abiding peace. Box
lunch included.
Once back on the
mainland, time permitting, in Waterville we visit a nearby 5,000 year old
Eightercua Stone Circle,
where legend says Amairgin, the Milesian bard landed when he led his
people to Ireland during the Milesian invasion, when the Tuatha de Danaan were
defeated and went to the Otherworld. He was the son of Mil of Spain, an adventurer
and war leader, and the Egyptian princess Scota, daughter of the pharaoh Nectanebus of the
30th dynasty, in the 4th century BCE. Because he was powerful and had the power to calm
the storm with his songs, he could counter any magic and illusions. Since he was also
known for his magical powers of divination, he was asked to judge who should be king of
Ireland. After performing a divination, he declared it should be his brother Eremon.
However, his other brother Eber was not happy with his verdict, and forced them divided
the land into two, each brother ruling one part of Ireland. Eber was still not satisfied
with just half, and started a war against Eremon. Eber was killed, and Eremon became the
first Milesian high king of Ireland, as Amergin had predicted. We take time here to
commune with these ancient energies through meditation.
circular stone "ring
fort" with 15-foot high walls, a single doorway entrance and a stairway as high as
the wall, built during the Iron Age, around 2,500 years ago. The tapered walls were
constructed without mortar and are about 12-feet thick at the base. Located three miles
outside of Sneem, the fort is surrounded by hills, except to the south, where it is open
to the sea. In addition to providing safety from attacks, the fort is thought to have been
used as an observatory and place of worship of 
Morrígan
(also known as Morgan, Morrigu, Morrighan) the Celtic Goddess of War and Fertility. She
was the Great Queen and an archetypical form of the Mother Goddess. As the prophetess of
all misfortune in battle, she had the knowledge of the fate of humanity. She is also the
messenger of death as the dark lady/washer at the ford; she was seen washing bloody
laundry prior to battle by those destined to die. Her personality is associated with the
sometimes frightening aspects of female energy. As a protectress she empowers an
individual to confront challenges with great personal strength, even against seemingly
overwhelming odds. 
After breakfast we
check out and begin our journey to Bunratty, stopping first at Bridget's Well
outside of Newcastle West. The shrine is venerated for the healing properties of the
water, which are in a small stone cave-like structure that is filled with holy statues and
a multitude of varied offerings left by visitors. Andrea will facilitate a sacred ceremony
to honor Bridget, Mother
Goddess of all Ireland, and to ask for Her blessing. Also known as Brigit,
Brigid, Brighhid and Bride, She is often considered the Triple Goddess,
representing the Maiden, Mother and Crone aspects of femininity. She is the goddess of
poetry, healing, fertility, childbirth, and unity. As the warrior goddess, she was the
goddess of fire was the patroness the forge and the hearth. Regardless of their
differences, with their love and respect for Bridget, all Celtic people agreed upon her
goodness and compassion. Once Christianity came to the Isle, she was incorporated into it
as St. Brighid. Her main center of worship was at Kildare, where 19 priestesses
representing the 19-year cycle of the Celtic year each tended the sacred fire through a 20
day rotation. On the 20th day it is said that the fire was tended by Brighid herself. To
this day, the sacred flame has continued to burn, although during its lifetime it has been
put out during political upheavals. In many Irish homes today St. Brigit's-Cross is used
cross for protection, and is made from rushes as in the old days. There is a saying that
Brigid rewards any offering to her, so offerings of coins were often tossed into her wells
- the forerunner of the modern custom of throwing a penny into a fountain while you make a
wish.
A grange is the name given
in Ireland to a ring-fort or stone circle. The word "grange" is an English
rendering of the Irish word Grian, which means "Sun". This relates to
the theory that stone circles in Ireland were connected with sun worship. At the summer
solstice, the sunrise comes over the nearby hill of Cnoc Aine and in through the two
dolmen stones into the center of the circle. The entrance stones were aligned with the
sunset on the festival of Samhain on November 1st. This stone circle is dedicated to Aine (pronounced 
onya or enya)
the Goddess of love, growth, cattle, and also associated with light and the Sun. In her Maiden
aspect, she is the muse of poetry who bestows that gift to those she loves, or madness to
those she rejects. In her Mother aspect, she is associated with lakes and
wells with great powers of healing. In her Crone aspect, she is the dark
Goddess with the ability to appear to mortal men as a woman of great beauty, known as the leannan sidhe, or "Fairy Lover". (
monks. Andrea will
facilitate a meditation to connect with the various aspects of Her
life-giving energies. 
We check out and depart to
Limerick, where we board the train to Dublin for our trip through the lovely Irish
countryside. Lunch on your own. We arrive early afternoon in Dublin, the
capital of and largest city in Ireland, located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast,
at the mouth of the River Liffey. A city with humble beginnings as a Viking trading port,
Dublin evolved into a walled medieval city and then into an elegant Georgian metropolis
with wide streets, gracious squares and great houses, neatly bordered by its two canals.
We meet our driver and transfer to our hotel located near the heart of the city. 
beautifully
carved entrance stone with its Triple Goddess spiral. The Tuatha Dé Danaan, who
ruled Ireland in ancient mythology, were said to have erected Newgrange as a burial place
for their chief, Dagda Mór, and his three sons. According to the most reliable carbon 14
dates available, it was constructed around 3,200 BCE. Some archaeologists believe it to be
the oldest engineered building in the world! In 1993, Newgrange and its sister sites Knowth
and Dowth were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As we
walk this hallowed ground and enter into the passage tomb, take time to focus and connect
with the Ancient Ones who built this phenomenal sacred site. If Knowth is open, we will
also be able to visit this site.
We then visit another of Ireland's
most important sacred sites, the Hill of Tara, which is said to represent
the mother womb of Ireland. The Hill was the ancient seat of
power in Ireland -
142 kings are said to have reigned there in prehistoric and historic times. In ancient
Irish religion and mythology it was the sacred dwelling place if the Tuatha Dé Dannan,
and was the entrance to the Otherworld. Sitting on top of the King's Seat is a replica of
the most famous of Tara's monuments, Ireland's ancient coronation stone, known as the Lia
Fail or Stone of Destiny, which was brought here according to
mythology by the Dannan as one of their sacred objects. It was said to roar when touched
by the rightful king of Tara. We have time to meditate in this powerful place to connect
with the ancient and other-worldly energies. High on this hill overlooking the lovely
nearby counties of the Emerald Isle, Andrea will facilitate our Closing Circle.