Ireland is still alive with magic and wonder, and her secrets are buried deep in the Earth: her glorious green pastures; her Holy Wells; the wildness of the sea; the warm welcome of her people; and the richness of her stories, myth and legends. She IS the Great Goddess, timeless and mysterious, the eternal feminine wisdom, ready to bestow her gifts to each one who is willing to walk gently upon her sacred land and listen with the heart. During our soulful journey we will visit prehistoric stone circles, Neolithic burial grounds, ancient shrines and holy wells, and Christian and pre-Christian Celtic cathedrals and monasteries. As we explore these sacred sites we will reconnect with the mythic people who left their carvings on crosses and stones, symbols of their deep conviction that light and life were always victorious in the battle against darkness and death. Through rites, rituals, and teachings of the Earth-centered spirituality of the Celtic and Pre-celtic people, your guide will create a space for you to make personal contact with the Ancient Ones and the ancestral spirit.

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Our group will meet in Dublin on July 9, and after a welcome Irish Tea, we will drive in our private coach to Cashel, County Tipperary, stopping en route in Kildare at Brigid's Well, cleansing our bodies and souls in preparation for our sacred journey. For the next three days we will stay in a beautiful manor house in County Tipperary, visit the famous Rock of Cashel, fine Celtic crosses in the Holycross Abbey, and the magical St. Peakaun's Well in the Glen of Aherlow, surrounded by a ring of ancient Celtic crosses. From Cashel we will drive to the southwestern corner of Ireland to the Dingle Peninsula, stopping en route at the Drombeg Stone Circle, a group of 17 standing stones and an ancient initiatory site. For the next few days we will explore this magical peninsula with its breathtaking scenery, ogham stones and beehives, and visit the 8th century Gallarus Oratory and immense standing stones overlooking Brandon Bay.

From the Dingle Peninsula we will travel north into county Clare and Galway with its sponge-like geology of the Burren. En route we will stop in the village of Killianaboy and see an old carving of a "Sheela-na-gig" in the local church. Our home for the next three nights will be a lovely 17th century Georgian house in Doolin by the Sea, with a unique panoramic view of the Aran Islands and the wild Clare coastline. Some of the highlights we explore here are the majestic Cliffs of Moher, the unique landscape of the Burren, well-preserved Celtic crosses in Kilfenora, and more. Doolin is known as the capital for traditional Irish music. In the evening we will join with local musicians to truly understand the soul of the Irish people.

Leaving Doolin we shall continue our journey north to the county of Sligo, rich in its variety of mountains, lakes and coastal scenery. Here we enter the heart of Yeats Country. The poet William Butler Yeats was born in Sligo in 1865 and his love for the place is expressed in his words: "The Land of A Hearts Desire". We will have a chance to visit his grave, where ancient trees and pre-Celtic crosses guard his spirit. A climb up the immense mound Knocknarea will bring us to the grave of the Goddess, willful Queen Maeve whose legend has been kept alive by Spenser's Faerie Queene. All around the cairn, travelers have spelled their names in white pebbles, leaving footprints in the mists of time. We shall join them and leave our blessings for the Goddess.

Leaving County Sligo we shall travel on to our next destination: Drogheda in County Louth, in the lovely Boyne Valley. Some of the highlights here are: a private visit to the magnificent Neolithic tombs of Newgrange, with its famous entrance stone and engravings of ancient solar symbols; the great mound of Knowth with some of the greatest collection of passage tomb art ever uncovered; Monasterboice with some of the finest Celtic crosses in the country; and our closing ceremony at the Lia Fail, the stone of destiny, on the Hill of Tara, from where we will send blessings and love to all beings on our Planet Earth. Our tour is completed on July 21 at Dublin Airport.

Fee: $3590 based on double occupancy ~ please call for single supplement. Prices include all ground transportation by private coach and driver, entrance fees for sight-seeing, entrance into Newgrange and Knowth, first class accommodations and most meals. We travel with small groups only! Early reservation is vitally important to reserve your space and rooms in our beautiful country estates and manor houses.