Journey to peace in the footsteps of St Patrick
The Journey is a chance to escape the pressures of daily life and explore St Patrick’s country with like-minded travelers.
The five-day guided Camino experience follows in the footsteps of St Patrick around key spots in beautiful County Down, Northern Ireland, that are connected to the saint.
Staying in an Irish monastic foundation, Tobar Mhuire, the participants on The Journey spend their days on mindful walks and evenings in meditation, reflection and sharing their experience.
The Journey includes daily walks along Saint Patrick’s Way. Day one follows a spectacular coastal walk along sandy trails and clifftops at Ballyhornan on the way to Saint Patrick’s Well by the sea.
On day two participants visit Kilbroney Old Graveyard to see an early Irish Celtic cross and ring Saint Bronagh’s tenth-century bell to mark the start of their pilgrimage. They then head to Rostrevor to climb into the heart of the sweeping Mourne Mountains.
Medieval Downpatrick, where the saint is buried, is the focus of day three while day four takes participants to beautiful Tollymore National Forest Park to visit an ancient hermitage.
Evening experiences include an introduction to monastic meditation and talks on Celtic spirituality.
The Journey also includes a visit to the Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick, the only permanent exhibition in the world dedicated to St Patrick.
The center has undergone a major redesign to create a remarkable and inspiring new exhibition which opened on 13 March.
New exhibition panels, more interactive high-tech audio-visual presentations, new story boards and lighting and an amazing new children’s section have been developed.
A giant immersive projection table in the shape of Ireland and new high-definition video content bring the exhibition to life and show the importance of Downpatrick in the development of Christianity on the island of Ireland.
The exhibition also features costumes and uniforms from various St Patrick’s Day Parades around the world.
These include a unique Maori Irish dancing costume from the Auckland Parade in New Zealand, a dress uniform from the Lexington Minutemen in the Boston Parade, a dress from the 'Spirit Voices from The Sea’ Dublin Parade and a uniform from the President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America.
For more information visit: www.ireland.com