Celtic Spirituality in Ireland with Sewickley Presbyterian Church in Kildare, Ireland (2024)

Your group will depart from Pittsburgh to Atlanta at 4:55pm on Delta 1353, connecting to Delta 176 to Dublin, arriving at 8:45am on October 6.

Please arrive at the airport three hours prior to departure. Flight times are subject to change per the airline. Please confirm your flight schedule in the week before your trip.

We depart Glendalough today and explore the pre-Christian Celtic spirituality that informs the beliefs and rituals of this land. At Fourknocks, you’ll experience a megalithic passage tomb. We’ll have lunch (on your own) before continuing to the Hill of Tara, a site of ritual and political import for early Celts. Following our time at Tara, we continue on to Armagh, arriving at our hotel in time for dinner (included). Overnight at Armagh City Hotel.

Today, we begin with a visit to the town of Downpatrick and the St. Patrick Centre for an introduction to Ireland’s patron saint. We will also visit Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on the hill where the saint was buried after his death in 461 A.D. According to tradition, St. Columba and St. Brigid are also buried here. Lunch (included) We’ll also visit the nearby Saul Church, where St. Patrick launched his mission to Ireland, before continuing on to Corrymeela for dinner (included) and overnight accommodations.

Returning to the Republic of Ireland, we will stop at the early Christian settlement of Monasterboice. It was founded in the late 5th century by St. Buithe and was an important center of religion and learning. The site houses two churches built in the 14th century or later and an earlier round tower, but it is most famous for its 10th century high crosses. Lunch (TBD) en route. In the afternoon we arrive in Dublin where we’ll visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral. After a cathedral tour, worship at the Choral Evensong service before enjoying a free evening in Dublin for dinner on your own. Overnight at Hyatt Centric, The Liberties Dublin.

For the final day of our pilgrimage, we’ll visit some of the treasures of Celtic Christianity in the form of illuminated manuscripts. We start at Trinity College to view the Book of Kells. This 9th century book is a richly decorated copy of the four Gospels of the life of Jesus Christ. It is one of only a few such manuscripts that survived Viking raids. We’ll continue on to the Chester Beatty Library, a museum with an impressive collection of early illuminated manuscripts from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and more; Japanese prints; and European prints. You’ll have the rest of the day free to have lunch (on your own) and explore Dublin. Options include visiting the Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol (advance tickets required), Dublin Castle (advance tickets recommended), any of Dublin’s excellent museums, or joining a literary or historical walking tour (advance tickets recommended). We’ll reconvene for closing reflections and a group dinner (included) with a Celtic music. Overnight at Hyatt Centric, The Liberties Dublin.

We will head for the airport in the morning to meet your return flight to Pittsburgh. The group will fly together on Delta 177 from Dublin to Atlanta, departing at 11:00am. You connect to Delta 2583 from Atlanta to Pittsburgh, arriving at 6:38pm.

Please note that flight times are subject to change per the airline. Please reconfirm your flight scheduled in the week prior to your departure.