Day
1 New York - Shannon
Depart New York's JFK airport for an overnight flight to Ireland.
Dinner and breakfast are served on board.
Day 2
Shannon - Galway
Cead Mile Failte - Welcome to Ireland! Upon arrival at Shannon
airport, we board our deluxe motor coach heading west. Our travels
will bring us to a number of ancient sites: the Dysert O'Dea
Heritage which served St Fola in the 7th century and Corcomroe
Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian Abbey. Enjoy the rolling green
hillsides and beautiful vistas from the Cliffs of Moher overlooking
Galway Bay. Dinner and overnight.
 Day
3 Knock
After breakfast we travel to Knock, one of the world's leading
Marian shrines. On a damp, rainy night on August 21, 1879, fifteen
people experienced a silent vision of St Joseph, Our Lady, and St
John the Evangelist. The trio were bathed in a brilliant light,
raised slightly above the ground, and the phenomenon lasted more
than two hours. Word soon spread about the miraculous event and
thousands of pilgrims poured into this holy site to pay homage. In
time, the parish church became too small to accommodate the growing
number of faithful to the Shrine and so the vast Basilica of Our
Lady Queen of Ireland was built. In September, 1979, Knock received
its most famous pilgrim, Pope John Paul II, bringing with him the
Vatican seal of approval. Mother Theresa of Calcutta also visited in
June, 1993. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4
Knock
After an early breakfast, we return to Knock, Ireland's equivalent
to Lourdes as a pilgrimage center. We will celebrate Mass and spend
the day in prayer and reflection at the Holy Shrine. Dinner and
overnight.
Day 5
Sligo
After breakfast, we celebrate Mass at the Basilica before traveling
to Yeats County. We stop at St Attracta's Well, where St Attracta
received the veil from St Patrick. We then travel via St Bridget's
Holy Well to Drumcliff Graveyard where the poet William Butler Yeats
is buried. We also visit the remains of the 575 AD Drumcliff
Monastery and see the ancient cross that provided Yeats with one of
his most memorable images. Dinner and overnight.
Day 6
Donegal
After breakfast, we depart for the Lough Derg or Pilgrims Island. St
Patrick is said to have spent 40 days in prayer and fasting before
expelling the evil spirits from Ireland. This is a pilgrimage site
of solitude and thanksgiving and is one of the only penitential
sites known in the modern world. The faithful perform acts of
reparation and profound conversions are attributed to this holy
place of prayer. Dinner and overnight.
 Day
7 Armagh - Newcastle
After breakfast, we continue our pilgrimage northward, making our
way to the spiritual center of Ireland. We visit the twin
cathedrals: the seats of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops
of Ireland. Celebrate Mass at the renowned burial site of
beloved St Patrick. Dinner and overnight.
Day 8
Dublin
A nourishing meal then we visit St Brigid's Shrine at Faughart, home
to the beloved St Brigid called, "The Mary of the Gael."
The area consists of a stone-lined prayer route beside a stream
where St Brigid is purported to have performed miracles. Our next
stop is Newgrange, dating from the stone age. The 5,000-year-old
passage tomb is thought to be the world's first solar observatory.
Dinner and overnight.
Day 9
Dublin
Mass at Sean McDermott Street Church, containing the tomb of Matt
Talbot. Dublin is a storehouse of Ireland's most important Christian
treasures. The splendid Library of Trinity College displays
Ireland's most famous ancient manuscripts, the Book of Durrow and
the Book of Kells. Our tour includes the National Museum to see
early Christian relics including the Chalice of Ardagh and St
Patrick's staff. Our pilgrimage concludes at St Patrick's Cathedral.
Dinner and overnight.
Day
10 Dublin - USA
Transfer to Dublin's airport for our return flight to the US, or
take an optional 7-day tour of England for $1,299.
Your
Trip Includes:
Round-trip flight from New York to Dublin
8 nights at 3-star hotels
Breakfast and dinner daily
All transfers by private motor coach
Guided tours and entrance fees
Mass daily
Luggage handling
Local hotel taxes
Flight bag and portfolio of travel documents
Not
Included: Airport tax of $85. Travel insurance at $99. Tips to
guides & drivers ($5 per day). Items of a personal nature.
Add-on air fares from your home town. Air
Fare From Your Town
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