"Brigit Pilgrimage"

[Morag]

Hey all,

my mom forwarded me this email from her grad studies program mailing list. A graduate of the Women's Spirituality course is leading a pilgrimage to Ireland to connect with Brighid.

I was excited about it until I saw it was pretty much women-only, which really doesn't fit me. Also, Lughnasa celebration...nope.

Anyway, there are only 3 spots left, and the money is due by July 15th (early bird special is June 15th). The trip is from July 29th to August 5th.

Here are the details (sorry I don't have a link to a site; it was all just in the email):

Brigit Pilgrimage
July 29th ~ August 5th, 2012
Ireland
With Nicole Margiasso-Tran

Do you have a personal relationship to Brigit, either as the Celtic fire goddess or as the Christian saint?  Do you feel a personal calling to experience the Celtic land and culture of Ireland?

If so, please accept this invitation for an 8-day journey to experience sacred Ireland through a pilgrimage in honor of Brigit.

Highlights of Pilgrimage

~ Honor sacred space in Ireland’s largest stone circle, The Grange
~ Pilgrimage to Brigit’s sacred wells and Fire Temple in Kildare
~ Meet with the Brigidine Sisters
~ Visit the ancient megalithic site Newgrange*
~ Spend a day at “Brigit’s Garden,” an 11 acre re-creation of Irish sacred landscape, inspired by the Celtic festivals
~ Experience and support Irish culture by staying at local b&bs/guest houses and eating at local pubs
~ Have a free day to explore the western city of Galway, “Ireland’s Cultural Heart”

Overview of Pilgrimage

This pilgrimage will be limited to 10 participants. We will begin in Shannon and travel by minibus.  Our pilgrimage will commence with a visit to the Grange Stone Circle at Lough Gur. Here at Ireland’s largest stone circle we will honor a sacred site of the pre-Celtic people of Ireland, the Tuatha De Danaan, also known as the fairy folk.

From Lough Gur, we will travel to Kildare, the town where St. Brigit built her church and abbey. Here we will meet the Brigidine Sisters, visit Brigit’s sacred healing wells, and hold a women’s-only ritual in the 5th century Fire Temple.  We will get a taste of Irish country life at our dairy farm Bed& Breakfast accommodations.

Leaving Kildare, we will visit Irelands’ most famous ancient sacred site, Newgrange. We will enter a 5,000 year old earthen chamber to stand in the same place that the pre-Celtic people practiced their religion. Drawing upon her studies in Women’s Spirituality, Nicole will offer a particularly interesting interpretation of the meaning and function of Newgrange.*

Our journey will then take us to a small town just south of the Northern Ireland border, Faughart. Here, we will visit the birthplace of St. Brigit and visit the area’s sacred sites. A local will lead us with knowledge of the Faughart landscape and heritage.

At this point, we will begin our journey west to the coastal city of Galway, Ireland’s “Cultural Heart.” Participants will have a full free day and night to explore the city. Galway is full of wonderful shops, pubs, and traditional Irish music!

Journeying a bit outside of Galway, we will spend a full day at Brigit’s Garden. In this beautiful 11-acre space, we will enjoy a guided tour of the gardens, a catered lunch, a Brigit workshop, and some alone time. We will hold our own private Lughnasa ritual after hours in the Garden.

On our final day of pilgrimage we will make our way back to Shannon, traveling through the Burren and visiting Loop Head to witness the beautiful and dramatic cliffside of western Ireland.  

* Advance purchase of entrance to Newgrange is not possible. In the event that we are unable to gain entrance, we will visit the Hill of Tara instead.

This is sure to be an awe-inspiring and soul-nourishing journey. If you feel called to this pilgrimage, please contact Nicole soon as the price for this pilgrimage is competitive and the spaces are limited.

 

Cost of the Trip: $1850 (double occupancy) due by July 15th

Early Bird Special: $1650 due by June 15th

Single Supplement: $250 additional

Fee includes:

~ 8 nights’ accommodation at Irish Bed & Breakfasts/Guest House
~ All breakfasts & 3 group meals
~ All ground transportation including airport transfers
~ All entrance, workshop, & facilitator fees

Participants are responsible for their own airfare.

Please contact Nicole for a registration form and deposit information:   colemargiasso@hotmail.com

with subject line “Brigit Pilgrimage”
 

Nicole Margiasso-Tran, MA has a degree in Women’s Spirituality from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She has been researching, writing, and teaching on Brigit of Ireland and on Celtic Spirituality for the last ten years. Nicole has lived in Ireland and traveled extensively throughout the country. As a devotee of Brigit, she is thrilled to be offering this Pilgrimage experience to others!

Figured I'd share this in case any of you are interested/able to go.

-Morag

[Finn]

 
This isn't the same pilgrimage being made by Erynn Rowan Laurie and the Sisters of Avalon, is it? Now that I think of it, I think that one is being made a little earlier in the summer.

[Aster Breo]

This isn't the same pilgrimage being made by Erynn Rowan Laurie and the Sisters of Avalon, is it? Now that I think of it, I think that one is being made a little earlier in the summer.

 
No, Erynn's is in in mid-July.

Also, I was just on Erynn's site and saw that she's doing a presentation on ogam and magical systems at the Esoteric Book Conference in mid-September.  In SEATTLE!

As much as I want to go to Ireland -- and I DO! -- it's not going to be this year.  Plus, I have my own itinerary planned.  If I'm going to spend all that money to go to Ireland, I'm going for longer than 1 week.  And I'm going to see everything on my list.  

Now, getting to Seattle seems a lot more realistic, in the short term, anyway...

[Finn]

 
I saw that presentation was happening! Unfortunately, registration for the Conference is extremely expensive for me...