My First Time in Ireland

In August 2022 I came across a post on Facebook, where they had a zoom session on the occasion of Lions Gate. I took part in it and found the energy quite uplifting! Also a lot of these members of Star Tribes of Light can speak light language. I found it quite amusing to listen to them. A lot of them live in Ireland. Now I kept looking for a retreat for spiritual advancement. I was notified of one happening in Ireland and I decided to take part in it. It took place in Glendalough Sanctuary quite close to Dublin. Here is how Wikipedia describes Glendalough: Glendalough is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead mine. Glendalough is also a recreational area for picnics, for walking along networks of maintained trails of varying difficulty, and also for rock-climbing. I arrived in Dublin on April 27th 2023 and took the bus for some distance and then got picked up by Susanne from the Glendalough Sanctuary. Susanne is a very nice lady born in Germany but living in Ireland for decades. The yellow blooming bushes called Furze impressed me, decorating the landscape. On our way to the Sanctuary we stopped in Roundwood to get some groceries. I stayed alone in a big apartment for most of the time. Later on one lady also had a room there. During the following week I explored the neighborhood and the lake area. Also, every day we had meditation in the morning, led by the missionary priest Michael. He is a gentle soul. So is the golden retriever called Alainn, a very quiet beautiful dog! He always took part in the meditation! There are lots of sheep in Ireland and it is very green. I found some cute gifts to take home. Sister Breda (she is a very sweet person) and Michael took me along to visit the National Botanic Gardens in Kilmacurragh. I enjoyed nature in its bloom (Rhododendron trees) and those beautiful trees (monkey puzzle tree). Michael new a lot to tell about this park, since he has been there many times I presume. I guess I came at the right time, in spring, when every thing is blooming. I also visited Mount Ushers Garden which was blooming as well and Wicklow town to see the Ocean. Next I visited Bantry by bus. Actually my online friend picked me up in Cork and gave me a ride to Bantry. In the next few days she showed me all the ancient sites as well as the bamboo park and the Glengarriff Woods and Nature Reserve. Bantry (Irish: Beanntraí, meaning '(place of) Beann's people') is a town in the civil parish of Kilmocomoge in the barony of Bantry on the southwest coast of County Cork, Ireland. It lies in West Cork at the head of Bantry Bay, a deep-water gulf extending for 30 km (19 mi) to the west. The Beara Peninsula is to the northwest, with Sheep's Head peninsula to the southwest. (Wikipedia). Donna joined us and we visited Gougane Barra. The name Guagán Barra comes from Saint Finnbarr (or Barra), who is said to have built a monastery on the island in the lake during the sixth century. The present ruins of a hermitage date from around 1700 when a priest called Denis O'Mahony retreated to the island.[ (Wikipedia) After four days we travelled back to Glendalough and took part in a weekend retreat. On the 15th of May we were off to Dublin and in the afternoon went on a Viking Tour. It was a bit a chilly day and luckily I had my coat with me to keep me warm. The Tour car transformed into a boat which was quite special! The next morning we left for the airport by taxi at 6 am! I wish you lots of fun with this book!