The Land of Saints

Hi folks! When touring with a group of 40 things do not always go as planned. I had expected to write a blog, if not daily at least often, during my time in Ireland. The one I wrote did not get posted in its entirety and the fussiness of the internet connection in that hotel prevented me from doing anything about it.
Here we are nearing the end of our tour. It is hard to believe but in three more days we will be on our way home.
I keep asking people what will be their lasting memory of our time here on the Emerald Isle. Like most others I cannot come up with just one instead I list several that will stay with me for a long time, if not forever.
After we visited the ruins of Glendalough we went to the local village church. It is called St. Kevin’s after the 6th century saint who founded the monastery at Glendalough. A local member of the parish, Rose, met us at the church and spontaneously told us a little about her church and her congregation. It was so touching to see the love she had for her village and her church. After our service she blessed each one of us as we left to get back on the bus. It was lovely.
A few days ago we visited the ruins on Devonish Island near Enniskillen. The high tower stands there still as a reminder of the faithful monks who lived there in the 6th century. It gave new meaning to the words “Thou my high tower” from the hymn, Be Tou My Vision.
The majestic sweep of the sea shores as we have travelled around the island are jaw-dropping beautiful and the endless fields of green pasture, dotted with sheep and cattle, are truly stunning.
Finally, I will always remeber the high crosses which stand tall in every graveyard – a constant reminder of the celtic Christian history of this country. They blend together the rich celtic tradition of the love of nature and the message of the Gospel of Jesus.
So there you have just a few word pictures for you to get a feel for the wonderful experience of visitng this land where faith and history continue to twine together.