Our days have been long, we've covered many miles, and eaten LOTS of potatoes!
We've also made new friends, learned about Irish history, laughed, prayed, toasted and shopped. We endured strong, cold winds and were blessed by an unusual amount of sun. Every pilgrim has their own memories, stories, and prayers of their hearts. This evening, we'll gather for a festive last night together- expecting the craic to be mighty! We left Waterford this morning, and made our way to Glendalough, a monastic/scholastic community founded by St Kevin. Our guide was funny and informative, and despite the wind chill, he made the tour really interesting.
From there, we rode up into and through the Wicklow Mountians gap. There was snow on the mountains, some not far from the road! Arriving in Kildaire, we celebrated mass at the Catholic Church of St Bridgid, then walked to the Anglican Cathedral of St Brigid, finding a high round tower and the place of her eternal fire. A note: we have been praying for you all. Today in Kildaire, I placed our intentions book in a niche in the altar... And accidentally left it there! Please know that your prayers have been remembered in ours each day... And might now also be remembered by the people of Kildaire. I am not sure why some photos post and others do not, and my ability to edit is limited on mobile devices, but I'll get this blog prettied up once I get back in the office next week.
Just a few photos of our tour at Waterford.
We began this morning with a Liturgy of the Word, celebrating the Solemnity of the Annunciation. The priest at our host parish remembered to unlock the church but not the sacristy... so, no Eucharist! Flexibility is a good thing, and Fr. Tom's fine homily did not go to waste. An award-winning local guide walked us through the cold, windy streets of Waterford and brought ancient history to life as we learned that the city is more than fine crystal. And yet, there's that too! After a break, we toured the down-scaled factory's production demonstration and were let loose in the display floor. The level of artistry at all steps of the process is amazing. After a break for lunch, we were off to Kilkenny, where we toured the restored Butler Castle, prowled the streets on our own and enjoyed an amazing dinner at Langton's Pub. It was a quiet bus ride home, and tomorrow we are off to Dublin.
We've got an early wake up call tomorrow, so I'll just post a few more photos tonight.
I know you are looking for photos, well- here we go! I'll start with a group shot from yesterday afternoon, near Ross Castle in Killarney, just before our boat ride.
Then we'll move on to several taken over the last couple of days of our pilgrims, mostly on the Ring of Kerry. Enjoy!
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St. Andrew the Apostle
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