And today was one of them! We set out for the ancient site of Glendalough at 8.00am. The weather was good (again) so we felt very blessed. We have been so lucky with the weather.
The object today was to learn about the ancient Irish culture and the beginnings of Christianity in this place. Glendalough has the ancient ruins of the monastic city that grew up around the hermit Kevin, and others who joined him. The site eventually became an important Christian cathedral site, and the remains of the churches and cathedral dot the landscape.
The landscape itself is quite amazing – two lakes, three valleys, towering bare hills, small running creeks and natural springs. One can really imagine fairy people inhabiting the mossy rock ledges and ancient trees.
The story of Kevin is of course shrouded in legend, so there is little certainty in the stories. That said, there is often truth and wisdom to be found in ancient myths and legends, so we focussed on being in the moment and reflecting on our own sacred stories. We were led in our pilgrrimage experience in this place by Michael Rodgers, an amazing man who is able to get to the heart of human experience and bring us closer to a sense of the relationship between earth, spirit and humanity. A fascinating and thoughful day – time out in a beautiful, rugged environment.
The day involved lots of walking, and while the sun was shining, it was still very cold! Very, very cold! But it warmed up as we walked. As we were leaving it began to rain.
