Murrisk Abbey ruins with Croagh Patrick in background - County Mayo
Many visit Ireland and do pub crawls, literary walks, brewery tours and get in a few castles, museums and shopping.
Mindie Burgoyne’s tours visit hidden Ireland and spiritual sites not in most of the guidebooks. The focus of her tours is “thin places” or places where the veil between this world and the eternal world is thin.
In May 2012, Burgoynewill guide a group of guests on a spiritual journey across ten counties, visiting thin places – or mystical sites – in the west of Ireland. The tour last 10 nights, includes accommodations in 3 star hotels, ground transportation, admissions, breakfasts and some dinners. Several free days are also included for guests who want to explore on their own.
The Spiritual Sites Included on the Tour
Sites include well known places such as the Boyne Valley including the Hill of Tara and Newgrange. The Aran Islands, the Burren, Connemara and Croagh Patrick are part of the tour as are lesser known sites Hill of Uisneach, Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, The Yeats Tower, Coole Park, Boa Island, Rathcroghan, the Knock Shrine, Ballintubber Abbey, and Fore Abbey. There will also be time to explore for guests to explore Galway, Sligo, Dublin, Westport and Ennis.
Mystical sites in Ireland have been referred to as “thin places.”
The tour will feature sites shown in this short video which gives a fair idea of how we approach the Thin Places tours.
What are thin places? Thin places are those places where the veil between the physical world and the eternal world is thin. The two worlds intersect or seem woven together.
TOUR ITINERARY DETAILS
Boyne Valley and Central Ireland – Guests will travel to the ancient passage tombs at Newgrange then on to the Hill of Tara where the high kings of Ireland were crowned. Then on to the Hill of Uisneach, the geographic center of Ireland where all lines of earth energies (ley lines) are said to intersect.
The West – Sligo sites include Knocknarae (the burial place of Queen Maeve of Connaught) and Carrowmore megalithic cemetery, followed by a tour of the ancient royal sites at Rathcroghan in Co. Roscommon. An optional trip to Caldragh Cemetery in County Fermanagh to see the famous Janus figure is included as are the Knock Shrine, Ballintubber Abbey, Croagh Patrick and Murrisk Abbey in County Mayo. Guests will take a scenic drive on the Sky Road around the Twelve Bens and through the hills of Connemara and explore the sites on Inis Mor one of the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway. The Burren, Lady Gregory’s Coole Park and the castle home of W.B. Yeats – Thoor Ballylee are also on the tour.
A Walk through Western Ireland
EXPERT TOUR GUIDES
Mindie Burgoyne will be with the tour from start to finish. She is an expert on mystical and sacred sites in Ireland, having researched thin places for over a decade and traveled thousands of miles across Ireland doing conducting the research.
Mary Gibbons leads the tour of the Boyne Valley including Newgrange, Tara and Slane. Mary is an archaeologist and historian who provides one of the best tours of the Boyne valley in Ireland
Dara Molloy will provide a private tour of Inis Mor, one of the three Aran Islands. Dara is a Celtic monk and priest who lives on the island and is an expert on the island history, its sacred traditions, and thin places.
Mike Croghan will lead the tour of Rathcroghan in Tulsk, Co. Roscommon. Rathcroghan is a complex of ancient royal sites used for burial, coronations and other community rituals. Mike is native to the area and an expert on the history of the complex.
COST – $2055
Cost is $2055 (based on double occupancy), and is for the land only. It includes lodging in 3 star hotels, breakfasts, some dinners, transportation, admission costs, and some spectacular guides. Scroll through the posts on this blog site to see more about the sites on the tour.
ITINERARY DETAILS – Check the itinerary to see expanded tour details. Space is limited to 25 so reserve your spot soon.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
- 10 nights in premiere town-center hotels (3* all w/ private baths)
- Double, Triple & Single Occupancy available
- All hotel taxes/fees
- Airport Transfers to/from city centers while in Ireland
- Transportation via luxury coach between towns & for daily touring
- Traditional full Irish breakfast every morning
- 4 Dinners (3 Dinners d’hote, 1 Dinner Show- Irish House Party)
- Full time host & guide – Mindie Burgoyne
- Three additional guides – Mary Gibbons (Boyne Valley), Mike Croghan (Rath Croghan) and Dara Molloy (Inis Mor)
- Emergency Local Contact available 24/7
- Welcome party in Dublin & Farewell evening in Ennis
- Daily Private Tours of Thin Places to include sights listed below.
Dublin City Centre – Trinity College
Newgrange – County Meath
Hill of Tara – County Meath
Hill of Uisneach – County Westmeath
Fore Abbey – The Seven Wonders of Fore
Sligo Town
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery – County Sligo
Rathcroghan – County Roscommon
Boa Island – Caldragh Cemetery, – County Fermangh (Northern Ireland)
Knock Shrine – County Mayo
Ballintubber Abbey – County Mayo
Town of Westport – County Mayo
Croagh Patrick, Murrisk Abbey – County Mayo
Galway City
Inis Mor – Aran Islands
Sky Road Drive through Connemara
Town of Clifden (seaside)
The Burren
Thoor Ballylee, Coole Park – County Galway
MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY.
$500 per person deposit needed to reserve your spot. Final balance due to be paid by April 1, 2012.
To book your reservation go to the Reservations page and download the registration form. Tour is being facilitated by Harrigan Holidays.
Still have questions? Email Mindie at mindieburgoyne@gmail.com
I am signed up and looking forward to the tour! I have two days in Dublin and am considering taking the train to Tullamore to see the Parkland Sculpture Park.
I’d be interested to know what sights in Dublin we might be visiting (other than those listed) so I can make the most of my plans for my other free day. Any suggestions?
Hey, Kathleen. Can’t wait to meet you. Dan and I will be in Dublin the day before and may doing some touring of the city. The sites I want to see are the National Museum, Dublin Castle and Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). For the tour we’re visiting Newgrange, then perhaps the Hill of Tara. I’ll be sending an email out to all of you in the next few days.
If you decide to go to Tullamore, you may want to visit the Hill of Uisneach – the geographic center of Ireland. It’s near Athlone. I may have a blog post about it. Very thin place. Hope this helps. Looking forward to meeting you.
How much walking is involved on rough terrain? Thanks, Judi
Hi Judy. I have some specifics which include the activity level on the Reservations page
http://thinplacestour.com/reservations-and-tour-specifics/
ACTIVITY LEVEL
The Thin Places tours are active with considerable walking, standing and outdoor exploring. Guests should be in good health and be able to …
walk on uneven pavement and open fields
carry luggage a few blocks, and up stairs several flights of stairs.
be on your feet for 3 to 5 hours over the course of the day
To be honest – there is a lot of walking on unpaved surfaces – dirt roads and fields mostly. There is always the option of staying on the bus if the walk is particularly long. Last year we had two women who used canes and had challenges with heavy exercise. They went at their own pace … did what they could and had a wonderful time.
Will there be a 2012 tour?
Peter, I’d love to do a tour for 2012 covering the West and North – that is Clare, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Fermanagh, Donegal and Armagh. We’ll have to be able to attract interest. If we can get 20 people for the tour, we’ll make it happen. Stand by and spread the word. Tell folks to post here if they’re interested. Thanks for the comment.
Mindie, may I firstly welcome you to Ireland. Firstly to tell you a few things about Ireland that might be helpful – Dublin is a Unesco City of Literature , and you can learn about Joyce, Wilde and Becket. Last weekend I was in Sligo which is the north west of Ireland it is very beautiful and you can visit the grave of William Butler Yeats the Irish Poet. If you like surfing Ireland is hosting the European Surfing Championships this year in Donegal in September. When my brother was home from London , his children learnt to surf in Strandhill in Sligo. People from all over the world come to surf in Ireland. Galway is a beautiful city and has a festival in July this year. All the best and enjoy your visit to Ireland. Rosemary
I have been thinking about visiting Ireland for quite a while. My main interest is historic places, celtic tradition. Since I am not Irish, this project is being postponed.
But reading Peter’s mail and your answer, I would really love to join you in 2012.
Please keep me informed.
Marta – Portugal
Wow
Come with us, Albert.
The 2011 tour was wonderful. I highly recommend it. Mindie, this tour looks great, too… hmmm… I wonder if I can make it?
Well of course you can make it, Kathleen. Just see yourself there. We’d be so excited if you were to join us again. Give it some thought. Love seeing you on Facebook.
Connemara missing from Thin Places would like to help you explore our area
Don’t worry, Rose. We’ll be spending a day traveling across Connemara taking the sky road to Clifden. Please let me know how you can help? We are scheduled to be there on Friday, May 18th. I look forward to hearing from you.