I began my trip with a few days in Dublin, keeping to myself as I recovered from jet lag and took care of a personal mission. I then took a train to Dundalk to join up per plan with the Brigid's Way Pilgrimage, a nine-day walk through sites and countryside associated with Brigid, a trek of approximately 105 miles from the town of Dundalk to the site of Her monastic city in Kildare Town. After a night in the Bewley Hotel near the Dublin Airport, I flew back to the U.S.
The trip was very much as I had hoped in most respects. My Dublin mission was accomplished. Our trip organizers did a sterling job of organizing magical experiences for us, but tarnished this with incomplete planning, perhaps an overestimation of their own resources, and a serious mishandling of an unexpected situation that arose on the trip. I met several new friends, some less than a day's drive away, and we are already planning a reunion, possibly at Samhain. Walking about 95 miles in the lush greenness of Counties Louth, Meath, and Kildare did jump-start a more conscious awareness of fitness and rest, as well as an enhanced practice of walking meditation and prayer. I came home feeling enriched in every possible day, ready to begin the next phase of my life.
Temple Bar, a fun and vibrant neighborhood fronted by the storied Liffey River which is, unfortunately, polluted, shallow, and utterly unappealing. But Dublin architecture is fascinating with much clever use of brick and ornamentation that reminded me of William Morris's drawings. Simply walking in such a fascinating city is an event in itself.
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