Through exploring the powerful landscape of Connemara in the West of Ireland, Pilgrimage to the Otherworld provides an opportunity for those of us who long to discover our own way as pilgrims and to use this as a source of personal knowledge and creative inspiration. We will explore both traditional and non-traditional pilgrimages, Christian and pre-Christian, in the multi-layered spiritual landscape of Connacht, the province of learning and knowledge and of druids and hermit saints.

This is an intensive eight-day journey and workshop largely based in the picturesque coastal fishing village of Roundstone. The days will be structured around a workshop in which we explore what it means to go on pilgrimage. Specifically, we will discuss these elements or stages of the pilgrim’s way:

While this time is not specifically geared toward writers, we will rely on writing stories, poetry or personal narrative as a way to understand our experiences and to share them with others.

In addition to discussions, readings and time for reflection and writing, we will visit sacred sites specifically chosen to help illustrate and further explore these themes. These will include:

We will also be guided by guest musicians, poets and storytellers whose creative work is fed by the sacred landscape of Ireland.

While walking distances are quite manageable, there are on occasion some climbs. These are always taken with interpretive stops along the way. If one wishes a non-walking day, options are arranged. The only requirements for this workshop are openness, a sense of humor and flexibility (the Irish weather often has a way of having the last word).

Kate Hennessy has spent years on the road prodded and provoked by the lure of the pilgrimage. She has traveled to sacred sites around the world including the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa and Tikal in Guatemala, while observing and participating in such ceremonies as the khora, the daily circumambulation of the Tibetan Buddhists and Semana Santa, Holy Week, in Antigua Guatemala. She has also walked 740 kilometers on el Camino de Santiago in Spain where she finally began to understand something of her role as a pilgrim. She is a writer and photographer who divides her time between Vermont, where her roots lie, and Ireland, where, fed by the thick Connemara air, her heart flourishes.

The Itinerary allows for generous time to rest, reflect, photograph and walk in quiet places of stunning beauty throughout Connemara (northwest of Galway city). This is a spectacularly wild and mostly still untamed region with stone fenced patchwork fields, bogs, mountains, valleys, lakes and streams, and sheep openly roaming back roads.

Most overnights will be spent at one location in Clifden (unproclaimed "capital" of Connemara) with day trips to sites and special events in the counties of Clare, Galway and Mayo including:

At various points in the week's schedule, travelers can be in private conversation with the land and the sea. Most early mornings are free for leisurely awakening and preparations for the day. The majority of evenings give ample space for reflection on the day, conversation with friends and new acquaintances, exploration on one's own, and visits to local pubs or other points of interest. Meetings with local artists, musicians and storytellers are a unique feature of this tour.