In The Footsteps of St. Columba - an Escorted Tour of Ireland and Scotland

In The Steps of St. Columba

2008 tours: June 6 - June 18, 2008 coincides with the saint's Feast Day. Register by April 25, 2008
This tour itinerary is also available for custom dates.
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Iona For those interested in ecclesiastical history, this tour visits sites in both Ireland and Scotland associated with St. Columba, founder of Irish missions in the fifth and sixth centuries. Columban priests are credited with producing world-famous illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells. This adventure starts in Gleann Cholm Cille, Co. Donegal, Valley of the Dove of the Church (Columba). Here we will participate in Turas Columcille, the pilgrimage round of St. Columba, which has taken place continuously since 594 in this valley on the saint's feast day, June 9. If time permits, the group also may make a one-day pilgrimage to St. Patrick's Purgatory, an island in Lough Derg, where St. Patrick wrestled with demons. From Ireland, the group travels to Iona off the west coast of Scotland, where Columba was exiled and died. This holy island is a place of contemplation and prayer for people of all faiths.

Detailed Itinerary - Ireland

Day 1 - Arrive in Shannon
On the first day of our Columban adventure, host and guide Sam Couch meets the group at the Shannon Airport. We will take time to get some eye-opening coffee and to get acquainted following the long flight from the U.S. There is even a shower at Shannon Airport for those hardy souls who need an extra boost in the morning. After we collect our luggage and are properly fortified, we will head down the road for our first stop at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. These spectacular sea cliffs provide nesting grounds for many Atlantic sea birds.

From the cliffs, our journey will take us across the Burren, a remarkable karstic (limestone) landscape that is known the world over for its microflora. Stops along the way include the high crosses at Kilfenora and the Poulnabrone Dolmen. One highlight of this part of the journey is the drive along the southern coast of Galway Bay before heading northward toward our first destination in the remote village of Gleann Cholm Cille, Co. Donegal. Our goal that night is Millstone Guest House in Gleann Cholm Cille, County Donegal. Our hosts, Geraldine and Sean Byrne, run a successful sheep operation. Gleann can boast of 7,000 years of continuous human occupation.

Day 2- Gleann Cholm Cille, County Donegal
While stopped here, we will visit a Folk village with cottages representing three different centuries of Irish living styles. Since the village is located in the heart of the Gaeltacht (the Irish-speaking area), visitors will hear both Irish and English spoken on the streets, in the shops, and in the pubs. Other sites we may visit in the parish include Kilclooney Mhor, megalithic dolmen; Glen Gesh Pass, said to be the most picturesque mountain pass in Ireland; Dun Alt and An Dun, Iron Age fort ruins; Tra Ban, the silver strand; and portal tombs and a court tomb at Malin Minor. We may spend time in Ardara, a traditional craft village. If time permits, a journey to the bustling, modern cathedral town of Letterkenny will be in order.

Day 3 - Donegal Town
Donegal Town will afford us the opportunity to visit Donegal Castle and the shops surrounding The Diamond, Donegal's town square. Of particular interest here is Macgee's where the few remaining weavers of Donegal tweed practice their craft. A visit to the Church of the Four Masters is a must. This 1930s church honors the scribes and scholars who wrote the first recorded history of Ireland; their monastic settlement was near the city on Donegal Bay. Tea and an internet café stop will fortify us for the trip westward across the Sliabh Laeg peninsula. On the way, we pass through Killybegs, Ireland's largest Atlantic fishery, and the coastal town featured in the charming film, "The Secret of Roan Inish."

Day 4 - the Turas of St. Columba
The high point of this part our our tour occurs on June 9. Gleann is famous for standing stones, churches, and the holy well associated with the turas or pilgrimage round of St. Columba, which has taken place for over 1400 years in the valley. Columba is one of the three patron saints of Ireland. We will have the opportunity to walk in the steps of thousands of pilgrims who showed their devotion to the saint by carrying stones to his holy well upon the mountainside.

Day 5
We probably will need to rest up a bit after the turas, but we will have a relaxing day visiting artisans and craftspeople in the village.

Detailed Itinerary - Scotland

Day 6 - Travel to Scotland; Ferry to Oban
We take a ferry to Scotland in the morning, and drive to Oban.

Day 7 - Mull, Iona and Staffa
We'll take the first ferry to Craignure in Mull, about a 45 minute crossing from Oban. We'll take a short drive to Fionnaphort, and hop onto the foot passenger ferry to the isle of Iona, where we'll have plenty of time for a contemplative walk around the island and monastery ruins. An optional alternative trip from Fionnaphort is to take a ferry ride around the isle of Staffa to see Fingal's Cave - this is a shorter trip. Both trips return back at the same pier in Fionnaphort. We'll spend the night in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.

Day 8 - Isle of Mull, and Return to Oban
Drive round North Mull - very dramatic, and includes the original Calgary - then ferry back to Oban and drive to Fort William, including perhaps Glencoe.

on the coast

Day 9 - Fort William to Skye
Drive from Fort William to Mallaig (1 hour) then ferry to Armdale on Skye. On Sleat (in South Skye) is a site very much associated with St. Columba. We will see Cuillins and probably Dunvegan Castle. We'll stay the night at Portree.

Day 10 - Portree to Inverness
Along the way from Portree to Inverness, we'll stop at Eilean Donan Castle and Loch Ness, where St. Columba addressed the Loch Ness Monster (maybe!) Columba met King Brude at Inverness. Afternoon, we have an optional tour to Culloden and Clava Cairns.

Day 11 - Inverness to Glasgow
Drive to Glasgow. Glasgow Cathedral is a site where St. Columba met St. Kentigern / St. Serf. If time allows, an optional short Glasgow city tour, or perhaps shopping depending on the group's interests.

Day 12 - Return to Ireland; Newgrange and Boyne Valley
We'll drive from Glasgow to Stranraer / Cairnryan / Troon for the ferry back to Ireland, then take a tour of the passage tomb at Newgrange and visit Boyne Valley sites.

Day 13 - Return to the U.S.

Notes:
The above itinerary is the intended program. The order of day trips/activities may be amended and alternative routes may be selected at the guide's discretion, in case of adverse weather conditions or other factors.

"Our guide's intimate knowledge of the region and its wildlife made the excursion particularly enjoyable. His enthusiasm for the hills and remote regions of Scotland is contagious!"

Jacqui Phillips - Wilderness Walking 2005

Our friends and partners at Wilderness Scotland offer many more possibilities for guided or self-guided adventure tours. The leading adventure tour operator in Scotland, they are the winners of the 2005 VisitScotland Tourism Business of the Year award. More information

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