Dublin Day 3

 I awoke today to a beautiful sunny day. This past week has been mostly overcast, and yesterday was downright rainy, so the sun today was a welcome change. 



I arranged for a tour of the Wicklow Mountains, which are south of here. I have wanted to see this area for some time, so when I saw this day tour, I booked it immediately. 

Instead of trying to get a bus to the starting point, I took a cab this time. It took me directly downtown, which only took about 25 minutes instead of an hour. There were about 30 people on our coach. The driver was knowledgeable and witty, which made for an interesting day.

Our first stop was just 30 minutes outside of Dublin at a working sheep farm. We had the opportunity to meet farmer Michael and his 3 Border Collies. The dogs came running to greet us and hang out with us while the farmer finished some chores in the lower pasture. He showed us how the dogs are trained and the commands they obey. It was pretty amazing. They each know themselves by their name and a whistle. Each dog comes to a different whistle, and every command has its own whistle. The dogs knew when it was their time to work and lay. I was in heaven with the dogs and the sheep. I took so many pictures and videos I did not have enough charge for the last stop.

The next stop was Hollywood. It turns out our city, Hollywood, in California, is named after this town. The initial reason for booking this tour was to see where St. Kevin lived and had his monastery. St. Kevin’s Way started in  Hollywood. His pilgrimage is 28 kilometers into Glendalough. Our bus driver walked with us about a third of the mile on the path and showed us the cave St. Kevin lived in for several years. It is now marked by a statue. 







We then moved on to the highest point on the mountain and looked out over the valleys and mountains. Our guide taught us about the flowers and their medicinal uses.

Finally, we reached Glendalough. Glendalough is where St. Kevin built his monastic city. The area is beautiful, with diverse trees, lakes, and streams. We had 3 hours on our own. I visited the Visitors Center and learned about St. Kevin, the monastic city, and other similar sites in Ireland. Then, I had lunch along a lovely stream, followed by a visit to the remains of the monastic city. There was a beautiful, intact round tower. These had been used as bell towers and as a place to take refuge during attacks. Ladders were used to climb higher in the tower. The ladders were raised during an attack, and the floors were secured. There was also a beautiful High Cross. There are few intact since Oliver Cromwell had his armies destroy them. I then hiked up to the lake where there is a story of how St. Kevin stood in the water, raised his hands, and was so still a Robin laid her eggs in his hand. And then he had to stay in that position until the eggs hatched.



The drive back was a short hour. But my heart was full, ending my stay in Ireland with beautiful experiences.

Prayer:

All will be revealed if we have eyes to see and hearts to learn. In your creation, we find an invitation to health through plants and nature. In St. Kevin, we know that his sincere gentleness brought men and women together to live in harmony with God and nature. Help us all to be instruments of your peace.



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