Celtic Christianity Tour

Day 1 - Dublin

• The tour begins in Dublin (allowing international travellers to arrive into Dublin airport). 
• Afternoon visit to the imposing twelfth century Cathedral, dedicated to St. Patrick and the largest church in the country.  The Cathedral was built beside the sacred well where St. Patrick baptised his Christian converts.  Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels) is one of many notable Irishmen buried in Cathedral. 
• We then head to Trinity College, an internationally renowned university founded in the sixteenth century by Queen Elizabeth I.  Within the Old Library in the college we can view the Book of Kells, a medieval illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels once described as "the chief treasure of the western world". 
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight Dublin.

Day 2 - Glendalough

• We head south to the fascinating monastery at Glendalough, founded by St Kevin in the sixth century and known as the “valley of the two lakes”.  From humble beginnings beside the picturesque upper lake, St Kevin was prompted by an angel to relocate to the lower lake and the settlement was transformed into a vast and wonderful monastic community.   You will enjoy a guided tour around this unique “city”, including ruins of the original cathedral, the Reefert Church and one of the finest round towers in the country. 
• Afternoon visit to the National Museum of Ireland, which includes folklore and ecclesiastical artefacts and a new exhibition on Irish High Crosses. 
• Evening and dinner at leisure in Dublin. 
• Overnight Dublin.

Day 3 - Boyne Valley Area

• We continue our exploration of Celtic Ireland with a visit to Newgrange, one of the most important passage graves in Europe and a place steeped in mystery.  The burial chamber discovered here has been dated to around 3200BC and, as pagan legend has it, was also the burial ground for the High Kings. 
• To the Hill of Tara, the ancient seat of the pagan High Kings and a site of great mythical importance to Celtic Ireland.  
• Just to the north rises the Hill of Slane, where St Patrick is said to have lit a Paschal (Easter) fire as a challenge to the High King, an event recognised as a symbol for the triumph of Christianity over paganism.  
• We visit Monasterboice, a monastic site founded by St. Buithe in the late 5th century AD.  This is an opportunity to view some superb examples of medieval high crosses and a round tower. 
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight in Armagh.

Day 4 – Northern Ireland

• We leave our hotel and explore one of Ireland’s oldest cities and the ancient capital of Ulster.  There are two cathedrals here, sitting on opposing hills and both called St Patrick’s (one Roman Catholic and one Anglican).  The Anglican Cathedral sits of the site of St. Patrick’s first “Great Stone Church”; he chose the city as a centre point for Christianity in Ireland and theological study. 
• We have the opportunity to visit the St. Patrick Trian Visitor Complex, with exhibitions relating to Armagh’s historic pagan monuments and the story of St. Patrick.  
• The group will then have free time in Armagh. 
• Dinner at hotel. Overnight Belfast. 

Day 5 – Ferry to Scotland and Whithorn

• Morning ferry from Belfast to Stranraer in Scotland.
• Afternoon visit to Whithorn, Scotland’s earliest recorded Christian settlement at the mouth of the Solway Firth.  It owes its origin to St Ninian, who has been acknowledged as Scotland’s first saint.  The present priory ruins date from the twelfth century but archaeological digs have revealed much earlier churches from the Celtic period.  The priory museum includes the Latinus Stone and a fine collection of carved stone crosses. 
• We will also drop in at Wigtown, Scotland’s national Book Town.  
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight Glasgow.

Day 6 – Glasgow and Oban

• Morning tour of Glasgow, a city founded by St Mungo the missionary in the 6^th century.   Legend has it that St. Mungo buried Fergus, a holy man, below the site of the Glasgow Necropolis. 
• We visit the Cathedral, including the St Mungo Museum of World Religion within the Cathedral Precinct.  
• We then drive north for Oban. 
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight Oban.

Day 7 – Iona

• We take the short ferry crossings from the mainland to the Island of Mull and on to Iona.  A small and peaceful isle of the Inner Hebrides, Iona was to become the heart of Celtic Christianity in Scotland when St Columba landed in AD563 and founded a new monastic community. 
• We trace the story of Celtic Christianity here, which prospered until relentless Viking raids forced many monks to flee the island.  The Roman church would later return in force with a new Benedictine abbey in the twelve century. 
• Our guide will discuss the history of the abbey (which still stands) and the great heritage of the island. Numerous Scottish kings were buried here, including the infamous Macbeth. Three original Celtic High Crosses can also be viewed.  Our guided tour of the island is a special opportunity to explore a remote and truly beautiful part of Scotland. 
• You will also have a chance to visit the St Columba Welcome and Exhibition Centre just across the water on Mull. 
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight Oban.

Day 8 – Edinburgh

• We head for Edinburgh and take the opportunity to explore other heritage sites in Scotland.  Near Stirling we visit the site of the Battle of Bannockburn, arguably the most famous battle to be fought and won by the Scots.  The Heritage Centre contains an exhibition and an audio-visual presentation; we revisit the period of the battle and recall the legendary Scottish names of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace (“Braveheart”). 
• We continue to Edinburgh and enjoy an afternoon orientation tour of the city. 
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight Edinburgh.

Day 9 – Edinburgh

• A  day at your leisure enjoying the inspiring Scottish capital, Edinburgh. 
• You may choose to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse or Edinburgh Castle.  The Museum of Scotland includes exhibits relating to the country’s early saints, the influence of pilgrimage on Scottish religious life and the importance of the town of St Andrews.  Alternatively, you may visit Rosslyn Chapel, a small church with a superabundance of ornament and sculpture and more recently made famous as the final resting place of the Holy Grail in Dan Browns “The Da Vinci Code”.  
• Evening and dinner at leisure in Edinburgh. 
• Overnight Edinburgh.

Day 10 – Lindisfarne and Bamburgh

• We travel south across the border to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, a place of tranquillity, spirituality and scenic beauty.  St Aidan came here from Iona at the request of King Oswald in AD 635 and built his monastery, a place also prominent in the life of St Cuthbert.  We take a guided tour and explore the priory and Lindisfarne Centre (which includes a leather-bound facsimile of the Lindisfarne Gospels in the atmospheric scriptorium).  
• We leave the island and visit Bamburgh, royal city of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria and home of King Oswald (St Oswald).   We explore the Church of St Aidan, where he established a place of worshipped and died. 
• We may also have an opportunity to stroll around the great fortification of Bamburgh Castle. 
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight Durham.

Day 11 – Wearmouth-Jarrow and Durham

• Morning visit to the twin Anglo-Saxon monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow.  It was here that St Bede wrote the Life of St Cuthbert and History of the English Church and People.  We visit the churches of St Peter and St Paul. 
  
• At Bede’s World we will learn further about the life of St Bede, including the ‘Age of Bede’ exhibition of artefacts excavated from the monastery sites. 
  
• We then head back to the picturesque City of Durham.  Durham Cathedral and its neighbour, Durham Castle, together provide one of the best man-made views in the whole of England.  Monks from Lindisfarne brought St Cuthbert’s body here as a sanctuary safe from pillaging Vikings.   St Cuthbert’s tomb (buried with King Oswald’s head) is still here and, at the other end of the Cathedral, the remains of St Bede are enshrined in the Galilee Chapel. 
  
• Evensong at the Cathedral.
  
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight Durham. 

Day 12 – Whitby

• We visit the town of Whitby, situated on Yorkshire’s east coast and famous for its connections to Captain James Cook and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  
• The ruins of St Hilda’s Abbey dominate the town’s skyline.  Oswiu, King of Northumbria after Oswald, called the Synod of Whitby in 664 AD in order to bring to a head the conflict between the traditions of the Ionian church and the Roman church.  It is a fitting conclusion to our tour.
• Dinner at hotel.  Overnight Manchester.
• International travellers can use Manchester International Airport for their return flights.