Category: Phils Blog

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    The long and winding road… our story

    The Camino of life isn’t always easy to navigate. There are times when the momentum carries you and you arrive into base each evening invigorated by all that has gone before. Times too when the elements conspire to make you doubt yourself and the path you’ve chosen. It pays to seek refuge from time to time when the way ahead seems blurred and give yourself the space to re-set your bearings. Stillness is priceless in a world that tends to move at pace. It connects you to something deeper in yourself, to what matters most to you when all else is stripped away. In this space, enlightenment echoes from within. When you emerge, a new way, previously unimagined, opens up before you.

    6 years down the line and Waterford Camino Tours is still alive to tell the tale. Our journey started with those first tentative steps out into the unknown. Sometimes you’ve just got to trust your deepest instincts and go for it. You never quite know what awaits around each new bend. Life teaches us to stay grounded, to weigh up what we could do better without being too hard on ourselves and to vary our route accordingly. This capacity to adjust our course has been absolutely vital to our survival in an ever-evolving and changing tourism landscape.

    I guess we’ve taken the circuitous route to arrive at where we are now. The unexpected detours have led us to new and exciting places. Some we chose, some were forced on us. We could never have foreseen the pandemic and the havoc it wrought. Like so many others, all we could do was batten down the hatches and wait for the storm to pass. We availed of the time to learn; to acquire a whole new skill set when it came to packaging our tours. There were days when it was a real struggle. We found a courage when we needed to most, revised our coordinates and kicked on!

    It’s only when you look back and survey the distance you have covered that you come to appreciate the strides you’ve made. It is not the monumental feats that matter in life. Small ‘triumphs’ beyond the glare of the passing world matter most in this business – and nothing beats the satisfaction of knowing that a tour has gone well. Happy visitors spread the word and we build from there. In the early days, our groups arrived into Waterford from around Ireland, some Active Retirement groups, some walking groups, some friends who wanted to lend their support as we started out. They believed in us before we had proven ourselves to the world. Referrals have been key to our growth. This October, we’ll be walking St David’s Way in Wales with a group from Celbridge who have joined us every year since our launch in April 2017. Loyalty of this kind you cannot beat!

    What propels us onwards is our belief in our vision for Waterford Camino Tours. No matter what the world has thrown at us, we’ve tried to remain true to who we are. This we will never compromise! It takes patience and solid graft in equal measure to translate a good idea into a viable business reality. The support we have received from the Waterford Local Enterprise Office has been invaluable, co-financing the digital design for our website and providing specialist consultants to help us ‘pitch’ our tourism offering to meet the demands of the discerning traveller. Failte Ireland too have been a massive help, introducing us to tourism partners, guiding us in terms of packaging our product and broadening our reach into the wider International tourism arena. We’ve learned to set goals and take the steps necessary to reach them. Our passion for what we do drives us on. Regardless of the destination, we just want to enjoy the journey.

    You soon learn to distinguish between what is real and what is illusory. The tourism world can promise more than it delivers on occasion. I remember in the early days, we were very keen to have an ‘anchor’ tour operator who would send their tours in South East Ireland our way. It takes time to reel the fish in. You can’t force it or you lose it. So, after a series of emails back and forth over a few months, we met them in Dublin, presented our tour offerings and invited them to come experience Waterford and its surrounds for themselves. We wined and dined them, put them up for a weekend in a local hotel, let them enjoy everything from cycling on the Waterford Greenway to taking a boat trip out into the bay at Dunmore East. My father always said; “you have to throw the sprat to catch the salmon”. Let’s just say, this particular sprat was not cheap and the salmon never landed. They got their photos to go with their reconnaissance of the South East and we never saw them again. The only ‘follow-on’ afterwards was a call from the hotel asking us to sort their drinks tab for the weekend. We can laugh now but we felt the pain then. Sometimes the hard lessons teach us most.

    The pendulum swings both ways. You’ve got to take the rough with the smooth. St Declan’s Way has been immense to us. We’re indebted to Knockmealdown Active, especially Kevin, Mark, Conor, Veronica and Grainne, for their guidance from the outset. We’d have been lost without them… quite literally! The timing too of St Declan’s Way being ratified by Sport’s Ireland just as we were ready to welcome our first tour in early 2021 could not have been better. We’ve shared this age-old pilgrim path with over 10 groups since then, with visitors from North America, Canada, France, Spain, Wales, England and Ireland, North and South, each bringing their own unique brand of wisdom and humour to make the way seem that bit shorter. They know that when they turn up, everything is in place – from coach transfers to guest guides, accommodation, lunches, evening meals, their pilgrim passport… it leaves them free to put their energies into walking the 115km from Cashel to Ardmore. We are simply custodians of something timeless in our midst, leading people on this ancient trail, before, we, in turn, pass it over to future generations. This is our time to leave our footprint in the land!

    Each new year has eased out beyond our normal boundaries. What started out in Waterford has now extended to include iconic walking trails around Southern Ireland from Gougane Barra to Dingle to Glendalough, St Mullins and across to St David’s in Wales. In business you cannot afford to stand still. You need to refine your tour offerings so that they match what the consumer is looking for. Our visitors have loved their Camino experience in Waterford and they’ve asked for more. We love the challenge this presents; doing ‘reci’ missions on new trails, assessing what could work best in terms of accommodation, coach transfers, local cuisine and cultural experiences before shaping the itinerary into our final tour offering. It’s all about balance, getting the blend of adventure, fun, music and a little mindful reflection, that makes each crafted ‘time-out’ with us all the more memorable. You know you’re right on track when the pieces fall into place. If it’s forced, better to move on!

    We co-write the script of our destiny. Your life is so fluid. Everything’s always changing. The way you think it’s going to unfold is not the way it’s going to unfold. That’s the fun of the whole exercise, and the gift. How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us to move closer to where we are meant to be. Keep believing in you, especially when you’re tested most, and you will reach what you are destined for. You get one chance at this Camino we call life. It pays to be brave and dare to take that road few have chosen.

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are looking forward to leading our next ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ in early October 2022 and our first group along St David’s Way in Wales in the coming weeks. We have exciting plans for 2023 that widen our range of offerings to include iconic locations around Ireland and along the Western coastline of Wales. We are updating our website www.waterfordcamino.com over the coming weeks to reflect these new tours. You can contact us directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    Waterford at the dawning of the day

    Warm crimson rays stream across once raging waters to nudge us gently towards the promise of a new day. In the stillness, you hear the ebb and flow of the waves as they surrender in timeless homage to the creative power that makes all this possible. We on the shoreline become curious observers to the mystery of it all. Wave after wave land in soft melodic movements, each one suspended momentarily in time, before it recedes into the infinity from which it came. Light dances in broken reels on the rise and fall of breaking surf. There’s a rhythm to it all that draws us in. Dawn by the sea is yours and yours alone.

    With high temperatures over the last few weeks, we’ve tended to start our walks that bit earlier. There’s so few around, we have these spaces to ourselves. The extended cliff walk from Ballymacaw Cove into Dunmore East (8km) is quite simply stunning in the early morning glow. It’s good to stand still and soak in the beauty that stretches out from the headland seawards. Energy ripples in mesmeric curves to calm the stirrings of the mind. It’s there for all to see and hear; the soft lilt of rolling waters as incoming waves break across flat rocks, the languid majesty of the seal as it basks in the sun, the silhouette of Hook Lighthouse as it peers out through misty skies. We’ve led visitors from the States and Canada across this headland in recent weeks. They want to come back; this time to spend more time in this hidden corner of Ireland. Dunmore East weaves a magic spell that leaves you wanting more!

    There’s something about the Waterford Greenway too in the solitude of the early morning. Dawn is that time of day when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Our odyssey from Killoteran to Kilmeadan (3km) takes us out along the River Suir beyond the fretful stir of the distant city. Mount Congreve Gardens adorn our trails in exotic hues as the veil of mist slowly lifts from the passing river. Beneath the foliage a sign reads; “Here lies the place where the fishermen had their cuppa before heading back to Ballygorey”. In the quiet, you can still hear their hushed murmurings. They have paved the way we pass.

    A heron swoops in to land, unannounced, and finds its sanctuary by the water’s edge. The rushes provide the perfect camouflage. Alone it stands in furtive disguise; statuesque and silent, concealing its intent from the world below. We cannot stay to see the drama unfold. The intrigue lingers long after we leave the scene behind. We move further down the line to take a leisurely spin from Durrow into Dungarvan. (11km) Our eyes adjust to dazzling light as we leave the dimmed enchantment of Durrow Tunnel behind and enter the exotic wildness that awaits on the other side. It’s one stunning vista after another as we freewheel by, Comeragh Mountains, Clonea Beach, Helvic Head… leading us from land to sea and beyond in seamless steps to the infinite. It’s good to leave the world as we know it behind for a while. We the voyagers feel the better for the journey.

    We were joined recently by a group from Kells, Co. Meath. For some it was their first time on a bike for over 40 years. They may never cycle the Tour de France but if there was a prize for laughter they’d have won hands down. For the first kilometer they had convinced themselves there was something wrong with their bikes. Before they knew it, they were cruising along, chatting, stopping for ‘selfies’, proud of their new found confidence on the bike. Our ever reliable Greenway Man, Garvan Cummins, who had set us on our way further up the track, met us on the viaduct over Ballyvoile 100 years to the week from the day it was blown up during the Civil War. His photos and anecdotes breathe new life into old places. Dungarvan on arrival was heaving with life. The harbour dazzled in the evening glow. We all had a 99 to mark the feat. It felt good to be alive!

    The trail from the Mahon Falls down through Crough Woods (5km) parachutes you into a world you can scarcely believe is only a 40-minute drive from the city. Here on the outer frontiers, nature bares its soul at dawn with primordial abandon. There’s a subliminal symmetry to it all – sheep, mountains, rocky hillsides, a forest pathway and the soothing sounds of the River Mahon as it flows from source to the awaiting ocean beyond. We appear miniscule against such a towering backdrop. Yet, here, in this amphitheatre of stillness, we sense that our lives, though small and microscopic, have a worth. The universe has a way of reminding us that we have more to give, more to do. The river rolls by, yet to run its course. So too our lives.

    Day 3 along St. Declan’s Way brings us over the Knockmealdown Mountains. The veil lifts as morning breaks to reveal the universe in all its splendor. This is wilderness; bleak, barren, remote yet compelling in its simplicity and in the honesty it asks of you. The vantage point we arrive at is like no other. The lens widens to reveal a pattern that can be lost in the minutiae of life below. The panorama opens up as one vast kaleidoscope of vista and colour that rolls out gracefully to the seas beyond. Our eye gravitates to the River Blackwater as it navigates its mystical course through shimmering light en route to Youghal. There’s something reassuring about it all. It leaves imprints that linger long after the walking is done.

    As the dew lifts on the banks of the River Blackwater at Lismore, we continue our journey along this age-old pilgrim path. Just 2 kilometers of exquisite beauty and peace before we take the back road to Cappoquin. The Castle we leave behind still beats to the pulse of a bygone time. It retains its mystique, its lofty walls privy to stories the passing world may never hear. In the distance, silent shadows emerge from shades of dawn as anglers take their place along the river bank. They stand there; still, focused, shrouded in the mystery that surrounds them. Invisible lines are cast into misty waters as we enter this sacred space. We pass this way but once, yet it stays with us. You’ve got to be there to sense it!

    In the stillness of dawn, you come face to face with the wonder of it all. Silence of this kind is rare in a world that moves at pace. As the sun casts it’s golden glow across land and sea, you find peace in every step. Worries yield to a deeper wisdom. Swallows descend in telepathic streams to remind you of all that lies ahead. Time to get a move on! The mist lifts and a pathway, once obscured, becomes clear again.

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are looking forward to leading groups from around Ireland and beyond on our signature ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ later this August and in October in association with Mount Melleray Abbey and Cahir House Hotel. (August is full but we have a few spaces left for our October St Declan’s Way, 3rd to the 7th) We will also be teaming up with Original Irish Hotels to roll out unique Camino experiences going into 2023 to include Glendalough, St. Mullins, Ardmore, Gougane Barra, Dingle and St. Davids.You can check availability on www.waterfordcamino.com or contact us directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    Sailing to pastures new – St. David’s Way

    You are always calling us to follow you into the future, inviting us to new ventures,
    new challenges, new ways to care, new ways to touch the hearts of all…

    We’ve had a busy few months walking ancient paths, welcoming visitors from near and far and putting a shape on the vision we have for our business as we navigate our way into the future. Visualising where you want to be in business and daring to take the steps needed to help you get there is everything. No matter which way the wind blows in life, it helps to be sure of your own co-ordinates. The pandemic gave us the time to re-assess, the space to plot our course with clarity. A new way is opening up before us.

    St. Declan’s Way has become our signature Camino experience. We’ve had people from around the world share this age-old pilgrim path with us all 115km from Cashel to Ardmore and they’ve loved it. It will always be the bedrock to what we do in Waterford Camino Tours. We’ve made great connections along the way over the last few years; our coach driver John McCarra, Maria from ‘The Vault Café’ Lismore and Siobhan from ‘Burke’s Foodstore’ Ardfinnan who supply our lunches and John at ‘The Baker’s Table’ Lismore who spoils us with an amazing culinary experience the evening before our last stage, guest guides like Alice, Conor and Mark, accommodation providers like Brother Seamus and the team at the Guest House in Mount Melleray Abbey and David and Robert in Cahir House Hotel – all helping us to ensure that our visitors are looked after from start to finish. In this business, if you take good care of those who join you, they’ll be back. When they return, they want something new!

    Hence, we’re daring to venture out into pastures new to include Camino experiences in Glendalough, St. Mullins, Gougane Barra, Dingle and Wales. Yes, across the Irish Sea to Wales! We’re just back from doing a little ‘reci’ on St. David’s Way in Pembrokeshire as we prepare to lead our first groups along this stunning coastal path later this year. This Pilgrim Way from Fishguard to St. David’s is centuries old and we’ve been recently commissioned by Ancient Connections to create a tourism experience along this route that would appeal to the Irish and International visitor.

    One of our guest guides is a young Welsh writer by the name of Claire Boot. We met Claire for the first time at the end of May this year when she was part of a Journeying UK group that joined us for St. Declan’s Way. We were struck by her capacity to observe what might otherwise pass us by and the ease with which she could capture it in word. Claire distills the path of life down to the essential. We who walk in her steps are the better for it. I asked her to jot down a few lines on the appeal of St. David’s Way. This is what just arrived on my laptop…

    When you’re walking St David’s Way, the path doesn’t request your presence. It requires it. You must think with your feet as you navigate the ever-changing texture of the terrain. Sometimes gentle on grass or gravel, sometimes rough across rocks or ruts, sometimes shifting over sand or shingle; always back and forth between inlets and outcrops, always up and down from coves to cliffs. It won’t let your mind drift off to those unanswered emails, that unresolved argument, the unpaid bill. The path needs you to be where you are, and it rewards you richly for your attention.

    The first reward is the interplay of land, sea and sky. When we set off from the port at Fishguard, the sea lay snuggled under a thick white duvet of mist. Sunshine and fog jostled at the coastline and treated us to an impressive array of special effects as we walked. We saw pale delicate rainbows shimmering over the hazy shore, and a pair of triangular peaks poking through clouds like fins through surf. Out at sea, the ferry from Fishguard appeared to float towards Ireland in mid-air, hovering in the lack of definition between water and sky. At times that day, we seemed to step into the lush green humidity of a rainforest, yet, once the sun won out, we wondered if we’d wandered into the blue skies and turquoise waters of a Greek island.

    The second reward is the history you touch as you pass through. Carreg Samson is a cromlech, a Neolithic landmark of one huge stone impossibly balanced on three others and raised up high enough for a person to walk beneath. You can’t imagine how, five thousand years ago, our forebears managed to move such massive rocks, but its name attempts to give an explanation. St Samson, it is said, put the capstone (‘carreg’) in place with his little finger. We met more Celtic Christianity when we crawled into the hermit cell at Pwll Deri, a cool stone-lined hollow in the hillside, and dipped a hand into the holy well of Llanwnda. A short walk from the well to the church of St Gwyndaf lands you in 1797, the year of the last invasion of mainland Britain by a hostile force. French troops sheltered in the church and there we found an old burnt Bible, its charred pages used by the soldiers for kindling.

    The third reward is the wildlife that surrounds you. We kept company with unfurling ferns and fluffy thrift, with creamy white cow parsley and deep pink ‘witch’s moneybags’, with electric blue dragonflies and elegant black-and-red moths. At sea, among the high-flying gulls and deep-diving cormorants, we were primed for the possibility of spotting seals and porpoises. On land, cows and sheep marshalled our way and three wild white ponies surprised us in a grassy nook. The horses perform a public service on the coastal path by keeping the vegetation down and took no notice of us as they continued with their nonchalant nibbling. As we neared Abereiddy, we heard the calls of peregrine falcon chicks and glimpsed their parent gliding between the grey-brown cliffs. An auspicious bird for pilgrims as our names share a common root – peregrinus, ‘coming from afar’.

    The fourth reward is the people you meet, those who walk with you and those you encounter on the way. Like a potluck dinner, everyone brings their contribution and we’re all nourished by it. Literally, on occasion, as with the generous sharing of Elaine’s homemade flapjack or Iain’s Welsh cakes. Ailsa brought a different kind of refreshment through her mindful moment on the path when she prompted us to pause and sense our surroundings more deeply. David enriched us through introductions to local people committed to their communities, like Sandra and Paul. Sandra works at Melin Tregwynt, a woollen mill that traces its history back over two hundred years. She described the remarkable choice made by the previous owners not to sell the business to the highest bidder, but to transfer it to the ownership of the staff. Paul is the landlord of the Ship Inn in Trefin, and host of the colourful and comfortable hostel housed in the village’s old school. He told us about the pressures of providing hospitality through lockdown and his hopes for the future. Whether visitors or locals, all were drawn together by Phil, with his knack for a proper chat and a good laugh, always with an eye for the potential in people and places.

    And the final reward? St David’s itself, named for Wales’ patron saint and built on the site of the monastery he founded. The stocky purple-grey cathedral huddles beside a shallow stream in a narrow valley, shielded from Vikings and prevailing winds, and a far cry from the soaring sepia spires of its English cousins. The tiny city perches above, ready to warmly welcome walkers with its cosy pubs and cafes. For over a thousand years, people have journeyed to St David’s. Some travelled in hope of healing, others for a blessing, still more for freedom from worry and guilt. We may not know why people came here, or if everyone found what they were looking for, but we know something of the rewards they received on the way; the interplay of land, sea and sky, the history they touched, the wildlife that surrounded them, the people they walked with and encountered, and the still solid peace of the place dedicated to St David at their journey’s end.

    Walking St David’s Way gives a gift in which all its rewards are wrapped. The gift of yourself, given back to you, through the practice of being where you are, by finding your feet on a path that needs you to be present to it. Not distracted by deadlines to meet or tasks to complete, not scattered about but gathered together, not barely there but wholly here. In one place, in one piece, in one peace.

    …When we are fearful of the unknown, give us courage.
    When we worry that we are not up to the task, remind us that you would not call us if you did not believe in us.
    When we get tired, or feel disappointed with the way things are going, remind us that you can bring change and hope out of the most difficult situations.
    (The lona Community)

    Special thanks to the Claire Boot for joining us on the path and for sending us this stunning review of St. David’s Way (claireboot.com), Iain Tweedale (Journeying UK) for leading us, David Pepper (British Pilgrimage Trust) and Ailsa Richardson (Mindful Coach) for adding story, song and photos to this memorable few days. We look forward to leading the first of our St. David’s Way Camino groups to Wales this autumn.

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are looking forward to leading groups from around Ireland and beyond on our signature ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ over the coming months in association with Mount Melleray Abbey and Cahir House Hotel along with our ‘3 Day Camino Escape’ with The Tower Hotel Waterford as our base. We will also be teaming up with Original Irish Hotels to roll out unique Camino experiences to include Glendalough, St. Mullins, Ardmore, Gougane Barra, Dingle and St. Davids. You can check our tour availability on www.waterfordcamino.com or contact us directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    Unscripted Moments

    May the blessing of light be on you,
    light without and light within.
    May the blessed sunlight shine upon you
    and warm your heart till it glows like a great fire
    and strangers may warm themselves as well as friends.
    And may the light shine from your eyes,
    like a candle set in the window of a home,
    bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm.
    (Adapted from a traditional Irish blessing)

    There are moments on Camino that stay with you long after you’ve made your way home. We recently led a group of International pilgrims along St Declan’s Way using the Guest House in Mount Melleray Abbey as our base for the four nights. It’s often said that good company makes the journey feel that bit shorter. Most who set out from the Rock of Cashel to take this age-old pilgrim trail to Ardmore have never met before. Stories converge in rhythm with the universe to make the wanderer feel alive again. That’s the magic of Camino.

    Unscripted moments linger long into the night to guide us on our way. Sometimes, unknowingly, a flicker of light seeps into the inner vault and allows us see what might have once passed us by. It enters unannounced in ways you least expect. The trail may be timeless but the journey evolves in sync with those beside you. Each person has a story to tell, a worry to resolve, a decision to make, a memory to retrieve, a family to love. The pathway is shaped as we walk.

    One such person who joined us last month had made the trip all the way from Toronto, Canada. This is her story of her time with us. Margaret has honed in on what really matters in life. We were the privileged ones to share the path with her…

    My St. Declan’s Way pilgrimage was exhilarating, enriching, thoroughly unforgettable and great fun – thanks in no small part to the warmth and kindness of the two of you.

    As I enter the final quarter of my life, the time was right to return to my childhood home of Ireland. And, while I know that the relentless drive that has stood me so well in life and in business is an innate part of me, I recognize that it is now time to seriously temper it. The pilgrimage enabled me to reflect on the past and my hope for a calm, meaningful life in the future. I completed the journey with a sense of reconciliation and hope.

    The beauty of the landscape was mesmerizing – the winding country lanes, the steep (waaaaay too steep at times!) hills, the misty river scapes, the lush green fields, the dappled light of the forests, the expansive beaches and blue sea. I will remember it always, as I will the people we met along the way: Iain (Journeying UK Leader), Conor (Guest Guide), John G. (Pilgrim Paths Author/Rock of Cashel Guide), Gearoid (Lismore Guide), James (Ardmore Guide), Keith (Lafcadio Hearn Gardens Guide), John the bus driver and his dad Laurence, my fellow pilgrims and Liam Lynch who came to life through his story, Grainne (St. Declan’s Way Chairperson), Audrey (Deise Refugee Response) and, of course, Brother Seamus from Mount Melleray Abbey. While I find the concept of true piety difficult to grasp, I have come closer to an understanding of it since meeting him.

    I will especially remember Katya, Galiana, Anastasia and Vira. The “Ukrainian refugees” about whom we have been hearing through the news media for the past few months came to life through them. Their spirit of survival and determination to make a meaningful and happy life for themselves and their children was as inspiring as the sadness evoked by their losses. I will certainly remember them in my prayers and wish them the very best for the future.

    Closest to my heart, though, will be the memory of you two. You are extraordinary people with an incredible capacity to relate to others and a great generosity of spirit. Phil, I thoroughly enjoyed our chats and our kidding about and will always be grateful to you for dragging me over the mountain. Elaine, you radiate an inner light that touches everyone you meet. And you make the best scones in the world!

    My Irish experience continued after leaving you, At the bus station I met a nice, young man from Turkey, Haroun, who is in Ireland to study English. He kindly loaded my luggage onto the bus. And then, the bus driver! She was a slightly built, exquisitely beautiful auburn-haired woman – one would have expected her to have stepped out of a painting rather than behind the wheel of a Bus Eireann coach. I expressed dismay at not being able to find a taxi for my luggage when she told me as I boarded the bus that she would be stopping at the Customs House rather than the main bus terminal. She told me in a lovely soft voice not to worry – she would see that I got a taxi. In keeping with my new-found mindset of not worrying about everything, I took her at her word and sat back and enjoyed the drive back to Dublin. When we arrived at Heuston Station, she left the bus and was gone for quite a while. When she returned, she beckoned me off the bus and introduced me to a taxi driver whom, she assured me, would look after me. Can you believe it? She had gone off to find a taxi for me!

    I was so touched that I wrote to Bus Eireann to commend them on having such an exceptional employee and asking them to convey my thanks to her. After writing to you a short while ago, I continued reading my email and found an acknowledgement from Bus Eireann, indicating that they would pass along my message to the driver, Laura.

    Along St. Declan’s Way, I did not mention it as I could not trust myself to speak of it without falling apart. My second youngest sister, Laura, died a couple of months ago of cancer. Naturally, I was grief stricken over losing a sister and seeing her suffer so much in the end. I was also profoundly unsettled and suddenly acutely aware of my own mortality: while I had never consciously thought of it, I had subconsciously always assumed that as the eldest of the family, I would be the first to go. This death played a large part in my motivation to undertake the Pilgrimage.

    Receiving such kindness at the end of it from someone named Laura seems more than a coincidence. I am too grounded a person to interpret it as a sign. But, this connection has added a completeness to an already very meaningful journey.

    Like the robin on our walk, or the young woman from Ukraine, Vira, who sang so beautifully for us, the most extraordinary and grace-giving things occur every now and then in life.

    May the day never burden.
    May dawn find you awake and alert.
    May you approach your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises.
    May evening find you glad and fulfilled.
    May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.
    (John O’Donohue)

    (Special thanks to Margaret, from Canada, for sharing her story with us)

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are looking forward to leading groups from around Ireland and beyond on our signature ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ over the coming months in association with Mount Melleray Abbey and Cahir House Hotel along with our ‘3 Day Camino Escape’ with The Tower Hotel Waterford as our base. We will also be teaming up with Original Irish Hotels to roll out unique Camino experiences to include Glendalough, St. Mullins, Ardmore, Gougane Barra and Dingle and we look forward to leading our first groups along St David’s Way in Wales this Autumn. You can check date availability through our website at www.waterfordcamino.com or contact us directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    ’Til we find our place in the path unwinding…

    There’s far too much to take in here
    More to find than can ever be found
    But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky
    Keeps great and small on the endless round…

    On Camino, some days stay with you long after the walking is over. Saturday 30th of April was one such day. We organised a special ‘time-out’ with a group of Ukrainian families who were living in the Sports Centre in Dungarvan days after their abrupt exodus from their homeland. They hopped on the bus with eager anticipation – women, children, helpers, translators – all of us happy to be there, none of us quite sure what to expect. The light was trying to break through the grey skies that morning… a sign perhaps of what was to come.

    Two weeks previously, we sang for them in the Lafcadio Hearn Gardens, Tramore. That Good Friday evening, as the cherry blossom fell from the trees and the waves rolled into shore, we felt the pain of a people we had never met before. Their faces conceal a deeper anguish. They loved the serenity of the gardens so much, maybe we could show them more. Lafcadio had cast his spell on this enchanted place as once disparate voices now merged as one beneath the Azumaya. Lilting harmonies to the refrain of ‘Will you go lassie go’ lingered in the evening air and we could hear the call to “the blooming heather” of the Comeraghs. The seed was planted for our day away in this garden by the sea – anything to lift their spirits and to let them know they were not alone. It was a simple gesture of unspoken solidarity.

    War is a senseless desecration of all that is good in the universe. One man’s delusions have scarred the landscape of a neighbouring country and wreaked merciless suffering on the lives of so many innocent people. No ideology can justify such horror. The people who emerged from the Sports Centre for our day away had lived the lives we live only weeks before. In an instant, the world as they knew it was no more. As we set off on the bus, their natural instinct was to turn around and share the moment with those they had left behind. A song was needed. Spotify and our Bosch speaker came to the rescue, and, before we knew it, a wave of melodic notes in foreign tones lifted the mood and swept us onwards on our way. It was beautiful, it was stoic and it echoed from somewhere deep in their being. With music came laughter. Not all of us could quite scale the vocal heights of the chorus. But we kept going. The theme for the day arrived unannounced. It got me thinking…

    There is power in an idea no matter how simple it may be. We all have the potential to be creative, to think outside the box, to anticipate what could happen before it happens. One creative spark is all it takes to make a real difference to the lives of so many. It triggers a chain reaction of sorts that takes on a life of its own. Once the decision was made to run with the day, Hallahan’s Coach Hire agreed to look after the transport, Jenny Kiersey in Kilmacthomas was on board to sort the catering, Garvan Cummins, the Greenway Man, had bikes arranged, Audrey Hallahan in Hallahan’s Pharmacy had the Ukrainian families fully briefed on plans. Within an hour, everything was in place. One quick phone call to each person was all that was needed. Generosity of this kind goes below the radar of the passing world. Against the darkened backdrop, a light was shining, well before the dawning of the day.

    We find reserves of strength when we’re tested most. These Ukrainian people have courage in abundance. They have stopped following the news closely and have accepted that their stay here will be considerably longer than the 3 weeks they had planned for. They see this time as an “adventure” until the day comes when they are free to return home again. Home is Ukraine. It will always be. The mothers are of a unique kind. While their children are settling into school in Dungarvan, many are already doing online classes in English to help them navigate their way here. They WhatsApp their husbands and parents back home each evening reassuring them that they will be fine; encouraging, loving and strong. On the bus to the Mahon Falls, they show us photos from the life they once lived in Kiev or Lviv. They could have been us! They love Dungarvan and are overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome they have received there. They told us all they knew of Ireland before they arrived was “green fields, Guinness and St. Patrick”. Their smiles disguise their brave resolve to persevere. They will be back home – some day!

    There is no greater therapy than time spent out in the great outdoors. Once you step out into the wild, your pulse beats to rhythm of all that is around you. The Mahon Falls in the heart of the Comeragh Mountains has a mystique that slows the stirrings of mind. In the stillness here, you find perspective! A soft mist gently hovered below this cathedral of stone as we made our way out to the Falls. There we were, 44 Ukrainians and 6 of us Irish, sharing a pathway carved out since time began. Like the pilgrims of old, the natural world showed us the way. We were summoned unknowingly to this hallowed space by the soothing sound of distant waters. The children did what children always do – they played. The came alive again as if freed from all they could not understand. The mothers were happy to stand there in silence and soak in the mesmeric power of it all.

    In the moment, the universe never felt so reassuring. A deep peace fell in soulful streams from above. Against this towering backdrop, each tiny, miniscule life below had its value restored. Unscripted prayers rolled in quiet unbroken waves to the ocean beyond. There was symmetry in all that played out before us. They sang again – this time with more abandon than before. We knew they were happy.

    It’s the simple things that make life worth living. Lunch was just perfect beneath the viaduct in Kilmacthomas; plates of sandwiches, Flahavan’s flapjacks, Kiersey’s apple pie… we couldn’t ask for more! A local pharmacist, Jenny Kirwan, dropped by before we left with additional supplies should we need re-fuelling after our exertions on the bike. The cycle along the Waterford Greenway from Durrow into Dungarvan was the highlight for the kids. They couldn’t wait to get started! Garvan had his hands full trying to rein them in as he sorted bicycles and helmets for everyone. Once feet touched pedals a feverish excitement took over the whole lot of us. We free wheeled our way to Dungarvan, just about in one piece. Worries receded just in the moment as the welcome rays of sunshine kicked in to warm our bones. We laughed and we sang and we pedalled and before we knew it we were right back where we started. We were all in no rush for the day to end.

    Gratitude has a value beyond words. When it was time to part, we gathered together outside the Sports Centre looking out across the Bay. Their appreciation for all who had made the day possible was of a kind that I have rarely seen before. They thanked us with their smiles, with their hugs and with the warmth of their goodbyes. We knew we would meet again. Many spoke of the peace they felt along the way; for some by the Falls, others as they walked to the river’s flow in Crough Woods, others as they watched their children breeze by en route to Dungarvan. These people have known journeys in recent times we can only imagine. Our paths crossed and we are the better for it. As glowing embers streamed across the evening sky, we sensed the connection with the life force that made it all possible.

    It’s the circle of life and it moves us all
    Through despair and hope, through faith and love
    ’Til we find our place on the path unwinding
    In the circle, the circle of life.
    (Tim Rice)

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are looking forward to leading groups from around Ireland and beyond on our signature ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ over the coming months in association with Mount Melleray Abbey and Cahir House Hotel along with our ‘3 Day Camino Escape’ with The Tower Hotel Waterford as our base. We will also be teaming up with Original Irish Hotels to roll out unique Camino experiences to include Glendalough, St. Mullins, Ardmore, Gougane Barra and Dingle and we look forward to leading our first groups along St David’s Way in Wales this Autumn. You can check availability on www.waterfordcamino.com or contact us directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    All around the blooming heather…

    I was recently invited by renowned Pilgrim trails writer John G. O’Dwyer to launch his book ‘50 Best Irish Walks’ in his home village of Upperchurch, Co. Tipperary. The scene that greeted Elaine and myself when we arrived in Kinnane’s pub was as welcoming as you could wish for – the warm glow of the log fire, the animated tones of people chatting as they queued patiently to have their book signed, the alluring aroma of Tapas dishes being passed around by Fergal and his team eager to ensure that no one went hungry. It eased us back unknowingly to an age old Irish hospitality that made us feel as though we belonged from the moment we arrived. Some things in life are worth preserving. I was a little nervous given the task ahead. That soon dissolved and the pulse slowed to the pace of the evening dew beyond the hearth as it dropped slowly from the blooming heather.

    When it was my time to say a few words, I did acknowledge that it was a brave move on John G.’s part to invite a Waterford man to Tipperary on the eve of the first round of the hurling championship. They love their walks and their hurling in these parts. I thanked them for loaning us Liam Cahill and intimated gently that we were in no rush to hand him back. Sport has a way of bridging the divide. It lightened the way for me as I set out to pay homage to the brilliance of the book and the person who had scripted it. This book is John G.’s All-Ireland – a monumental feat that takes us on a journey of 50 stunning ‘mild to moderate’ walks around this island of ours many within touching distance of where we live. It’s rare to find a book so timely yet so assuredly timeless!

    The car journey back to Tramore that evening gave us time to process what we had just been part of. There was something about the book, the place, the people that stayed with us long after we left the warmth of Kinnane’s behind. The common thread that landed so many hardened souls in one room that evening was the respect we all have for John G. There’s something irrepressible in the spirit of this man. He is a master craftsman, unassumingly wise and visionary, who has a unique gift when it comes to capturing the magnetic draw of ancient trails that have been etched in the land over centuries. He knows that once we take that first step into the unknown, something magical happens. We enter a space the world does not always offer. The universe has a way of liberating us to be free again, to carry with us only what matters most and to leave the rest behind.

    ‘50 Best Irish Walks’ entices us all to embrace the power of the great outdoors. It is not just for walking groups, or hikers, or the supremely fit or for those who love their adventure into the wild. It is for all of these and more. As John G. reminds us, more and more are now being drawn to “the wilder places in what sometimes amounts to a tidal wave of humanity”. John G.’s book nudges us gently beyond the safe sanctuary of our own locality to embrace the stunning plethora of walks within a short drive of our homes. Of the 50 walks, at least 15 are within an hour’s drive of where we live. The same could be said for anyone on the island of Ireland. “Simply put, the richest reward that comes with exploring the Irish landscape is the fact that there is almost always something surprising and enthralling lying around every corner”.

    Outdoor walks ease us gently beyond the hold of the world as we know it. Unknowingly, we let go of what we cannot change and we tap into a raw, primordial courage that lies within us. What may have worried us starting out is viewed with new eyes by the time we return home. Perspective is everything. The world may not have changed but you have. From here, there is no going back. In the words of the man himself; “Deep in our subconscious, we seem hard-wired to seek green spaces when daily dilemmas threaten to overwhelm us. Secluded and evocative, these serene landscapes offer a quick avenue to relaxation and mellow thoughts.”

    John G.’s book dares us to push out the boundaries. Each walk is a canvas on which he sprinkles beautifully descriptive hues and images with short historical anecdotes that nod towards something deeper and timeless waiting to be discovered. Each page takes us by the hand and leads us on a journey as though we are there. The author’s description of ‘The River Barrow Towpath’ illustrates his breathtaking capacity to weave light, story and mystery into the picture in a way that allows us to visualise and feel it for ourselves:

    “These days the river is fully navigable for 68km from Athy in Co. Kildare to St Mullins in Co. Carlow. It boasts a towpath al the way with the result that it has now enticed me along to enjoy some of Ireland’s best waterside walking… Starting from the graceful arches of the Ballyteigelea Bridge, I tag the grassy towpath south where once teams of sweating horses drew barges laden with grain to upstream breweries. The River Barrow was for centuries, not only an important source of power to industry, it was also a crucial transport route from Waterford harbour northwards to the rich agricultural heartlands of Kilkenny and Carlow. The coming railways ended the Barrow’s glory days as an important trade artery, but the river has now been cleverly re-invented as a recreational playground.

    Occasional strollers apart, I have the riverbank to myself. Hereabouts, the Barrow is in no haste on its 192km journey from the Slieve Bloom Mountains to meet the Atlantic and this brings the thought that, while successive generations come and go with their trivial cares and concerns, this great river journeys onwards eternally… Here an otter breaks cover from the riverbank as I pass, while a bevy of swans glide serenely upstream in evening stillness. Onwards then past the riverboat community at St Mullins Lock as evening mist creates a floaty river light. This happens where the first saltwater from the Atlantic tides meets the fresh water of the River Barrow and the different water temperatures often create a soft mist that imbues the area with a surreal sense of mystery.”

    John G. steers us to a place we may not have found on our own. There is a profound sense in his writing that we are walking in the steps of those who have walked this way before. Whilst, in his words, “the past is never far away”, this moment in the universal scheme of things, is our moment to leave our own imprint on the land. Here on the outer frontiers, we connect to something deeper. We sense with each new step that we are part of something greater than ourselves… that we are not alone. Nature becomes our cathedral calling us beyond the safe sanctuaries we have left behind to a place where we tap into something deeper within ourselves. The unscripted chats along the way have a way of reminding us that kindness is everything in this life, it is all that really matters.

    ‘50 Best Irish Walks’ ignites a spark that is already in us all. Life is lived at such a pace now, we all need to open the shutters and let the light in, to breathe, to process, to soak in the beauty of the universe, to walk in sacred spaces in the spirit of those who have walked these same paths before. The conflicting currents of our world leave us wanting more. The gift lies in the solitude. In the silence, we come face to face with the wonder of it all. Something happens that draws us back to where we belong.

    And we’ll all go together to pluck wild mountain thyme,
    all around the blooming heather, will you go lassie go.

    John G. O’Dwyer’s book ‘50 Best Irish Walks – Easy to Moderate’ is published by Currach Books 2022 and is available in all good bookstores.

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are looking forward to leading groups from around Ireland and beyond on our signature ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ over the coming months in association with Mount Melleray Abbey and Cahir House Hotel, along with our ‘Celtic Camino in Ireland’s South East’ and our ‘3 Day Camino Escape’ with the Tower Hotel, Waterford as our base. We will also be teaming up with Original Irish Hotels to roll out unique Camino experiences to include Glendalough, St. Mullins, Ardmore, Gougane Barra and Dingle and we look forward to leading our first groups along St David’s Way in Wales this Autumn. You can contact Phil and Elaine directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    • Posted in Phils Blog |

    A voyage of discovery – St. Declan’s Way

    You are always calling us to follow you into the future,
    inviting us to new ventures, new challenges, new ways to care, new ways to touch the hearts of all.
    When we are fearful of the unknown, give us courage.
    When we worry that we are not up to the task, remind us that you would not call us if you did not believe in us.
    When we get tired, or feel disappointed with the way things are going, remind us that you can bring change and hope out of the most difficult situations.
    (The lona Community)

    It’s one of the tourism phenomena of the 21St century. Seeking meaning beyond materialism, the number of pilgrim walkers completing the Camino of St James in Spain has risen from fewer than 1,000 in 1985 to an astonishing 350,000 in 2019. For most of these modern-day pilgrims, the Camino, with its emphasis on simplicity, mindfulness and reflective experience, is as much a voyage of inner discovery as a physical challenge. Stressing, not so much the final destination as the journey itself, hiking ancient paths has come, in many ways, to reflect the strongly minimalistic spirit of our age.

    Until recently, however, few 21st-century pilgrims would have imagined Ireland as a destination for spirituality-based hiking. Conventional wisdom, even among the Irish walking fraternity, held that this country possessed little in the way of penitential paths – for proper pilgrim walking you had to head for Spain.

    Many will be surprised, therefore, to discover that Ireland has a dense network of mystical paths and a vibrant pilgrim tradition, with most of these routes long predating the Camino. Lough Derg was, and still is, one of Europe’s foremost pilgrim destinations, while medieval penitents also journeyed to Glendalough, Skellig Michael, Gougane Barra, Croagh Patrick and Ardmore. Despite past popularity, however, Ireland’s sacred trails were almost totally forgotten for generations, since virtually nothing was done, until recently, to reignite awareness of their existence or promote their use.

    It is sometimes said, however, that the past never completely vanished, but sooner or later comes to revisit us. And so, it has recently come to pass that Waterford’s patron saint – who is regarded by many historians as the first Christian missionary to preach the gospel in Ireland – is set to reclaim his pilgrim inheritance.

    Born into a royal family of the Deise region, St Declan was initially taught about Christ by a holy man named Dioma. A strong tradition holds that Declan then journeyed to study Christianity in Rome and returned as a bishop to his native Waterford during the early 5th Century.

    An ancient pilgrim trail that he footed, and was followed in his honour by many medieval pilgrims, is now being walked again as a richly symbolic journey. Meandering through extravagantly varied terrain in Tipperary and Waterford that is rich with antiquities, the newly revitalised St Declan’s Way commemorates the saint’s excursion from his monastery at Ardmore to the royal seat at Cashel.

    The reason for his journey was the arrival in Ireland of a British-born evangelist who was also preaching the gospel. Which of them would become the leading Christian saint among the Irish? To sort out this conundrum, tradition has Declan travelling from Ardmore to Cashel to meet St Patrick. Here, it was agreed that the Waterford saint would have unchallenged authority over the Deise, with Patrick becoming primate of all Ireland. Patrick also promised never to enter the territory of Declan – so honour was maintained on all sides.

    A fully upgraded 115km walking route, commemorating this historic journey and meeting, was re-opened last October by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys. Linking Cashel with monastic Ardmore, it follows the route taken by Declan on his way to meet Patrick. The result is that Ireland now has a spirituality-based trail that is comparable in length to the amount walked by most pilgrims visiting the Camino.

    This is, of course, all well and good: it is one thing to put a path in place, but without marketing and packaging no pilgrim trail can become a true success. Ireland has never been particularly noted for promoting its abundant spiritual assets – and this is where Waterford Camino Tours have become innovators by stepping in to fill a void.

    Recognising that it is not an easy task to walk St Declan’s Way, but that in completing it, many people discover courage they didn’t believe they possessed, Phil Brennan and Elaine Harvey have set about promoting and packaging the route. This now allows, their clients to enjoy the authentic experience of a long-distance pilgrim walk in Ireland with accommodation, transport, food and guiding all taken care of.

    I have walked some of St Declan’s Way in their company and have been struck by how they give people the space to slow down and process their thoughts. By the time they have finished in Ardmore, most people find their perspective on life has become clearer and more comforting, which is a wonderful gift for any individual. Having greatly enjoyed walking, talking and breaking bread with some Waterford Camino groups completing St Declan’s Way, I would heartily recommend the experience as an unforgettable one not to be missed.

    May the blessing of light be on you,
    light without and light within.
    May the blessed sunlight shine upon you
    and warm your heart till it glows like a great fire
    and strangers may warm themselves as well as friends.
    And may the light shine from your eyes,
    like a candle set in the window of a home,
    bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm.
    (Adapted from a traditional Irish blessing)

    About the writer: John G. O’Dwyer is a travel consultant from Thurles, Co. Tipperary and a regular contributor to The Irish Times. A keen hill walker and rock climber, John founded the Mid-Tipp Hillwalkers Club and has almost 30 years’ experience of leading hill-walking and mountain-climbing groups in Ireland, the UK, Europe and Africa. He is the author of the renowned ‘Pilgrim Paths in Ireland – A Guide’ among many other books recounting his time navigating Ireland’s pilgrim trails and is currently readying for a new book due to be released in Spring 2022 titled ‘50 Best Irish Walks’.

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are looking forward leading groups from the States, Norway, Britain and Ireland on our signature ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ over the coming months in association with Cahir House Hotel and Mount Melleray Abbey along with our ‘Celtic Camino in Ireland’s South East’ in association with The Tower Hotel, Waterford. We welcome our first groups from Celbridge and from Killarney this March. We will also be teaming up with Original Irish Hotels to roll out unique Camino experiences to include Glendalough, St. Mullins, Ardmore, Gougane Barra and Dingle later in 2022. You can contact Phil and Elaine directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    • Posted in Phils Blog |

    In the falling of the wave

    Waves are inspiring
    Not because they rise and fall
    But that each time they fall
    They never fail to rise again.
    (Josh Billings)

    I’ve been spending a little time in my hometown of Gorey lately. It’s has been great to connect again with people I may not have seen for years. Where you grow up never quite leaves you. It becomes part of who you are. The loop around the local town park has a magnetic draw now every bit as much as it did then. The unscripted chats with familiar faces along the way carry you back to a time you had never really left behind. So much has changed, yet here, in the town I still call home, so much remains the same. The ebb and flow of life has a peculiar way of bringing you right back to where we started.

    There’s an elemental solidarity that kicks in when you meet a lifelong friend. Now that we’re free to mingle again, the simplest of encounters have taken on a whole new meaning – a day at the races, a meal together, a walk on the beach, a glass of vino or two. The chats invariably drift into recalling the days of youth as though they were yesterday. No matter what has happened in between, nothing dims the value we place on each other. Few of us have cruised through life unscathed. We’ve had days when we’ve glided the wave, others when our hopes came crashing down around us. Conflicting currents have led us to where we are now. With years comes wisdom. There are things we all wish we could have done differently. There’s a code between friends that needs no words… a loyalty too!

    I loved growing up so close to the sea. Courtown, as a child, was our very own exotic paradise; sun drenched beaches, the amusements, the walks in from Ardamine to the harbour for our weekly chips and can of club orange – one taste of the sea breeze years later and you could still smell the vinegar. I remember working on the ghost trains in my teenage years. No one warned me on my first day to keep my feet off the track when it came to slowing down the returning train. It was grand if there was only one or two on board – an entire family – let’s just say I limped home that night not sure whether to laugh or to cry. I think the laughter won out. I’d still be likely to do the same. Sur God love me!

    Last Sunday, we took my mam out to the harbour for a stroll and a cuppa. We were lulled seawards by the sound of waves rolling into shore. It was beautiful. In her daylight reverie, Mam retrieved from somewhere deep within stories of people she often met on her early visits to this seaside resort. There are faces mam knew she would no longer see; Eric and Maureen Willoughby from ‘The Taravie’, Robbie Mac. From ‘The 19th’, Vincent Browne from ‘The Courtown Hotel’ and so many more – all hard working, all kind, all who created a space that put a value on everyone who came through their doors. Mam had ran a pub and restaurant for most of her life. Their ilk is of a kind that cannot be found so easily these days. Some people leave imprints on the sands of time no tide can erase.

    Mam insisted we close our eyes and take a moment to soak in the stillness. We followed her lead. It was a precious time. There we were, side by side, small, tiny, miniature creatures alongside a vast expanse of limitless ocean that eased out far beyond where the eye could see. Wave after wave rolled to shore in a timeless reminder that we are part of something far greater than ourselves. Each wave carried a goal in life that I could never have reached on my own; my days as a teacher in Waterford, the Movies@Gorey project that I rolled out over a decade ago, our tours and concerts with The Peace Choir, the 4 years of research and subsequent thesis for my PhD – all leading to the journey Elaine and I have embarked on with Waterford Camino Tours. In the moment I felt gratitude for the life force that sent me here and for the people in my life that have made it all possible.

    It was getting cooler now and it was time to go. The light re-appeared between parting clouds as if to nod us gently in the direction of home. I remembered a time some 20 years previously when it was not so easy. Storm clouds gathered then in a way I could never have imagined. February 12th, 2002 jolted my life into the unknown and I still feel the tremors. I was in a foreign land with nowhere to turn. I knew instantaneously that my life would never be quite the same again. And so it proved. The calm persona on the outside conceals a deeper, more fragile, truth. It has taken me a few years to find my voice again. Our past does not define us; it helps us place a value on what really matters. Those who judge from the wings have no idea. They do not shape what you can still become.

    This moment by the sea was strangely cathartic. Little did my mam know what I was re-living. Elaine sensed it. It was like stepping outside myself for a moment and watching all that happened pass before me in the prism of my mind’s eye like flickered reels on an old film. My life is very different now and so am I. I know that I am where I am today thanks to the people I have around me. They have been my rock. They never stopped believing in me even when I was most inclined to doubt myself. They have guided me when my own coordinates became dimmed. Human kindness has the power to reach you at the deepest of levels and turn your life around.

    To swim against the waves is an impossible task, but, if you can manage to, you will reach a shoreline beyond your wildest dreams. Many of you carry burdens far greater than I ever will. Hang on in there no matter what the world thinks. You are a child of the universe, no less than the waves at sea, you have every right to be here. Your story matters. God is love and those who trust in love want for nothing. When you’re feeling like you have nothing left to give, remember the challenges you have pulled through to be where you are now, the setbacks you have overcome, the battles you have won. The journey through life can test you to the limits, I know, but still with courage, you learn to catch the wave again as if for the very first time.

    Here I am again, walking in circles around the shore.
    Lost after I found the truth,
    Heart turned upside down once more.
    The sound of the waves are healing,
    covering what the pain is revealing.
    The sand cushions my footsteps
    so that they may take me,
    and help me open the next door.
    (Renee Rentmeester)

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are looking forward leading groups from the States, Norway, Britain and Ireland on our signature ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ over the coming months in association with Cahir House Hotel and Mount Melleray Abbey along with our ‘Celtic Camino in Ireland’s South East’ in association with The Tower Hotel, Waterford. We welcome our first groups from Celbridge and from Killarney this March. We will also be teaming up with Original Irish Hotels to roll out unique Camino experiences to include Glendalough, St. Mullins, Ardmore, Gougane Barra and Dingle later in 2022. You can contact Phil and Elaine directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    • Posted in Phils Blog |

    Time to rise again

    ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well… for there is a force of love
    moving through the universe that holds us fast and will never let us go.’
    (Mother Julian, 14th Century)

    It is time to re-boot the system and get up and going again. We can start planning without the fear that we may have to go it alone. The Camino of life is all about company and without it the path seems that bit more obscure. We’ve felt isolation like never before. If we’ve learned anything from this time it’s that human connection is everything – we need people on the journey. We now emerge from the fog a little wiser for what we have been through. It is not a time to look back. It is time to re-set our coordinates, to re-imagine, to dare to believe all over again.

    This time 20 years ago, I had just returned to teaching in Waterford. I’d managed our family business, the ‘64’ Lounge and Restaurant, in Gorey, Co. Wexford for 2 years but wanted to get back to a career I loved. Up to then, my life was cruising nicely at low altitude. There was little turbulence to throw me off course. I worked hard and lived for my chosen profession. In an instant, all changed. It was tough. I stumbled onwards in the dark no longer sure of my bearings. I felt alone in a world I could no longer understand. A light seeped through the ethereal sky to guide me on my way. Friends carried me when my own spirit began to wane. I had to find a courage I had not known before. Sometimes, you need to reach into the depths before you can rise again.

    We co-write the script of our destiny. The Camino of life does not follow a pre-determined course. It adapts to all that happens along the way. How we respond to those times when we’re tested most can make or break us. It can be easy to retreat, to withdraw into ourselves, to turn back. When the struggle is real, rest awhile and go easy. Keep believing in you. We are made of the same stuff of the universe, stardust even, a creative force that endures to the last. The power you need lies within. It’s there you come face to face with who you are. From somewhere deep inside you find the courage to get up and go again.

    Your attitude will determine where you go from here. It can be easier to gravitate right back to the familiar and miss out on the opportunities this time presents. How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. If you’re not happy, re-set your bearings. If there’s something you’re itching to do, go out there and do it. Visualise, even dream, suspend your thinking for a while and allow your deepest instincts take over, draft a plan, then go for it. This first step, choosing a goal and sticking to it, changes everything. Choose wisely!

    Life reverberates to a new beat when we surrender to the unknown. Here, on the periphery, we sense we are not alone. The outdoors offer refuge beyond the reach of a busy world. No matter how great the torment, nature, in all its wild abandon, reminds us that all will be well. The oceans roll into shore with melodic ease as crimson skies unfurl the promise of a new day. A walk along the river bank, or stroll across the headland, or swim in the sea, or cycle on the Greenway, or trail along an ancient path… all have the power to re-connect you to source as if for the very first time. Natures way is the only way!

    Anthony de Mello tells the story of the Sannyasi, or wise one, and the precious stone… The Sannyasi had reached the outskirts of the village and settled down under a tree for the night when a villager came running up to him and said ‘Master, I have left my people and travelled here in the hope that you might give me the precious stone that will change my fortunes for evermore.’ The Sannyasi looked at the man, somewhat bemused, and stayed silent. The villager sensed his confusion and sought to clarify. ‘Last night the Lord Shiva appeared to me in a dream and told me that if I went to the outskirts of the village at dusk, I should find a Sannyasi who would give me a precious stone that would make me rich forever.’ The Sannyasi rummaged in his bag and pulled out a stone. ‘He probably meant this one’, as he handed the stone over to the villager. ‘I found it on a forest path some days ago. You can certainly have it.’ The man gazed at the stone in wonder. It was a diamond; larger than any precious stone he had seen before. He took the diamond and walked away. All night he tossed about in bed unable to sleep. Next day at the crack of dawn he woke the Sannyasi and said, ‘Give me the wealth that makes it possible for you to give this diamond away so easily’.

    Have a look around and see the ‘Sannyasi’ or wise ones who have made the deepest impact on your life. Often they’re the ones who work quietly below the radar. They do not act for show. They have known adversity and yet rise and rise again with stoic courage. Their wisdom lies camouflaged in the silence of their witness. They have unravelled the layers and have discovered for themselves the noblest truth of all – kindess is everything. They embody the spirit of the sacred word. Their love is of a kind that transcends time and space, creeds and ideologies. Their sense of fun, even when the struggle is great, is infectious. Time with them is like a balm for the soul; accepting, reassuring and such fun. You leave their presence all the better for the experience, knowing deep down you can still be the person they never stopped believing in. The truest diamond shines from within.

    I want to leave the last word this month to Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s whose book ‘To Speak for the Trees’ is uplifting and thought provoking in equal measure. Diana’s lineage can be traced back to the Beresfords of Curraghmore Estate in West Waterford but her path in life was very much shaped by events beyond the sanctuary of her surrounds. She was orphaned as a child and could so easily have been sent to the Magdalene Laundries. Instead, the O’ Donoghue elders in West Cork, from her mother’s side of the family, took her under their wing and Diana became the last ward under the Brehon Laws. Over the course of three summers, she was taught the Celtic triad of mind, body and soul, rooted in a vision of nature that values trees and forests as fundamental to human survival and spirituality. Diana became a prodigiously gifted scientist and ecological visionary who has challenged people the world over to see the universe in a whole new light.

    ‘To Speak for the Trees’ is full on inspiring anecdotes. One of note describes the day of the ‘field experiment’ when she and one of the elders, Pat, were left to harvest and entire field with no access to a tractor. With the inclement weather fast approaching, and the imminent threat it posed to the harvest, Pat and Diana devised a plan; his job to scythe the field one row at a time, hers to bind the sheaves and then arrange them into pyramid shape that kept the heads off the ground, so that the barley grain could dry and cure in the air. Inch by inch, row by row, they made it. The harvest was gathered before the sun went down on the day. It became a defining moment in Diana’s life…

    ‘It taught me the most valuable lesson of my life. Looking out on the field that morning, I didn’t believe
    we could finish the cut. It was too big a job and I was too small a helper. But because I love Pat and…
    because I loved that crop of barley and couldn’t stand to see it spoiled, I was prepared to try. I took a deep
    breath and a first step and both eventually led me to the knowledge that I was capable of things bigger
    than I’d imagined. I think every child, every person, should have an experience like the field experiment,
    something that thrusts them down a road they don’t think they can ever reach the end of – for love of
    themselves and other people and the world. When they eventually come to their destination, they will
    realise that even the impossible can be accomplished if you’re willing to take the first step and give it
    everything you’ve got. And then, like me, they will know they can do anything.’
    (Diana Beresford-Kroeger)

    Dr. Phil Brennan and Elaine are adding new Camino experiences to our existing range of offerings from March 2022. We are looking forward leading groups from the States, Norway, Britain and Ireland on our signature ‘Celtic Camino in the steps of St Declan’ in association with Cahir House Hotel and Mount Melleray Abbey along with our ‘Celtic Camino in Ireland’s South East’ in association with The Tower Hotel, Waterford. We will also be teaming up with Original Irish Hotels to roll out unique Camino experiences to include Glendalough, St. Mullins, Ardmore, Gougane Barra and Dingle. You can contact Phil and Elaine directly on info@waterfordcamino.com

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    Silent Night – the magic of Christmas

    Christmas time has its own magical allure. The lights, the gifts, the music, the myriad of sporting spectacles beamed live to our sitting rooms, the gatherings among family and friends, the scent of the turkey roasting in the oven, the frenzied shopping, the carnival atmosphere in town; all combine to create something wonderfully festive that eases us almost unknowingly through the dreariness of the Irish winter. Now, as the year rolls to a close, a faint glow makes its presence felt. The star still shines, oft’ hidden and unnoticed, to light the way.

    ‘Silent Night’ carries us back to where it all began. The poignant lilt of harmonies along with unadorned lyrics draw us deeper into the wonder of the Christmas story. This age-old carol has the power to stop us in our tracks. I’ve seen an elderly woman in a coma in a nursing home momentarily re-awaken and join us in song, noticed hardened men drawn to a space they thought they had left behind, viewed children by the crib transported on a musical odyssey back to the manger in Bethlehem, watched a homeless woman cradle the infant child while melodic notes from carol singers close by took on a meaning only she knew.

    Christmas without ‘Silent Night’ would feel incomplete. Over the past 40 years, it has been the one constant for me in the build up to Christmas. We’ve had to cancel a concert in Christ Church, Dublin this year, our visits to local nursing homes and our annual ‘Carols for our times’ in the Edmund Rice Chapel. In these strangest of times, it’s the one part of Christmas I’ll miss the most. ‘Silent Night’ is a warm balm on the coldest of Winter nights. We’ll appreciate it all the more when we do get back.

    The origin of this timeless carol is worth remembering. In 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the Austrian Alps. On December 23rd, they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg, where they were to re-enact the story of Christ’s birth in the small Church of St. Nicholas. Given that the church organ was out of commission and would not be repaired before Christmas, the actors decided to present their version of the Christmas story in a private home.

    One of audience, assistant pastor Josef Mohr, was inspired to reflect anew on the meaning of Christmas. Instead of walking straight to his house that night, Mohr took a longer way home. His fateful Camino took him up over a hill overlooking the village. He stopped to survey the peaceful, snow-drenched citadel of light below. Reveling in the majestic silence of the wintry night, Mohr gazed down at the glowing Christmas card-like scene. Time past and present froze in creative fusion. He intuitively adapted a poem he had written years previously to the play he had just seen.

    Mohr enlisted the help of his friend, church organist Franz Xaver Gruber, to compose a musical setting for the poem that could sound well even without the church organ. Within hours they both sung ‘Stille Nacht’ at their Christmas Eve service before the small congregation in Oberndorf with the accompaniment of a guitar. It was beautifully understated, magical.

    Christmas 1914 on the battlefields of Messines brings us face to face with the power of this simple carol. Picture the scene. Young men and boys sunk in the blemished mud of Flemish and French trenches, ears reverberating to the terrifying sounds of shells exploding before them with a deafening defiance – scarcely imaginable to spectators from afar. Germans on one side; the French, British and Irish on the other. Between them, ‘no man’s land’ littered with the spoils of war, a sordid premonition of the fate in store for up to 13,000 soldiers a day.

    Yet, amidst the chaos, hope simmered fleetingly on the horizon. The German soldiers were sent Christmas trees from home and placed them above their trenches, numbing the oppressive doom that enveloped them. A strange confluence of dark and light rose from the shadowy mire. The luminous trail extended for miles, a seamless halo from afar that transfigured the wretched landscape. The soldiers were moved. They remembered their loved ones back home.

    They momentarily forgot where they were. And then the German tenor sang ‘Stille Nacht’. Soldiers from both sides fearlessly opted to leave the relative sanctuary of the trenches and embraced their ‘foe’ as their own. Stories were told, cigarettes smoked, brandy consumed, even a football match was played. Once hostile voices merged as one in common humanity.

    A young British soldier, Albert Moren, near La Chapelle D’Armentieres, France, recalled: “It was a beautiful moonlit night, frost on the ground, white almost everywhere; and… there was a lot of commotion in the German trenches and then there were those lights – I don’t know what they were. And then they sang ‘Stille Nacht’ – ‘Silent Night’. I shall never forget it. It was one of the highlights of my life.”

    Against the bleakest of backdrops, a spark was lit and the shroud lifted. Humanity had become participants in the nativity story 1914 years on revealing the face of the infant Jesus to the world. Their song echoes in the stillness of the night. Hidden in the silhouette, their hushed murmurings can still be heard. Echoes from afar whisper softly through veiled skies. The men of 1914 did not just remember the first Christmas; they lived out its meaning.

    I was privileged to travel to Messines in December 2014 with The Island of Ireland Peace Choir to pay homage in song to the young men of the Christmas Truce on the 100th anniversary. It was deeply humbling to see the graves of two Irishmen side by side in one of the tiny cemeteries scattered across the furrowed fields. On one headstone: 24th of December 1914, Private Delaney; on the other, 29th of December 1914, Private Murphy. In between… the Christmas Truce. Something timeless spilled out onto the battlefield that silent night that must never be forgotten. Sleep in heavenly peace.

    One person made a deep impression on all of us privileged to meet her. Marie -Therese’s home overlooks the site of the Christmas Truce and for the previous 80 plus years of her life has welcomed visitors with tea and cakes as a token of her appreciation of the journeys they had made. She knew the significance of all that had happened on this hallowed land not too many years before she was born and understood the need to remember. Marie-Therese beamed with delight when we sang ‘Danny Boy’ for her on a pathway alongside her home. Her smile touched us all. She radiated warmth of a precious kind. Their spirit lives on through her.

    At the end of our concert that evening, we chose to give our Waterford Crystal vase to Marie-Therese, and not to the local dignitaries, much to the delight of almost everyone in the audience. We could see in her beautiful simplicity, in her resilient smile, in her resolute kindness proof of the power of human goodness to triumph even in those very situations that threaten its existence. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore. Maybe, therein lies the message of Christmas.

    Phil and Elaine would like to wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas and everything you wish for in 2022. We look forward to leading visitors from near and far on our Camino trails in Waterford, Glendalough, St. Mullins, Gougane Barra and Dingle over the coming year. For further information, check out our website on waterfordcamino.com or email us directly at info@waterfordcamino.com