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Tag: weekend cycling

  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on July 12, 2018
  • Posted in Phils Blog |

    Bright bright sun shiny days

    Who would have thought we would have days like these? The landscape is tinged with a golden hue as the crimson light sets seawards each evening. We on the shoreline are lulled into a balmy calm. In the glow, the ordinary becomes magical again. Sand becomes the stuff of dreams for the curious child, the sea sparkles in azure blue enticing even the most reluctant swimmer to take that leap. There’s a buzzing fly hangin’ around the bluebells and the daisies…

    Visitors on our Caminos in Waterford have loved the sunshine. There’s an extra spring in the step even under the midday sun. Light radiates energy and we all feed off it. The eclectic shades of attractions here in Waterford are all the more resplendent on a sunny day; mountains, greenway, sea, woods, gardens, cycle routes. Pool them together, add sunshine, and you have something unique.

    Waterford always had spell-binding walks and trails but somehow everything seems so much more accessible now. Once separate entities are starting to see the bigger picture and work together. Collaboration is the name of the game and in everyone’s interest. There is a seismic movement at play in how tourism is evolving and all involved need to read the signs. Visitors are looking for something different, something outdoor that invigorates the spirit. Waterford does not disappoint. It has so many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.

    There is something so refreshingly positive about the Waterford Greenway experience. We’ve started to blend a Greenway cycle into our Waterford Camino experience and our visitors love it. Starting from the Durrow Carpark at O’ Mahony’s, we cycle at a leisurely pace into Dungarvan and take time to absorb all that we survey along the way. Life feels good as you rest the limbs over lunch and take in all that this beautiful town has to offer.

    As you cycle, you leave the world as you know it and are transported to a different space, a sphere beyond our normal consciousness. Adjusting to the radiant hues as we leave the dimmed enchantment of Durrow Tunnel behind, surveying the panoramic vista that awaits us as we free wheel towards Clonea, witnessing the feverish excitement of children as they take this magical odyssey for the first time… you feel privileged simply to be part of it all.

    The trail up through Crough Woods to the Mahon Falls has left deep imprints on those who have shared the Camino with us. It’s a walk that not too many know about yet it has everything. It’s a gradual 4 km. climb from the base of the woods up to the Mahon Falls above and you know you are alive when you reach the top. Nature bares its soul as you meander your way upwards to source.

    In the dark, the eye begins to see – so true of this walk, so true of life! The soothing sound of the waters rolling downstream provides the perfect backdrop to this adventure. We are shielded in the shade as the light glimmers through on occasion. It is a world apart. In the stillness, all that once defined us is left behind. The water flows by, unwavering in its course, reminding us of what is yet to come.

    When we emerge, an amphitheatre of age old rock opens of before us. There’s a subliminal symmetry to it all – sheep, mountains, rocky hillsides… and the water cascades downwards to the awaiting ocean as it has done for millions of years. You sense you are enveloped in something timeless.

    The arrival at the Falls completes all that we have experienced en route. The journey matters but reaching the destination is in itself spectacular. It’s great to take a seat on a rock and soak your feet in the streams below and take time to absorb the wonder of it all. No medication could have the same impact!

    It’s always good to return to the shore on sunny days. It’s like a tropical oasis out in Newtown Cove at the moment. It has a magnetic draw for people of all ages. Some of our visitors have loved the swim, others prefer to stand on the headland above and take in the mesmerizing view across Tramore Bay. Once you get over the fear of taking that plunge, the thrill kicks in. Children, grandparents, lovers, friends face down their demons and jump. The rush of adrenaline on impact shocks the body back to life. Re-charged and re-booted, you’re ready for the world again!

    These simple delights are what make life worth living. The light is glimmering in ways we may not have noticed before. A cycle, a walk through shaded trees, a jump in the sea, a paddle in a stream – our parents and their parents before them have been doing it for years. In a round-about way, we are returning to the ways of old in our search for something new – something free. Here beyond the narrowed walls of digital illusion, we experience the world with our own eyes rather than through the lens of others.

    Moments on the Camino remind us that we are not alone, that we are part of something greater. Miniature and all as our life may appear in the universal scheme of things, what each of us do now actually matters. Starting today, learn more, laugh more and do what you truly love to do. The destination is not what matters. The point is making the most of every step in between.

    Stillness is the stepping stone to peace. In the rush to compete and achieve, we can easily pass over the smaller, more incidental moments in life. Greek poet Constantine Cavafy said the following of Homer’s epic odyssey to the island of Ithaca, words that echo as much today as they did in 1911 when first penned:

    “When you set out for Ithaca ask that your way may be long, full of adventure and full of instruction. Have Ithaca always in your mind. Your arrival there is what you are destined for. But do not hurry the voyage at all. It is better to let it last for years; and even to anchor at the isle when you are old, rich with all that you have gained on the way, not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches. Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage. Without her you would never have taken the road”

    Since our last post, Elaine and I have enjoyed our special wedding day among family and friends. We know that wherever our path takes us, we will gravitate towards light, laughter, music, family and friends… a great combo! I’ll finish this week with the uplifting sounds of Liam O’ Maonlai who honoured us with his presence and his music on our wedding day. 

    For further information on Waterford Camino, contact Phil and Elaine on info@waterfordcamino.com

    Special thanks to… Aisling Gordon for the wedding photos on video, Colin French for the drone footage and editing and to the Hot House Flowers for the music.

    Tags: Abbey Travel, all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, Audely, Aviva Stadium, bike hire, Camino, Comeragh, Cork, creedon lodge, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, cycling holidays, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, edmund rice, europe, failte ireland, fishing, GB, Greenway, high hopes choir, hurling, Intercruises, Irelands Ancient East, Joe Walsh Tours, leisure cycling, Mahon Falls, Mahon River, reflexion, strand inn, tourism ireland, tours, USA, walking, Waterford, Waterford in your pocket, weekend, weekend cycling, wellbeing, yoga |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on May 21, 2018
  • Posted in Phils Blog |

    They’ll be days like this

    Sometimes images can say more than words. This month’s blog is simply a collage of photos from our Caminos over the past few weeks along with a poem from one of our visitors. Hope you like them!

    Mahon Falls Trail
    Crough Woods Trail
    Waterford Greenway

    We’ve been blessed to have shared the Camino with many great people, each with their own unique story and personality. We’ve laughed and we’ve sang together as we walked onwards. One of them, Eileen Linehan, put pen to paper on her return to Carlow to reflect on her Camino experience with our small group of 7 people in Waterford. Your words Eileen say more than I ever could. Thank you!

    Camino Days – Waterford May ’18

    Mother and Father God,
    Creator of earth, sea and sky,
    we breathe and
    embrace your fullness
    with our every step.

    Smiling sunshine warms our waiting yearning hearts
    Strains of bird-song grace expectant ears.
    Bluebelled woodland paths lead us on our way
    Daisyed grasses brighten our trail
    Lace-like leafy branches arch a mantle above us
    Felled tree trunks lure us to sit awhile
    Majestic mountains raise us to new heights
    Cascading waters caress our dipped feet
    Crystal raindrops cleanse our every pore
    Perfumed gardens delight our senses
    Cliff edged jaunts challenge us to trust
    Passing clouds snatch any lingering gloom
    Myriad of coloured landscapes, hidden harbours,
    gorsed groves, smooth sands and rugged rock
    urge us to continue onwards and upwards.

    Swish of breeze
    flow of wave and
    rustle of leaf
    breathe your Spirit ever closer
    as we
    trek and trudge
    journey and joke
    gather and gaze
    commune and climb
    marvel and muse
    wander and wonder
    pause and ponder
    retreat and reflect
    in hollowed and hallowed places.

    Sacred chants of chapel alert us
    to the harmonious melodies
    God is composing with our lives.

    We are replenished now.
    Treasures around us
    reawaken us to
    the Treasure within.

    Blessed in our companioned journeying
    but not broken,
    we are
    rebirthed and reconfirmed.
    Last suppers together beckon us
    to relive and remember.

    (Eileen Linehan)

    Dunmore East Trail
    Boatstrand
    Dunmore East Trail

    This is the start of a very significant week for Elaine and myself as our wedding day fast approaches. It is an exciting time and one that makes us very aware of the people who have shared the journey with us over the years, some alongside, some close by in spirit.

    Want to leave this month’s blog with an excerpt from Emma Hannigan’s ‘Letters to my daughters’ before her untimely passing. Her lines inspire at the deepest of levels. ‘Til next month, we’ll leave the last word with Emma…

    “Life is so precious, we never know the day or the hour that it will be whipped away. So fill your days with as much happiness as you can muster.
    Stay away from the drains. We all know them. They’re the people who pull the good out of everything. The ones who suck beauty from things and change colour to black and white. Leave them fester. I think they secretly enjoy being grim.
    Instead, gravitate towards light and laughter – like a moth to a flame remembering not to get your pretty wings burnt. You’ll like it better there I promise.
    Until we meet again, may all that is good and decent be yours.”

    (Emma Hannigan, ‘Letters to my daughters’)

    Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens
    The Copper Coast
    Waterford Greenway, Ballyvoyle Tunnel

    Dr. Phil Brennan gives motivational talks to community groups across Ireland. He and his fiancée Elaine invite you to share in one of their specially tailored Caminos through Waterford County during 2018. The Waterford Camino experience blends walks/cycles, motivational talks and music.

    For further information, check out our website on www.waterfordcamino.com or email directly at info@waterfordcamino.com

    Tags: all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, Camino, Carlow, Comeragh, Cork, creedon lodge, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, cycling holidays, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, failte ireland, Greenway, Hannigan, high hopes choir, hiking, Irelands Ancient East, Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens, leisure cycling, Mahon Falls, Mahon River, Peter McVerry Trust, reflexion, River Suir, spirit, strand inn, tourism ireland, tours, USA, Visit Waterford, walking, Waterford, Waterford Greenway, Waterford in your pocket, weekend, weekend cycling, wellness |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on April 23, 2018
  • Posted in Phils Blog, Uncategorized |

    No road is long with good company.

    No road is long with good company.

    “Setting out is not covering miles of land or sea, or travelling faster than the speed of light. It is first and foremost opening ourselves to other people, trying to get to know them, going out to meet them… It is possible to travel alone, but the good traveler knows that the journey is human life and life needs company.” (Dom Helder Camara)

    Our recent Caminos to the far outposts of Waterford’s idyllic countryside have reminded us that sharing a journey with people you may never have known previously can be such an uplifting experience. Everyone has their own story, often buried deep within. On the Camino, the pace changes, and we who stand still at moments on our way lie suspended between what has gone before and what is yet to come. In the calm, we begin to see more clearly.   

    It’s good to take time to listen, to absorb the experiences of others, to soak in the wisdom they have gathered along their path in life. It is humbling to occupy this shared space with people we have come to know as friends. Chatting as we walk, we discover our common humanity.

    One traveller, Dennis, had a very gentle presence on our trails, always offering the encouraging word, and, with each new step, he became a guiding sage to those who walked alongside. Excerpts from a note he sent on his return to Dublin reveal just how much his Camino Experience meant to him.

    “We arrived at the Tower Hotel in Waterford shortly after 12:30 on a cool, blustery Wednesday afternoon and we set off on a walking tour of the Viking Triangle. We journeyed back in time through Waterford’s oldest city passing the Viking Longboat permanently sited next to Reginald’s Tower and the 85 foot long Viking sword magically sculptured from a fallen tree. The sword was stunning in both its scale and its detail. The Viking origins of this city were etched in wood before our eyes. Mesmerising!…

    “Our personalised guided tour with the captivating Donnchadh through Waterford Treasures museum was topped off by an Irish Tapas Experience in the 15th Century Mayors Wine Vault. The past and present merged in that moment. Maybe the wine helped. But the hushed tones of the music in this historic setting transported me to a new space. It is amazing to think that from this very building Mayor James Rice set sail to do the Camino de Santiago on 2 occasions in the late 1400s. Now, over half a millennium later, we had become the new wave of pilgrims…

    “We took our first steps on the Waterford Greenway and followed the old railway line to the Suir Estuary. Early morning sunrise, waters glimmering, birds chirping and cyclists passing… it stirred something in me. The reflective ‘compass points’ led by Phil brought solace to all of us seeking inner peace and enlightenment…

    “Then it was time to take a trail off the Greenway up the Comeraghs to a desolate reserve of stark natural beauty that I never knew existed. I couldn’t believe somewhere so barren could be so invigorating. As we gazed at the towering presence of the Mahon Falls and listened to the water cascading downstream, we stood still in awesome wonder. We paused to take it all in, surveyors of a mystical world that stretched out to the sea below.

    Wordsworth once described poetry as a spontaneous overflow of powerful emotion. My wife Anne’s recollection of Brightly Rand’s lyrics were just that!  “And you are so great, and I am so small, I tremble to think of you, World, at all; And yet when I said my prayers today, A whisper inside me seemed to say, ‘you are more than the earth, though such a dot: You can love and think, and the Earth cannot.”…

    “The heat from the fire and the cuppa at O’ Mahony’s Pub was just what the doctor ordered. We re-joined the Waterford Greenway and made our way to the ‘golden mile’. The haunting stillness of Durrow Tunnel spoke to each one of us in different ways. Step by step, we moved steadily from darkness to light. The abundant foliage that greeted us soothed our senses beyond belief. Echoes of the deeper kind tend to linger…

    “The next day’s trip to Dunmore East was equally memorable. The wind was very blustery but the rain stayed away as we huddled together under Dunmore East Lighthouse to hear Phil read a reflection before starting our walk which began on the 18 foot high wall that protects the harbour pier from the rolling seas. 

    We paused for a few moments by the ‘Lost at Sea Memorial Wall’. In silence, we remembered and prayed for the multitudes who were never to return home. The enchanting walk through the woods was something that came as a surprise. To have such a peaceful trail in the heart of the village is wonderfully peculiar to this quaint seaside village.

    At the start of the Cliff Walk, we surveyed the amazing panorama that opened up before our eyes. Again, the vastness of it all, matched by the roar of the raging seas, was a humbling reminder that we are part of something greater than ourselves. In that space, on that day, we felt privileged spectators to something beyond us played out before our eyes…

    “We enjoyed our sumptuous dinner together in the Tower Hotel on our return. A group hug in the foyer of the hotel afterwards signified the end to what had been a most satisfying and therapeutic experience for us all, the best of which was the friendship we had all created with one another.

    We came seeking a few days of enlightened relaxation in the company of experts. We were not disappointed. Dr. Phil and Elaine are unassumingly wise and alert to what really matters. They both love what they do and their enthusiasm is infectious. We are looking forward to joining them again next year.”

    No gratuities were passed on to Dennis for his kind words!! Joking apart, Dennis’ reflections sum up the enduring appeal of the Camino. There is a hunger out there for something different, for a temporary break from the treadmill of life to take time to re-charge. The ingredients are simple; beautiful trails, aesthetic vistas, stillness, reflective ‘compass points’, music and above all friendship. Mix these together and the magic happens. We do love what we do. At a significant time for both of us, it’s lovely to be open to what each new day brings.

    I’ll finish with a wee text message that I just received from someone who was on our latest Camino last week. Thanks to the people who have shared the Waterford Camino with us. Ye have instilled in us a belief that the road less travelled may well lead us to where we want to be. For now, we are loving the journey.

    “A huge heartfelt thanks to you both for the most enjoyable three day Waterford Camino experience last week. It was such excellent value but so much more than that; spiritual, connected with nature and with the rest of the group and so much fun. This 70 year old found the walks very ‘do-able’, returning home energetically uplifted beyond expectation. The sing song on the bus was great. You both put your whole heart and soul into it making it so successful. Wishing you all the luck in the world on your future Caminos in life and in business. Love and blessings. Rosemary.”

    Special thanks to Dennis and Anne Reynaud, Lucan, Co. Dublin and to Rosemary Smith, Longwood, Co. Meath for their contributions. Featured image, Capture Me Photography by David O’Sullivan, Ballinakill Shopping Centre, Waterford City.

    Dr. Phil Brennan and his fiancée Elaine invite you to share in one of their specially tailored Caminos through Waterford County during 2018. The Waterford Camino experience blends walks/cycles, motivational talks and music.

    For further information, check out our website on waterfordcamino.com or email directly at info@waterfordcamino.com

     

     

    Tags: all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, Aviva Stadium, bike hire, Bishops palace, Camino, Capture me photography, carvings, Comeragh, Comeragh Coaches, creedon lodge, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, cycling holidays, David O'Sullivan, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, europe, failte ireland, Greenway, Greenway Man, Irelands Ancient East, Japanese Gardens, leisure cycling, Mahon Falls, Mahon River, mayor, Museum of Treasures, Neville Group Hotels, Peter McVerry Trust, reflexion, River Suir, Special Branch, strand inn, sword, The Vee Bistro, tourism ireland, tours, Tower Hotel, undercroft, USA, vault, Viking Triangle, Viking Trust, walking, Waterford, Waterford in your pocket, weekend, weekend cycling, wellbeing |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on March 23, 2018
  • Posted in Phils Blog, Uncategorized |

    An oasis of calm… Dunmore East

    An oasis of calm… Dunmore East

    44_ Dunmore East Pano

    The space shuttle uses more fuel during its first 3 minutes after takeoff than it requires for the remainder of its orbit around the entire earth. The magnetic pull of the world takes great energy to overcome. So true of the space shuttle, so true of our lives! It’s easier sometimes to get drawn into the ways of the world than to open our eyes to what really matters. We do not need to soar to the galaxies beyond to appreciate the wonders of the universe. Star dust lies speckled in the land around us beyond the gaze of a busy mind.

    IMG_7769 (1)Places of amazing peace and beauty draw us into the vast expanse of mystery. When we ease the rhythmic cadence of our lives, we begin to observe what we may not have noticed before. Water cascading against the rocks at high tide, the warm embrace of light as we leave the dimmed enchantment of the woods behind, flowers daring to show their face across snow-drenched headland, the shimmering glow of the ocean as the sun sets… all soothe the rumblings within and ease us into an unknown world. Dunmore East, more than anywhere I know, does it for me!

    It takes time to soak in the unique charm and character of this unspoiled piece of Ireland… to become enchanted by this magical place. The spell-binding beauty of Dunmore East has a mesmeric way of slowing the pulse right down. Long before recorded history, people lived in this hallowed corner of Ireland’s Ancient East. They fished the seas and tilled the land to sustain them through the ravages of the seasons. Its name can be traced to a promontory fort built during the Iron Age referred to by local inhabitants then as Dún Mór, the Great Fort. When you take a trail in Dunmore East, you walk quite simply in the footsteps of those who have gone before.

    Dunmore East Cliff WalkingThe Dunmore East Cliff Walk lulls us unknowingly into a mystical space. This ancient 3 km. trail meanders its way from the harbour to Portally Cove across a recently cleared pathway. Many proud locals have worked hard to make this possible. Generations to come can now follow the trail of their ancestors. Below the cliff lies inlets and smugglers’ caves carved out of conglomerate red sandstone, known locally as “pudding sandstone”, which was used to construct the harbour from 1814. Here, the senses are stirred into life and are embalmed by the soothing embrace of the sea air.

    It’s good on occasion to simply allow time to stand still, to ease the pace of the walk, to calm the tempest of the mind and soak it all in. Energy ripples in symmetry with the dancing of the waves. What we observe leaves lasting imprints; the magical hues of the azure ocean as it laps onto the 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. In observing the waters stretch out to the distant horizon, we sense intuitively the merging of what is near with timeless echoes from afar.

    received_1615519538467142A short trip out to sea on return to the harbour completes this experience. You’d never know what you could meet as you sail out into the Bay. Dolphins, basking sharks and even whales have been spotted. Time in ‘The Keltoi Warrior’ is precious time. Brendan takes us on a voyage of discovery, sharing anecdotes on the coves and sea caves, narrowing the lens to absorb the sublime beauty of the miniscule against the towering backdrop of the cliffs. We are transported beyond our normal frontiers. It feels like a homecoming.

    received_1347502062020818The Dunmore East to Creadon Head walk is equally memorable. This beautiful trail was once the ancient “main road” from Cork to London. An easy to moderate 6 km. walk along beach, lane and field, the views are breath-taking. Forty hand-hewn steps, leading down to sea-level can still be found in the rocks. At the base of the peninsula is ‘Trá na Mná Gorm’ (The Strand of the Blue (negro) Women), giving credence to the legend that slaves were landed, or trans-shipped via the steps to far-away places. Their faint murmurings still linger as the sun descends on glistening waters.

    It’s not easy to slow down in a world that moves at pace. The key to life is balance. Exertion without rest ultimately drains the spirit and stifles our real potential. We heave our way to our next target on the treadmill of life and rarely connect to source. You see the inner world does not reveal itself cheaply. It takes time. What is on the outside compares little to what lies within. More and more people are waking up to this reality.

    FB_IMG_1508858451108The exploits of the Irish Rugby team warmed the collective hearts of a nation battling arctic conditions. They delivered a level of performance that suggested that there is even more to come from their incredible odyssey. Strength that endures is unearthed from within. We who surveyed their latest conquest knew they had gone deep into the well and retrieved all that was needed to help them achieve their common goal. Mind, body and soul in perfect synch! Such is the equilibrium we all need if we are to achieve our higher purpose.

    Nature has a way of reminding us of who we are and what we are capable of. Each one of us can tap into the storehouse of energy and resilience on the inside. No one should think so little of themselves that they fail to see their own worth. When Michelangelo was asked how he carved the beautiful statue of David in Florence, he replied, “I just saw David in the block of marble without the blemish, and I just removed everything that wasn’t David.” We too are like that uncarved block of marble. There is magnificence inside of us all; something uncrushable waiting to be sculpted into life. The legacy we leave is born from within!

    Dunmore-East-2-2015

    Our individual story is just one melodic movement in the wider symphony of the universe. No matter how small or insignificant we may appear, each one of us is part of something greater than ourselves. This is the mystery of life made simple. We all have a song to sing, a story to tell, a higher purpose to map out. There is a life force at play in the universe that can steer us on our way. Our inner compass must do the rest!

    “Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence…

    You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
    And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should…

    In the noisy confusions of life, keep peace with your soul… With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”
    (‘Desiderata’, Max Ehrmann 1927)

    FB_IMG_1500471689623Dr. Phil Brennan and his fiancée Elaine are founders of Waterford Camino Tours. They will be partnering with the Strand Inn, Dunmore East to promote a series of cycling and walking trails with the Strand Inn Log Cabins as a base for the 3 to 5 Day Camino experience.

    For further information, check out ‘Dunmore East-time for you’ or the ‘Leisure-Cycle Camino’, led by Michael Garland’ on waterfordcamino.com You can email Phil and Elaine directly on: info@waterfordcamino.com

    Tags: all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, Aviva Stadium, bike hire, Camino, cliff walk, Comeragh, Cork, Creadon Head, creedon lodge, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, cycling holidays, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, edmund rice, europe, failte ireland, Greenway, high hopes choir, hurling, Irelands Ancient East, Joe Walsh Tours, leisure, leisure cycling, Mahon Falls, Mahon River, Portally Cove, reflexion, relax, River Suir, strand inn, The Destinations Company, tourism ireland, tours, USA, viking hotel, Visit Waterford, walking, Waterford, Waterford Council, Waterford Greenway, weekend, weekend cycling, wellbeing, yoga |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on February 15, 2018
  • Posted in Phils Blog, Uncategorized |

    One step beyond…

    running-wallpaper-12-free-desktop

    One step beyond…

    “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” (Kahil Gibran)

    Very few people in life manage to cruise through unscathed. In an age of digital advancement when things can be micro managed to the minutest detail, there is a limit to what we can control. It is inevitable that we will face into the unforeseen and have to draw on inner reserves that cannot be programmed from the outside. Life can push us to the edge. These moments define who we are… and what we are to become.

    received_1359284054175952I’ve stared at darkened walls wondering would my captivity ever end. The twists and turns of our human adventure can lead us down paths we could never have imagined; some exciting, some crushing. In an instant everything can change. It takes courage to navigate through the storm and find the strength to keep going. Broken and bruised, we learn more about ourselves. We connect to something deeper… something within.

    received_1359227934181564

    I had the privilege of running the Dublin City Marathon a few years back with a guy who had his own unique way of dealing with adversity. Chris Moon had flown in from London to give a series of talks in the school I worked in and he added the marathon to his schedule last minute. He asked me to pace him through the run so that he would break the 5 hour mark. I wasn’t prepared for the rigours of the 26.2 miles but one look at him and it was hard to say no. He was very persuasive. I could sense his unflinching resolve to reach his latest goal. No matter what life threw at him, this man would endure.

    Chris lived life in the fast lane. From his days as a soldier in the British Army, he knew the importance of meeting challenges head on and overcoming them. There were no boundaries. With the right spirit, no hurdle was insurmountable. Body and mind in perfect symmetry! His time in Cambodia would test him in ways he could never have anticipated. Here he came face to face with the unknown.

    Chris had witnessed the horrors of war and the residual threat to a besieged people weighed heavily on him. The enemy remained, hidden, in furtive disguise below the rugged landscape. Retreating soldiers had desecrated the land with landmines to ensure that the spoils of war would be felt long after the fighting had ended. These explosives wrecked havoc on the lives of ordinary people. Danger lurked just one wrong step away.

    Landmine-ClearanceChris joined H.A.L.O. (Hazardous Areas Life-support Organisation) to supervise former Cambodian soldiers in the perilous task of mine clearance. Once his mission there was complete, he assumed control of large-scale clearing operation in Mozambique.

    One day, walking across a safe zone, Chris trod on a landmine buried just beyond the reach of those who had cleared it before him. He lost his lower right leg and right hand. Everything was a blur. His hopes dropped slowly in suspended animation like shrapnel from the searing explosive dimming a future that ‘til then was well within his radar. All that he had once visualised seemed beyond him. He could be forgiven for wallowing in self-pity, for conceding to the magnitude of it all. Yet, somehow, his resilience clicked into another gear. He would not be defeated!

    Chris had hisreceived_1359227887514902 prosthesis fitted, learned to walk again and within a year of leaving hospital completed the London Marathon. 2 years later, he became the first amputee to complete the Marathon de Sables; running through the Sahara Desert in scorching heat with a haversack on his back to hold his personal belongings and water supply. He regularly takes on ‘ultra-marathons’ most notably when he re-visited Cambodia to run the 700km. trek across the county to draw attention to the lingering scourge of landmines. In Chris’ new world, there are no limits.

    “The biggest limits in life are those which we impose upon ourselves. It is important that we think in a way that challenges our own concept of limitation and go beyond it.” (Chris Moon)

    Chris completed the Dublin marathon 2 minutes under the 5 hour mark he had set for himself. It was a run like no other. I was a privileged spectator to his raw, primordial courage. He felt the pain from the first mile, sweating feverishly early on as if every sinew of his being was compensating for the limbs he had lost. He dug deep. At the 13 mile mark, Chris detached the prosthesis from his thigh and proceeded to apply some vaseline to sooth the adjoining skin. A man out for his morning stroll couldn’t help but notice. Not sure who looked more startled – him or his dog!

    When he got to the finish line, Chris embraced me as if I was a long lost friend. This moment was another milestone on his own personal journey and he was going to soak it up as if it was his last. He had scaled another mountain and loved the view from the top.

    Whatever it was that propelled him forward, I wanted to tap into. His indomitable spirit stirred something in me. When my own path became obscure, his light showed me the way. It’s as though he has unravelled the layers of life and figured out what it’s all about.

    “I learned the importance of having a dream and never, ever giving up. There is a saying ‘God made the desert so that man might find his soul’…
    I believe that if we have a reason to do something that is more important than we are, then the human spirit can tolerate anything… we can all go one step beyond our limits.” (Chris Moon)man-on-mountain-top-300x221

    There is a spark within each of us that can sustain us on our journey. Where we go will ultimately be determined by our outlook. We cannot allow our deepest fears and misgivings sabotage our future. It’s so much easier to drift into the slipstream of doubt than to take decisive steps towards where you want to go in life. Only you can set your goals. Trust your inner compass then have the courage to take the first step forward. When the going gets tough, dig deep, maybe re-assess, then find a way.

    1_skqDrcziVxXh9RJ_YVXQCAOne final thought. Always leave room for providence. Hold onto your dreams and hopes with a very loose grip. Abandon the illusion of control. Do your best. Let life do the rest. Often the universe will speak to you in ways you least expect. We are a tiny yet significant chapter in an all-embracing story. The next page is for you to write. When you fight for a cause greater than yourself, you find yourself and know who you are. It is then the pieces fall into place.

    “Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path and that will make all the difference.” (Steve Jobs)

    Dr. Phil Brennan gives motivational talks to community groups across Ireland. He and his fiancée Elaine invite you to share in one of their specially tailored Caminos through Waterford County during 2018. The Waterford Camino experience blends walks/cycles, motivational talks and music.

    For further information, check out our website on waterfordcamino.com or email directly at info@waterfordcamino.com

    (Chris Moon, ‘One Step Beyond’, 1999)
    (Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech, 2005)

    Tags: active retirement Ireland, all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, Aviva Stadium, Camino, Comeragh, Cork, creacon lodge, creedon lodge, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, cycling holidays, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, edmund rice, failte ireland, GB, Greenway, high hopes choir, Irelands Ancient East, Joe Walsh Tours, leisure cycling, Mahon Falls, Mahon River, New Ross, Peter McVerry Trust, reflexion, River Suir, strand inn, The Destinations Company, tourism ireland, tours, USA, viking hotel, walking, Waterford, weekend, weekend cycling, wellbeing |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on January 22, 2018
  • Posted in Phils Blog, Uncategorized |

    ‘Where words fail, music speaks’

    ‘Where words fail, music speaks’

    We make the road by walking it. Some pathways lead to places that leave their mark long after the journey has passed. This place was altogether different. There was something surreal about it, something intangible… beyond words.

    Travelling toHoly Cross Cistercian Abbey_Krakow(2) Auschwitz with ‘The Island of Ireland Peace Choir’ was memorable on many levels. I’ve stalled from writing my reflections ‘til now as I simply could not find the words. It has left me numb, aghast at the incomprehensible scale of what happened and sickened by the depravity of it all. We paid homage to the fallen in song. Faint notes soared tremulously into the darkened sky.

    Normality on return provides its own sanctuary. Life moves on, but, somehow, all is not the same. The residual tremors echo in broken strains within the inner vault. The unfathomable lingers; vivid, compelling… incomplete. This is my feeble attempt to make sense of it all.

    We passed through the gates of Auschwitz fearful of what awaited us on the other Auschwitz Gatesside. The sun-soaked pavements lulled us unknowingly back in time. Just for that one fleeting moment, the rhythmic cadence of our steps merged in melodic symmetry with those who had gone before us. We were entering a sacred space, a resting place for all too many. Of the 1.3million Jews who had passed through Auschwitz-Birkenau only 200,000 made the return journey. Above us, emblazoned over the steal gates, the hauntingly ironic words “Arbeit macht frei’ (‘Work makes you free’).

    Over the next few hours, the horrors of the past would flash before our eyes like splintered reels on an old film – clear lines of red bricked buildings once used as a Polish military barracks, vacant eyes on the many portraits speckled across walls, the shoes, the hair, the cases, emaciated bodies… the sombre emptiness of the gas chambers. There was nowhere to turn!

    Our guide pointed to the open air auditorium where a band once entertained the inmates as they passed in and out each day – the starkest backdrop surely to a musical ensemble. The cathartic pull between spectator and performer was palpable even now over 70 years later.Auschwitz Orchestra

    The main task of the orchestra was to play during forced labour or during the march back to the camp. After their recitals, they were required to work with the other prisoners. Musicians had the advantage of being hired as on-site workers which allowed them to assemble quickly once the command came. They had no choice but to acquiesce to the cold dictates of their masters.

    Helen Niwinska, violinist in the ‘Auschwitz-Birkenau Women’s Orchestra’ recalls in her memoirs:

    “The view from the entrance of the gate was the most depressing. Though we tried to focus on playing, we could not avoid seeing and hearing what was going on. Exhausted by long hours, the working prisoners were brought in, or dragged on the ground for those who could not survive another day of their ordeal.”

    The first concert took place in January 1941, with seven prisoner musicians. By May 1942, the brass band had over 100 members and the symphonic another 71, an eclectic mix of Europe’s finest musicians, all Jewish… all playing for their lives. From deep within, they mustered the strength. Their ethereal sounds rose from the mire. 3 years later, these same musicians were still playing on the train platform in Birkenau as passengers heaved their way to an unknown fate.

    One of the hardest things for me to grasp was the weird juxtaposition between life and death, crescendo and denouement, mellowed tones and piercing cries – a strange confluence of opposites. In an odd way, the camps were beautiful; impeccable landscaping, lush greenery everywhere, blue skies, perfect reflections of sunlight, birds chirping. There was a sense of calmness, of holiness even. We were in a hallowed sanctuary and their spirit remained close by. Here, amidst the vestiges of a bygone time, you sensed you were not alone. The hushed whisperings of their mystical airs could still be heard.

    The ‘final solution’ did not just happen by chance. There was a plan, a grand disguise. The shroud of subterfuge was carefully crafted. Men, women and children no longer of value to their Nazi governors were ordered to leave their possessions in carefully delineated open bays and told to remember the number assigned to them. After their shower, they were to be repatriated up the country with their own home and land. The reality; carbon monoxide poisoning on a massive scale. Young and old alike ensnared in a web they knew nothing about.

    Auschwitz arrivalThe trains arrived into Birkenau with military precision every day. An endless chain of carriages crept eerily through the misted wood and ground to a chilling halt. Human cargo, crushed with suffocating contempt, emerged bemused and broken. Up to 5,000 people spewed on to the platform in 2 daily cycles. Mothers clasped their children tightly with unswerving love. And still the band played – their faint strains barely audible amidst the mayhem. Elie Weisel recalls: 

    “It all happened so fast. The ghetto. The deportation. The sealed cattle car. The fiery altar upon which the history of our people and the future of mankind were meant to be sacrificed.”

    Work was assigned to Jewish prisoners strong enough to withstand what was asked of them. It was their only hope of survival. The ‘Sonderkommandos’ oversaw the task of retrieving the bodies from the chambers and burning them in the adjoining ovens or in open air. Sunken heads, bowed and forlorn, doing the impossible. Incense lifted through the veil to somewhere beyond. We paused, then sang our prayer in solidarity with the persecuted:

    “Sleep, sleep tonight, and may your dreams be realised. If the thunder cloud passes rain so let it rain, rain down on him… so let it be.” (‘M.L.K.’, U2)

    We passed at pace from one barracks to the next, passive observers to an unspeakable truth – no words just silent sighs. Etched onto a shaded doorway, George Santayana’s one sentence said everything:

    “The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.”

    The world must talk, must continue to acknowledge the pain, the obliteration, the misguided ideologies – if we don’t we’re condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past. We need to honour not just the millions who died but the stoic courage of so many who persevered against the odds.

    Girl in red dress Schindlers ListI always remember the powerful image of the girl in the red dress in Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List”. The vast kaleidoscope of human displacement narrowed right down to one girl’s final odyssey. Statistics overwhelm. The human story hits home. Viktor Frankl was a Jewish doctor moved to Auschwitz with his wife Tilly in 1944. His job was to build the railway lines along with hundreds of other inmates. Each morning they’d trudge through the snow bare footed, punctuated by the piercing shudder of rifle butts when least expected. Frankl stared adversity in the face and somehow made sense of it all. In his book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ he recalls:

    “We stumbled on in the darkness, over big stones and through large puddles, along the one road leading from the camp. Anyone with very sore feet supported himself on his neighbour’s arm. Hardly a word was spoken; the icy wind did not encourage talk. Hiding his mouth behind his upturned collar, the man marching next to me whispered suddenly: ‘If our wives could see us now! I do hope they are better off in their camps and don’t know what is happening to us.’

    That brought thought of my own wife to mind. And as we stumbled on for miles, slipping on icy spots, supporting each other time and again, dragging one another up and onward, nothing was said, but we both knew: each of us was thinking of his wife. Occasionally I looked at the sky, where the stars were fading and the pink light of the morning was beginning to spread behind a dark bank of clouds.

    But my mind clung to my wife’s image, imagining it with an uncanny acuteness. I heard her answering me, saw her smile, her frank and encouraging look. Real or not, her look was then more luminous than the sun which was beginning to rise. A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers… The truth – that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which we humans can aspire.”

    In March 1945, Viktor was offered a move to the so-called rest camp, Turkheim where he worked as a physician until the 27th of April 1945 when the camp was liberated by American soldiers. He survived. His wife Tilly was moved to Bergen-Belsen from where she was never to return. Frankl’s mother Elsa and brother Walter died at Auschwitz. Years later, Frankl reflected:

    “They could torture me but could not take away my power to choose. Everything can be taken away except ONE – to choose one’s attitude, one’s own way”.

    We live in this twilight time, between darkness and light. Our story ebbs and flows as a series of melodic movements in the symphony of the universe. The search for meaning is the search for the lost chord. Its discovery changes everything. Only then will discord cease and the melodic balance of the universe be restored. There is a life force out there strong enough to subdue, to liberate. It resides within each of us.

    On the walls of the ‘Room of Choices’ in the Oscar Schindler Museum, we were reminded of the poignant power of music to attune us to this new frequency:

    “We were terrified. All of a sudden he began to sing. We all joined him after a while. When we were singing, we forgot the fear.”

    Man with arms in the airNow, 6 months on, I’m beginning to see more clearly. Auschwitz-Birkenau has awoken me from my reverie. My living is determined not so much by what life brings to me as by the attitude I bring to life; not so much by what happens to all of us as by the way our minds look at what happens. We all have a song to sing. You must choose yours carefully and direct your energies into it. Stay close to what is genuine and true. Love can overcome all that diminishes life. Love sustains us on our way.

    “Only in the deepest silence of night the stars smile and whisper among themselves” (Tagore)

     

    Dr. Phil Brennan is the founder and Musical Director of the Island of Ireland Peace Choir. The choir’s trip to Krakow will feature on Nationwide Friday 26th, January, RTE 1 at 7pm, the evening before ‘World Holocaust Remembrance Day’.

    Special thanks to the following for all their help and support in making this trip memorable; Members of the Island of Ireland Peace Choir, The Edmund Rice Brothers, Mount Sion, The Packaging Hub, Causeway Properties, Harvey Travel, Cracovia Travel (Krakow), Comeragh Coaches, Hi-lite Television Productions, Damien Tiernan (RTE)

    Title: Hans Christian Andersen.

    Photo: Girl in Red Dress by David James for Universal Pictures.

    Tags: all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, Auschwitz, Aviva Stadium, Birkenau, Camino, Comeragh, Cork, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, cycling holidays, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, edmund rice, europe, failte ireland, fishing, GB, ghetto, Greenway, Irelands Ancient East, Jews, Krakow, leisure cycling, museum, Peace Choir, Peter McVerry Trust, Poland, Polish, reflexion, River Suir, Schindler's List, strand inn, The Destinations Company, tourism ireland, tours, U2, USA, viking hotel, walking, Waterford, weekend, weekend cycling, wellbeing, yoga |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on December 19, 2017
  • Posted in Phils Blog, Uncategorized |

    ‘Silent Night’ – the hidden Christmas

    “My father played the melodeon
    Outside at our gate;
    There were stars in the morning east
    And they danced to his music”
    (‘A Christmas Childhood’, Patrick Kavanagh)

    Silent Night wordsChristmas carols have the power to trigger memories buried in the archives of our past. The simplest of carols can stir something deep within. 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 transported on a musical odyssey back to the manger in Bethlehem, watched a homeless woman cradle the infant child drawing strength from within even in the bleak mid-winter.

    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.

    Beneath the layers of tinsel and chimes, lies the age-old story that gives meaning to it all. The star still shines, oft’ hidden and unnoticed, mystical, enduring, casting its unique aura across the universe, its glow only observable to the curious eye. The glimmering light draws us back to source, to where it all began.

    Christmas without ‘Silent Night’ would feel incomplete. The poignant lilt of the harmonies woven through the haunting simplicity of the melody carries us on the deepest of journeys to a space within. It lingers long after the last note is sung. We awaken to the aching realisation that we are not alone… that our story is part of something timeless. In the moment, we are nudged into the mystery of it all.

    The origin of ‘Silent Night’ 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. Winter ChurchInstead 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.Soldiers handshake

    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.”WWI soldiers sharing

    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 lingers on in the stillness of a darkened night. Hidden in the silhouette, their hushed murmurings can still be heard. The men of 1914 did not just remember the first Christmas; they lived out its meaning.

    British historian, Piers Brendon, described the miracle of the Christmas Truce as “the most extraordinary celebration of Christmas since those notable goings-on in Bethlehem – a moment of humanity in the midst of carnage.”

    Winter Graveyard CrossI 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. We remembered in silence and in song.Maya Angelou image

    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. Maybe, therein lies the message of Christmas.

    Island of Ireland choir in DublinThe “Island of Ireland Peace Choir” recently performed in St. Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin for “The Peter McVerry Trust”. We’ve attached a short, unpolished recording of ‘Stille Nacht’ from the evening. Through our music, Elaine and I would like to wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas and everything you hope for in 2018.

    “And the light shining from that star will show you who you are
    And His light, shining with its might, will lead you through your darkest night.”
    (‘The Star’, Kathy Mattea)

    Dr. Phil Brennan is Founder and Musical Director of the “Island of Ireland Peace Choir”. Phil and Elaine invite you to share in one of their specially tailored Caminos through Waterford County during 2018. The Waterford Camino experience blends walks/cycles, spiritual reflection and music.

    A video of the “Island of Ireland Peace Choir” performing in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, can be found by CLICKING THE VIDEO LINK BELOW. 

    https://waterfordcamino.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Christmas-Carol-Concert.mp4

    For further information, check out our website on waterfordcamino.com or email directly at philbrennanjnr@googlemail.com

    Thank you to Brendan Butler and Glenn Alexander for their input. 

    Tags: all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, Camino, Comeragh, creedon lodge, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, edmund rice, failte ireland, GB, Greenway, high hopes choir, Irelands Ancient East, Jo Flood, Joe Walsh Tours, leisure cycling, Mahon River, Mary Kennedy, Peter McVerry Trust, reflexion, River Suir, Stephanie Santagada, strand inn, The Destinations Company, tourism ireland, tours, USA, viking hotel, walking, Waterford, Waterford in your pocket, weekend, weekend cycling, wellbeing |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on December 6, 2017
  • Posted in Phils Blog, Uncategorized |

    Waterford Greenway: Its Beauties are Crystal Clear

    Waterford Greenway: Its Beauties are Crystal Clear

    (Stephanie Santagada, The Destination Company, New York)

    Ballyvoyle-TunnellWhether you reside in Ireland or are coming to Éire from farther afield, a relatively underrated paradise lies waiting for you only 2 hours south of Dublin. I have had two opportunities to experience the “sunny southeast” and its many incredible offerings last spring and summer. My recent travels from New York around Ireland’s Ancient East included the new Waterford Greenway and the seaside town of Dunmore East, both through the expert guidance of Phil and Elaine of Waterford Camino Tours. Their attention to detail, understanding of their clients’ needs, and deep pride of place make a winning combination for a holiday you’ll hold close always.

    The Waterford Greenway is a 46 km off-road cycling and walking trail along an old railway line from Waterford City to Dungarvan. The Greenway presents glorious opportunities for those seeking the sportive, active trek or the reflective, meditative journey, and Waterford Camino Tours has prepared fulfilling itineraries for pilgrims of all kinds.

    Natural Beauty

    Greenway 3Mother Nature shows off in full force along the Greenway. Three tall viaducts span the course, whose open lookouts, winding streams, and intriguing tunnels create natural scenes for contemplation. Easy nearby jaunts include the quaint fishing village of Dungarvan, the stunning beaches of Tramore, the peaks and waterfalls of the Comeragh Mountains, the beautiful golf courses, and the crown jewel of Dunmore East. The scenery here rivals any vista of the renowned west coast.

    Back to Center

    The Waterford region boasts a rich history, both spiritual and industrial. From the website of Waterford Camino Tours: “The idea of the Camino has a strong historic resonance in Waterford dating back to the 5th Century when St. Declan traveled from his Holy Well in Ardmore to Cashel, Co. Tipperary. In the 1400s, Waterford Mayor James Rice led pilgrims from Ireland to the renowned Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain.” If you feel the need to get back to center and refocus, Dr. Phil Brennan will be a kind, wise guide to assist you on your path. Flexible itineraries allow you to choose from a gentle pace all the way to pro-cycling, depending on your interests.

    Current Happenings

    UndercroftsToday, Waterford is a bustling city with top-quality cultural events, international cuisine and all expected amenities. I enjoyed an excellent Thai meal at Sabai restaurant and took in a beautiful, traditional music performance at the Theater Royal. The stately Athenaeum House Hotel provides a warm, luxurious welcome and is a perfect home base for your Camino journey. Other star attractions in the city are the Medieval Museum and Waterford Treasures Museum. Of course, being in Waterford would not be complete without a tour of the visitor centre of the world-famous House of Waterford Crystal. You would not have to travel far to enjoy a mindful reprieve at The Edmund Rice International Heritage Center, listen to an uplifting local choral performance, or attend a production of The Wexford Opera. If you find Viking history enthralling, look no further than this region for evidence of those Nordic marauders. If sports and adventure are more your speed, Waterford Camino Tours has plenty of opportunities for you and your group as well. The possible experiences here make for the perfect recipe for a dream destination wedding trip!

    Dunmore East Excursion

    DunmoreEast from golf courseDunmore East is a seaside village within a half hour of Waterford which has remained pure and authentic; it is not in the least overly touristy. For one night of our stay, we unplugged and relaxed staying in one of the Strand Inn’s new, cozy log cabins, lulled to sleep by the sounds of the wilderness. You can walk to yoga classes and take in the impressive view of Hook Lighthouse, get some sand between your toes, and later grill up a meal on your own sweet patio. Or if you’d rather have someone else do the cooking, I recommend the lovely Mediterranean restaurant, Azzurro. We enjoyed a delicious lunch, and – bonus, a kid-friendly menu. In the mood for a burger or casual fare? Then head to The Cliff. Save room for dessert because you will be amazed by the most glorious ice-cream toppings bar on both sides of the Atlantic. And calorie-free retail therapy is just upstairs! Before heading to bed check out the live music that The Strand Inn regularly offers in the lounge.

    During our afternoon fishing in Dunmore East with Dunmore Boat Trips, seasoned Susies catchskipper Brendan Glody made my two children and me feel at ease with his expertise, friendly manner, and refreshments at the ready. The day’s weather was perfect and by the end of our adventure, we had caught four mackerel (three on one cast!) and two lobsters. I will never forget everyone’s joy and excitement, such beautiful memories! The icing on the cake was that we brought the lobsters to the beautiful Strand Inn where we were staying for the night (whose location cannot be matched), and the kitchen prepared our day’s catch as part of our delicious dinner. It seemed like a magical experience, with stunning sights in what I have termed, “the Irish Riviera.” As a friend stated, “this is the stuff of dreams.”

    Getting There from Here

    For US travelers, this region offers a genuine Irish travel experience; the locations are not overcrowded and the landscape is pristine. Whatever type of holiday you dream of, I highly recommend making a pilgrimage to Waterford and Ireland’s Ancient East.Waterford Camino Blog 1 November photo1

    Let the team at Destinations Ireland & Beyond/The Destination Company arrange your trip of a lifetime to Waterford, Irelands Ancient East and other stunning Irish locales with our customized itineraries and decades of expertise.

    Destinations Ireland & Beyond/The Destination Company has been a specialist in Irish travel for over 28 years. Give our New York-based team your wish-list for a dream tour. We tailor customized trips for teams, choirs, golfers, foodies, arts-lovers, alumni, bespoke wedding groups, genealogy orgs and groups of all sorts. We also offer expert air and transfer and chauffeur services.

    Find us on: thedestinationcompany.com
    Instagram: destinationsireland_beyond
    Twitter: @co_destination
    Facebook: The Destination Company, and our sister site, The Golf Destination Company

    Tags: Athenaeum House Hotel, Azzurro, bike hire, boat trips, Burger, Camino, Comeragh, Cork, creedon lodge, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, edmund rice, failte ireland, fishing, GB, getting there, Greenway, Irelands Ancient East, leisure cycling, Mahon Falls, Mahon River, memories, New Ross, reflexion, River Suir, The Destinations Company, tourism ireland, tours, USA, viking hotel, walking, Waterford, weekend, weekend cycling, wellbeing |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on November 1, 2017
  • Posted in Phils Blog, Uncategorized |

    The road less travelled – walking trails in Waterford

    Waterford Camino Blog 1 November photoCover

    All odysseys of significance are not without their peril. We have taken our first tentative steps out on our Waterford Camino and have survived. Maybe, a little more than that! We’ve put the pieces of our business together, assembled a great team and are ready now to embark on the next leg of the journey. The vision has become a reality!

    The scary bit… there’s no guarantee we’ll climb the mountain and arrive at the other side no matter how clear our focus, how great our resolve.

    So much of what happens is below the radar; the contacts with hoteliers, the website design, marketing initiatives, brainstorming on Camino options, market research, tour operator contacts… yet without this preparatory time, we could not move forward with confidence.

    Waterford Camino Blog 1 November photo1We have our compass points, we are ready to steer our way onwards. Above all, we’ve great people close by who believe in us.

    The Waterford Greenway has become a corridor for thousands of people into the heart of the countryside. The Greenway has an enchanting allure for those who share our Caminos, drawing us onwards as it meanders its way with nonchalant ease through 46km of picturesque vistas and coastline. We’ve all become privileged passengers on this old railway line, spectators to the timeless beauty we pass on our way.

    The tourism landscape is evolving and the aesthetic wonders of our County have a role to play in defining what is to come. Whilst the iconic visual treats along the Waterford Greenway have been well documented, it is good to place a wee spotlight on some of the many hidden gems around the county that we feature on our Camino. Visitors are genuinely surprised by the abundance of scenic delights they have passed on their walking and cycling trails. I’ve tried to capture what people have said …

    Waterford Camino Blog 1 November photo2

    “Coumshingaun is a beautifully disguised Corrie Lake in the heart of the Comeragh Mountains within a 30 minute drive from Waterford City. The landscape is amazing with wildlife, forestry and panoramic views of the entire county that will live long in the memory. If you walk uphill to the lake, it will take you around 3 hours to touch your toe in the lake and head back down the mountain to your point of departure. This Camino should be on everyone’s bucket list.”

    Waterford Camino Blog 1 November photo3“We loved when our Waterford Camino led us to the Mahon Falls. Here, you feel you’re on hallowed ground, a cathedral of stillness carved out of rock that dates back over 300 million years. It takes 20 minutes to walk out to the thundering Falls. They cast a mystical spell, like a dimmed oasis in a cauldron of stone. We slowed down to soak in the vast kaleidoscope of contour and colour that opened up before us from the Falls to the sea beyond. This ‘compass point’ on the Waterford Camino is one that we want our Grandchildren to experience. Spellbinding!”

    Waterford Camino Blog 1 November photo4“The Crough Woods trail is memorable on so many levels. All the senses come alive. The sounds of the cascading waters, the birds chirping, the autumnal light seeping through the trees, all combine to carry you through this mystical forest trail as you take the 6km Camino uphill to the Mahon Falls. Certainly gives you plenty to chat about as the sun sets over a creamy pint of stout.”

    Waterford Camino Blog 1 November photo5“Tramore was a particular highlight on our Camino. This seaside resort is renowned for its long beach walks, popular cafes and the many surfing schools that have sprung up here in recent years. We did both the 7km walk around the Sandunes and the 2 km Doneraile to Newtown Cove walk. Both were amazing. We even had time for a quick swim in the renowned Guillame Cove. Some of the swimmers we met take the plunge all year round! We made time between trails to have an icecream on the prom as tourists for centuries have done in this beautiful coastal town and then enjoyed a gentle stroll around the stunning Lafcadio Hearn Gardens. A day to remember!”

    Waterford Camino Blog 1 November photo6“Dunmore East… where have you been all my life? We love you! The trail from the harbour to the picturesque Portally Cove and back will stay with us forever. It is simply breathtaking in its beauty. We even spotted the occasional seal basking in the sun. Hook Head lighthouse simmered against the sparkling waters on the horizon. The descent into the photogenic fishing harbour of Dunmore East reminds you of something from times past. The Camino by land extended to the sea as Brendan brought us out to the Bay after lunch. We caught mackerel and lobster, no mean feat over a few hours. We had to celebrate when we got back to dry land. Dunmore East from the cliff to the sea is a sight to behold.”

    “We feel honoured to have been part of the Waterford Camino tour. What can we say; fabulous, fun, scenic, breathtaking, inspiring, generous, kind, loving. Everyone needs to experience this amazing tour through Ireland’s Ancient East in this hidden corner of this beautiful country.” (Jo, Wexford)

    Waterford Greenway Durrow tunnel edited“Was it the beauty of Mahon falls or the water rushing through Crough Woods or the walk in Durrow Tunnel on the Waterford Greenway or the lovely boat ride in Dunmore East? I’m not sure but something on this unique Camino changed me that day…. Somehow the dark cloud lifted, if not completely, enough to see the beauty around me, enough to revive my hope. The people I walked the Camino with had become my wounded healers who shared their light with me. Nature inspired me to see that all need not necessarily stay the same. Somehow I am not scared to go the hard route to climb my mountain. I have started to dream again.” (Jas, Kilkenny)

    “Mother Nature shows off in full force along the Waterford Greenway. Easy nearby jaunts include the fishing village of Dungarvan, the stunning beaches of Tramore, the peaks and waterfalls of the Comeragh Mountains, and the crown jewel of Dunmore East. The scenery here rivals any vista of the renowned West Coast. Whatever type of holiday you dream of, I highly recommend making a pilgrimage with Waterford Camino Tours.” (Stephanie Santagada Wells, Travel Designer with The Destination Company, New York)

    A thought struck me on a recent Camino through Crough Woods. The waters we had experienced upstream at the Falls were the same waters that surged past beneath our gaze. What has gone before us, sometimes shaded in regret and misfortune as you look back, paves the way for all that lies ahead downstream. The river rolls unrelentingly to the wider ocean below. All that is behind us does not define us! Einstein reminds us to “look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better”. Think he knew a thing or two!

    I’ve learned that to move forward in life, to wade through the waters of uncertainty, you need to create your own current rather than be buffeted about by the dictates of others. So often in life, people can let you down. You have to believe in yourself, map out your own course and have people close by who genuinely want you to succeed. Popularity can be feigned with ease. Close companions on the journey… earned!

    “Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future.” (John O’ Donoghue)

    Waterford Camino Tours offer a wide range of 1 Day to 5 Day options. All you have to do is get here. Leave the rest to us! For further information check out www.waterfordcamino.com or contact Phil or Elaine at waterfordcaminotours@gmail.com

    Cover photograph, Dunmore East and Tramore photographs are all courtesy of Mailo Power, Athenaeum House Hotel. Thank you to Brendan Butler and Hayley Crosbie for Crough Woods and Mahon Falls photographs.

     

    Tags: all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, bike hire, Camino, Comeragh, Cork, creedon lodge, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, cycling holidays, Destinations Ireland, Dublin, dunmore east, edmund rice, failte ireland, GB, Greenway, Irelands Ancient East, leisure cycling, Mahon Falls, Mahon River, New Ross, reflexion, River Suir, tourism ireland, tours, viking hotel, walking, Waterford, weekend, weekend cycling, wellbeing, yoga |
  • Phil Brennan
  • Posted on October 2, 2017
  • Posted in Phils Blog, Uncategorized |

    Something inside so strong

    Man kneeling on a cliffNever let a stumble be the end of your journey. Dreams can come true but not always as easily as you would like! We all know how it feels to reach the edge of the precipice and see our hopes dashed before us. We stand and stare and do not always understand. We feel the pain and momentarily become suspended in time. Our coordinates become dimmed, our future obscure.

    Our next step, possibly after months of impasse, will determine who we are to become.

    “By every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.”

    Those are the words of J.K. Rowling, the author whose book series has been translated into 73 languages, sold millions of copies and accumulated over $20 billion through movie adaptations and sponsorships.

    Rowling’s story is one of perseverance, a stoic resolve to overcome the disappointments and the knocks spewed up by life until she got her first break. Through it all, she offers us a perspective on failure that is all the more humbling and inspiring given her subsequent success.

    J.K.Rowling Image and Quote

    Soon after conceiving the idea for Harry Potter, Rowling began writing, but was immediately pulled away from her work by the devastating death of her mother. Rowling ceased working on the book and sank into a deep, grieving depression, getting little to nothing accomplished in that time.

    In the hopes of digging herself out of grievance, she took a job teaching English in Portugal for a year. Her goal in venturing abroad was to get away from her troubles, and, more importantly, use her time off to continue working on her book. She set the goal of having the first Harry Potter book done by the time she returned from Portugal.

    Things did not go as planned. Not only did Rowling fail to make progress on her first book, but after falling in, and then out of, love, she ended up with a failed marriage and a baby daughter she now had to raise alone. She came back to nothing. She had no job, no finished product and two mouths to feed.

    She had hit rock bottom. As she struggled with depression, raising a child on her own and living off mere unemployment benefits, she resumed work on her book in cafes while her daughter was asleep.

    “Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I have friends whose value was truly above rubies… I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive… And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” (J.K. Rowling)

    You can be cruising along at low altitude unaffected by turbulence and uncertainty, yet, in an instant, all can change. It is here, in our darkest hour, when we are tossed and buffeted about by the unforgiving winds of time … that we come to know ourselves for who we are.

    Despite numerous setbacks, she found solace in doing what she loved -writing. In fact, she found that the little she had was enough to make her moderately happy. She had ended up in exactly the position she had feared most and found that it wasn’t that bad. There wasn’t anything left to be afraid of and her work showcased that mindset.

    When Rowling finally finished the first 3 chapters, she sent the manuscript off to a publisher-they quickly passed on the project. She sent it to another publisher. Again, the answer was ‘No’. Her mailbox filled up with rejection letters, but she didn’t let it stop her.

    J.K. Rowling quote only

    After sending her manuscript to 12 different publishers and getting rejected by every single one, Rowling began losing confidence in her book. Finally, the editor of Bloomsbury Publishing Company sat down to read the manuscript and so did the editor’s 8 year old daughter. The little girl loved the opening chapters, and begged to read the whole thing. This made the publisher agree to publish Rowling’s novel. But Rowling was left with a warning that she should get a day job, because she wouldn’t make any money writing children’s books. Once’ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ was published, though, she proved everyone wrong.

    “I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me… Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential.” (J.K. Rowling)

    J.K. Rowling went from being a jobless single mother living off unemployment benefits to one of the bestselling authors of all time. Looking back, the Harry Potter Series has earned over $400 million in book sales, and the last movie alone earned $476 million in ticket sales… on opening weekend. Failure had been an important stimulus on the road to her success. What was it that sustained her on her way? Something indefinable, something real, something inside so strong…

    “The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity.” (J.K. Rowling)

    We all have the reserves within to withstand the storms of life. Wading through the torrent builds character and makes you more appreciative of what is waiting for you when you reach the other side. We cannot allow our deepest fears and misgivings sabotage our future. If you have a dream or a passion and you keep getting rejected or running into failure, don’t let that stop you… don’t give up! If you do, you will never know what could have been.

    “One thing is for sure. If you give up too soon, you’ll never know what you’ll be missing. Keep going and never quit.” (J.K. Rowling)

    Snoopy quote

    The purpose of life is a life of purpose. When you passionately believe in something that doesn’t exist, create it. Nothing worth achieving is handed to us. Find out what you truly want and direct your energies towards it. Be true to you rather than drift anonymously into the slipstream of others. People on the sidelines do not matter only those close to you. Each one of us has a life to live. It is ours and ours alone.

    That first step, that venturing out into the unknown, can lead you onwards to where you are meant to be.

    “Have your beautiful things but do not be imprisoned by them. Own them but do not let them own you. Give the main aim of your life over to far more important pursuits such as discovery of your highest potential, giving of yourself to others and making a difference by living for something more important than yourself. Success is fine but significance is the real name of the game.” (Robin Sharma)

    Woman standing on mountain with arms stretched out

    If you fancy a reflective break away, join us on one of our Waterford Caminos. For further information check out waterfordcamino.com or email Phil at waterfordcaminotours@gmail.com

    (Thanks to Morgan Ostrowsky at ‘The Uncollege Blog’ for the research)

    (Thanks to Brendan St John’s photography for featured image of Tramore)

    Tags: all ireland, Athenaeum House Hotel, Aviva Stadium, bike hire, Camino, Comeragh, Cork, Crough Woods, cycle touring, cycling, cycling holidays, Dublin, dunmore east, edmund rice, europe, failte ireland, fishing, GB, Greenway, Harry Potter, high hopes choir, hurling, Irelands Ancient East, JK Rowling, leisure cycling, Mahon Falls, Mahon River, reflexion, River Suir, Snoopy, strand inn, tourism ireland, tours, USA, viking hotel, walking, Waterford, weekend cycling, wellbeing, yoga |
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