The Coming Days

After what seemed a grueling month, which was actually a week, we finally purchased our tickets. A great weight has been lifted as we reserve spots at hostels and hotels. Plans for where and when are solidifying and we are gathering gear and equipment for the trip. We definitely have a plan.

As we have done these things my mind ponders on outcomes. The logic center kicks in and settles my expectations to reality and reminds me to be open to the experience ahead and to be in the present. What I do know, is that I am searching for the right subject as to what I am there photographing.

Sacred sites have been among us for thousands of years, be it a burial mound in the Ukraine or a stone circle in Ireland or a cave with Neolithic paintings like ones in France, and to see ancient ones in the same setting as modern ones. Those are the subjects I see in my mind, in various settings, in different locations. It'll be interesting to see what sorts of shots I come up with.

In finishing our planning I can only see one slight in the mix - the British pound and higher than expected currency exchange. In this we simply shifted our focus from the Isle of Man and Wales to that of Scotland and the Isle of Iona. This sets us up for a pilgrimage that starts in Dublin and spirals outward to include Scotland, the Isle of Iona and the whole of Ireland counter-clockwise.

I am curious at this point of the journey ahead. Excited at whom we may meet along the way. Eager to get back to a place I consider home and am elated at the chance to be able to do this.

In Preparation

Over the next few weeks I will be preparing for another journey over the pond. Once again we shall journey to Ireland but this time we will be spending time on the Isle of Iona and Scotland. It is a journey of reflection but most importantly, I will be returning to the places where my people came from - Limerick.

I will be showcasing my photographs of the journey here. The Pilgrimage of Patrick, An Oilithreacht Phádraig in Irish, will be the showcase of a journey to sacred places and liminal spaces. With that I plan to bring you visions of such locations, both past and present, and present them to you through my eyes. Along the way I am sure to meet interesting people, collect stories like I did a year ago, and share them with you here.

Like all pilgrimages there is a spiritual side to this. To be at a place where my ancestors walked from and be present where they once were. To see the world through the eyes of others and experience it through them. In this, I will also visit the Glenn once more and return to see old friends of whom I have kept in contact with since coming back. In a sense, I feel like I am going home.

But first to do much planning and preparing...