Thin Places Tour of Ireland Led by Mindie Burgoyne

DISCOVER THE NORTH
THIN PLACES Tour of Ireland
September 5-15, 2013
9 days – 9 counties – over 20 mystical sites -land pkg. $2120

Tour Northern Ireland guided by writer and author, Mindie Burgoyne. See the unspoiled hidden places few visitors ever see in the pristine, undeveloped parts of the northern counties. You’ll be traveling in the context of a story while experiencing spiritual transformation, visiting thin places – mystical sites where the veil between this world and eternal world is “thin.”

Third annual Thin Places Mystical Tour of Ireland will focus on the north and include sites in Counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Derry and Donegal, with a one-day cruise to Inishmurray, an island in Donegal Bay off the coast of Sligo. Guests will visit the ancient ritual sites of clans, mystics, heroes and people of the Otherworld – Beltany and Beaghmore Stone Circles (Beltany pictured in the website header), sacred hills such as the Navan Fort, sacred burial places such as Downpatrick and Caldragh Cemetery, monastic ruins at Glencolumbkille, Devenish Island, and Ardboe, plus the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, Giants Causeway, Dunluce Castle and Slemish Mountain. In the evenings, experience the vibrancy of the Irish culture as you enjoy overnight stays in Donegal Town, Enniskillen, Belfast and the walled City of Derry.

Mystical sites in Ireland have been referred to as “thin places.”

This short video shows places on the tour. Mindie Burgoyne offers commentary on the thin places concept.

More videos on Thin Places featured on the Travel Hag Video Channel.

Thin places are those places where the veil between the physical world and the eternal world is thin. The two worlds intersect or seem woven together.

Not Affiliated With Any Particular Religion

The tour is not targeted to travelers of any particular religion. All faiths are welcomed. At each sacred site tour guests will learn about its history, learn about its legend of spiritual power, and contemplate what that means in today’s world. Burgoyne will offer hints on how to notice signs and symbols along the way and interpret their meanings, how to journal as a means of continued spiritual growth after the tour is over, and how to sense the mingling of two worlds and how that connection helps the human spirit listen better to the Divine voice.

“These tours are not about piling into a bus and stopping to see some standing stones and abbey ruins,” states Burgoyne. “Our tours are about becoming an image in an ancient landscape and traveling within the context of a story. At the end of our tours, guests feel a spiritual transformation.”

On March 9, 2012 the New York Times published an article on the thin places concept. Best-selling author Eric Weiner who wrote The Geography of Bliss, wrote and article for the Travel section entitled Where Heaven and Earth Come Closer. Weiner makes a case for travel with purpose and travel with the intent to exercise the spirit as a means to finding happiness.

About the Tour Guide

Mindie Burgoyne, a Maryland author and travel writer, has been traveling to Ireland researching thin places for twenty years. She is the author of several books including Haunted Eastern Shore: Ghostly Tales from East of the Chesapeake published by the History Press, 2009. She has a successful blog on thin places and a travel blog called the Travel Hag. Her writing and photographs have been published by CBS News, National Geographic Television Network, the Vancouver Sun, MDBiz Media and Maryland Tourism website. She is currently writing Thin Places: Irish Gateways to the Otherworld, due to be published in 2013

IRELAND TOUR ITINERARY DETAILS

Mindie Burgoyne will be with the tour from start to finish. She is an expert on mystical and sacred sites in Ireland, having researched thin places for over a decade and traveled thousands of miles across Ireland doing conducting the research.

Expert Site Specific Guides will be on site for several of the thin places. These guides will be able to speak specifically about some of the sites on the tour.

COST – $2120
Cost is $2120 (based on double occupancy), and is for the land only. It includes lodging in 3 star hotels, breakfasts, welcome dinner, transportation, admission costs, and some private guides. Scroll through the posts on this blog site to see more about the sites on the tour.

Single room supplement is $455.
Travel Insurance (optional) is $230.

DISCOUNTS
$50 per person for paying by check or money order
$50 for Thin Place Tour alums (those who went on previous thin places tours)

ITINERARY DETAILS – Check the itinerary to see expanded tour details. Space is limited to 25 so reserve your spot soon.

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

10 nights in premiere town-center hotels (3* all w/ private baths)
Double, Triple & Single Occupancy available
All hotel taxes/fees
Airport Transfers to/from city centers while in Ireland
Transportation via luxury coach between towns & for daily touring
Traditional full Irish breakfast every morning
Full time host & guide – Mindie Burgoyne
Additional Expert Guides for some sites
Emergency Local Contact available 24/7
Daily Private Tours of Thin Places to include sights listed below.

Armagh Cathedral – Armagh
St. Patrick’s Chair and Holy Well in Altadevin Wood – Tyrone
Lough Erne – Whites and Devinish Islands – Fermanagh
Boa Island – Caldragh Cemetery – Fermanagh
Inishmurray – Sligo
Glencolumbkille & Donegal Town – Donegal
Slieve League – Donegal
Beltany Stone Circle – Donegal
Grianan of Aileach – Donegal
Inishowen Peninsula – Donegal
Derry town tour – murals – Derry
Columba Cathedral and bog side – Derry
Beaghmore Stone Circle – Tyrone
Tullahogue fort – Tyrone
Ardboe Cross and Abbey – Tyrone
Antrim Coast – including White Park Bay – Giants Causeway and Dunluce Castle – Antrim
Belfast walking tour – Antrim
Slemish Mountain – Antrim
Nendrum monastic site – Down
Downpatrick Cathedral and Gaol Museum – Down