Crosses of Healing 01
Ahenny
High Crosses, Ireland - These famous 8th-9th century Ahenny
High Crosses in Ireland with their removable capstones are placed
at meeting places within the Celtic Monastery. Nearby, a stream
flows with clear crystal water which has healing powers for headaches
and other infirmities of the body. Legend has it that, by placing
the capstones of the crosses on the sufferers head, migraine
headaches were cured.
House of Prayer 02
Gallarus
Oratory, Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry, Ireland - Gallarus Oratory in
Kerry, Ireland,
is the best
preserved drystone corbelled oratory of its kind.
Giving the
appearance of an upturned boat, it has survived over
1200 years against
the fierce storms from the Atlantic Ocean.
Inside, opposite the
door at the east side, is a single small
round headed window.
Isle of Avalon Abbey 03
Glastonbury
Abbey, Somerset, England - The legendary original home of the Holy
Grail in England, Glastonbury Abbey, has always been a place of mystery
and wonder and also the centre of the mystical 'Isle of Avalon'. The
original wattle and daub church which once stood here, believed to be
built by Joseph of Arimathea, connects very well to the Glastonbury
thorn tree which, legend has it, grew from his staff. It is also
claimed that King Arthur is buried here.
Hill of the Isle of Glass 04
Glastonbury
Tor, Somerset, England - Probably the best known sacred landscape
in Glastonbury,
overlooking the Vale of Avalon. As you walk up
the labyrinth
pathway to the 14th century chapel on the summit
of the Tor, it is
easy to feel the otherworldly nurturing spirit
of this sacred
place. Folklore says that there once stood a temple
here with twelve
columns around it . Throughout the centuries
this has continued
to be a place of wonder.
Abbey of Inspiration 05
Iona
Abbey, Isle of Iona, Scotland - St. Columba founded the first abbey
of Iona soon after
his arrival from Ireland in 563 and it became
the central hub of
his Celtic Church mission in the connective
land of the Irish
and the Scots known as Dalriada. Iona is the
inspiration for the
many pilgrims who find it easy to absorb
the reflective
tranquility to be found here and amongst the grounds
that have been
beautifully laid out as a garden sanctuary.
Cross of Faith 06
Kilkieren
High Crosses, Ireland - One of three beautiful high crosses
at Kilkieren, a part
of a larger group of crosses which include
Ahenny, Killamery
and Kilree called the Ossory group. This highly
decorated conical
capped cross is adorned with Celtic knot work
and horsemen on its
Eastern side.
The Eloquent Ogham 07
Kilmalkeder
Church Ogham Stones, Ireland - The 5th century ritualistic Celtic
Ogham stones contain
an early form of Irish script using a variety
of notches and lines
to mark graves. Ogham Stones were supposedly
inspired by Ogma,
god of eloquence. These are two fine examples
of Oghams found
outside Kilmalkeder Church on the Dingle Peninsular in Ireland
The Wonder of the Cross 08
Monasterboice
High Cross, County Louth, Ireland - The High Crosses at Monasterboice,
dating back to the
10th Century, are one of the great examples
of pictorial Celtic
Art. These High Crosses stand over 5 metres
high and are
intricately decorated with biblical stories, showing
great craftmanship.
This form of art was used to illustrate the
gospels and bring
them alive. The historic ruins of Monasterboice
are of an early
Christian settlement founded in 520 AD by St.Buite
Round Tower of Refuge 09
St
Declan's Round Tower, Ardmore, Waterford, Ireland - These extraordinary
round towers
are to be found all
over Ireland but St. Declan's Round Tower,
dating from the 12th
century, is one of the finest to survive
today in what is
known as St. Declan's holy city of Ardmore.
Round towers were
used as a place of refuge when invading forces
drew near which
explains why the entrance doors are places higher
up the tower, out of
the reach of marauding barbarians.
Chapel in the Cliff 10
St Govan's
Chapel, Pembroke, Wales - To this day St. Govan remains a mystery
but some say he was
Sir Gawaine who, after the death of King
Arthur, became a
hermit and built a cell where this extraordinary
13th century cliff
chapel is placed. The steps leading to this
sacred hermitage
never count the same going up or down.
Grail Castle and the Valley of the Cross 11
Valle
Crucis Abbey & Castell Dinas Bran, Clwyd,
Wales - The 'Castle
of the Grail' stands
on a distant hill
overlooking the Cistercian monastery, translated
as the 'Valley of
the Cross'. Legend claims that Merlin had buried
treasure within the
Castle waiting to be uncovered by "a
yellow headed boy
who has a dog with a silver eye". Valle
Crucis Abbey is one
of the first Gothic abbeys in Britain.
Easter Abbey 12
Whitby
Abbey, Yorkshire, England - The Synod of Whitby, in the year
664, was held here
to debate the date for Easter. The Celtic
calendar of the
Columban Church differed from Roman orthodoxy
and it could be said
by some that the suppression of the Celtic
Church by the Roman
Church started here as the outcome of the
debate, among other
things, decided to follow the Roman Church's
wishes that Easter
should always fall on a Sunday.
King Arthurs Giant 13
Arthur's Stone, Hereford, England - One of the traditions which involves King Arthur in the sighting of this tomb states that he killed a giant who is buried here. Some also say it is King Arthur himself who is buried here. Whatever the truth of these stories, this place has an impressive neolithic chambered tomb which is roofed by a large capstone supported by nine upright stones, the heaviest of which is estimated at more than 25 tonnes. The whole tructure would have been covered by a mound of earth.
Celtic Cross of Stones 14
Callanish
or Calanais Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis,
Scotland - The
Callanish (Calanais) Standing
Stones resemble,
from above, a large Celtic cross with a central
burial chamber. The
mystery of the use of this place leads to
speculation whether
it was used as a burial site, an observatory
or a place for
healing the sick. Whatever the truth may be this
truly sacred place
inspires pilgrims from across the World to
visit the Isle of
Lewis and to feel the warmth of the Stones.
Altar of the Druids 15
Drombeg
Stone Circle, County Cork , Ireland - The Drombeg Stone Circle 'the
small
ridge', also known
as the Druid's Altar, dates to around 100
BC. This is one of
the best known Irish recumbent stone circles.
The connection to
the Druids is also hightened by the occasional
'cup and ring'
markings on some of the stones.
Transformed into Stone 16
Long Meg
and Her Daughters Stone Circle, Cumbria,
England - As with
some other stone circles,
tradition has it
that Long Meg and her Daughters were a coven
of witches, that
were turned into stone by a holy Christian man
or a powerful
wizard. Another tradition states that if Long Meg
is chipped, she will
bleed and that her daughters are impossible
to count and arrive
at the same number twice. Long Meg and Her
Daughters is the
third largest English stone circle, the others
being Avebury and
Stanton Drew.
Healing Stone 17
Men-an-Tol
Standing Stones, Cornwall, England - Near Land's End in Cornwall can be
found the
Men-an-Tol, known for the traditional belief that the
Stones have great
healing powers. Naked children were passed
three times through
the hole and then drawn along the grass three
times in an easterly
direction. This was thought to cure scrofula
(a form of
tuberculosis) and rickets. Flanked by two menhirs,
or herms, it is also
known as a window into eternity.
Dance of the Nine Ladies 18
Nine
Ladies Stone Circle, Derbyshire, England - The Nine Ladies are
traditionally
said to have been a
group of women who were turned to stone for
dancing on the
Sabbath. The circle is only around 40 feet across
but its sheer
intimacy matches the wonderfully peaceful atmosphere
highlighted by the
beautiful surround of trees which is evocative
of the circle dances
which were celebrated by local people at
certain times of the
year.
Temple of the Sun 19
Ring of
Brodgar, Orkney Islands, Scotland - The Ring of Brodgar sits within a
natural 'cauldron'
formed by the hills of the surrounding countryside
standing by the salt
water of the Ness of Brodgar to produce
the most perfect
example of a megalithic lunar observatory that
we have left in
Britain. This breathtaking ceremonial site formed
by 60 sandstone
slabs at over 100 metres in diameter is Scotland's
largest stone circle
and the third largest in Western Europe
The Village That Time Forgot 20
Skara
Brae, Orkney Islands, Scotland - A natural disaster struck the Orkneys
around 5000 years
ago when a violent storm covered this ancient
village with sand on
the Orkney shore but another storm in 1850
revealed it once
again. The buildings are incredibly well-preserved
with the stone
furniture intact within the walls of the huts
and alley-ways
roofed with their original stone slabs.
The Giants Ring 21
Stonehenge,
Wiltshire, England - Geoffrey of Monmouth tells that Merlin
brought the stones
to the Salisbury Plain from Ireland and used
his magic to erect
them with the help of giants. Stonehenge is
the largest and most
famous Bronze Age site in England, dating
back to 4,000 years.
The alignment of the stones pinpoint the
midwinter and
midsummer sunrises and sunsets. How the stones
were placed here is
still a mystery, especially the great sarson
stones and 80 blue
stones that came all the way from the Preseli
Mountains in Wales -
240 miles away!
Temple of the Moon 22
Stones of
Stennes, Orkney Islands, Scotland - A tradition on each new Year's Day
has it that the
local people of Orkney met at Stenness church
and danced and
feasted for several days. Young couples went first
to the Temple of the
Moon at the Stones of Stenness, "where
the woman, in
presence of the man, fell down on her knees and
prayed to the god
Wodden after which they both went to the Temple
of the Sun at the
Ring of Brodgar, where the man prayed in like
manner before the
woman." Finally they clasped hands through
the hole in the
Stone of Odin and swore fidelity.
Stones of Power 23
Stones of
Stennes, Orkney Islands, Scotland - The energy field that exists within
this ring is easy to
see from the grazing sheep who appear to
be always anchored
next to the stones. Even at sunset, they appear
to radiate a warmth
and atmosphere that bathes the pilgrim in
a glorious hue. The
tallest stone is a full 16 feet high and
has the effect of
slicing through the sky.
Arthurs Dining Table 24
Zennor
Quoit, Cornwall, England - The area of Zennor in Cornwall is
associated with an
Arthurian legend. When Cornwall was troubled
by Danish invaders,
King Arthur came to Zennor and summoned the
four Cornish 'kings'
to help him fight the Danes. They dined
with him off a flat
rock on Zennor Head before beginning their
battle. The quoit
could be regarded as a flat broken table!
Chieftains House 25
Castell
Henllys Iron Age fort, Pembroke, Wales - Castell Henllys Iron Age fort
in
Wales is a beautiful
reconstruction designed to give the pilgrim
an idea of how our
ancestors lived and farmed. The 'Chieftain's
House' resonates
inside with the stories and folklore of our past.
Salmon Falls 26
Cenarth
Falls, Dyfed, Wales - In Celtic tradition the salmon is
associated with
knowledge and 'spirit of the waters'. There can
be no more perfect a
spot to stand near the famous Cenarth Falls
in Wales to watch
the occasional majestic migratory salmon which
can frequently be
seen jumping these tumbling falls on the River Teifi.
Gateway to Annwn 27
Ffynnone
Waterfall, Pembroke, Wales - Legend has it that there is a well
at the bottom of the
waterfall which is the gateway to the Underworld.
It is here that the
Prince of Dyfed and the King of the Underworld
traded places for
one year and a day.
Lunar Landscape on Earth 28
Gleninsheen
Tomb, The Burren, Ireland - The Burren landscape is one of the
most amazing places
in Ireland with its karst limestone pavements
eroded in a
distinctive pattern known as karren - split and weathered
to look like a lunar
landscape. It contains dozens of megalithic
tombs and Celtic
crosses in between the cracks in the ground
which cover over
huge caves and underground rivers.
Well of Healing 29
Lassair's
Well, County Leitrim, Ireland - This is one of many healing wells
in Ireland. Pilgrims
to Lassair's well wash themselves in St
Ronan's Holy Font,
just beside the well, before drinking the holy water
The Celtic Pyramid 30
Maes Howe
Passage Tomb, Orkney Islands, Scotland - On the shortest days of the
year
the sun shines
straight into the the inner chamber at sunset,
painting a path
directly across the back wall of the chamber.
To construct a tomb
so precisely some 5,500 years ago that it
would create such a
phenomenon, demonstrates a precise skill
and knowledge of
seasonal changes. No mortar was used and some
of the huge slabs
fit so well together that a knife blade cannot
be inserted between
them. The tomb contains many runic inscriptions
and is covered over
by a large earth mound.
Womb of the Faerie 31
Pentre
Ifan Cromlech, Pembroke, Wales - Local tradition believes this cromlech
to have been used by
the druids for initiations with neophytes
who spent vigils
inside the burial chamber in contact with the
Otherworld and its
inhabitants. Pentre Ifan is overshadowed by
Carn Ingli, a rock
formation, which is one of those odd places
where the Earth's
magnetic field is reversed and sightings of
the little people, a
phantom horseman and a 'White Lady' have
all been reported
from this area in recent years.
Spring of the Waterfall 32
Pistyll
Rhaeadr Waterfall, Clwyd, Wales - Pistyll Rhaeadr translates as the
'Spring of the
Waterfall'. One of the seven wonders of Wales
and its highest
waterfall, she tumbles down gracefully over the
crags and flows
furiously under a natural stone arch known as
the Fairy Bridge. It
was reputedly the haunt of a Nwyvre who
was defeated by
locals using an iron-spiked standing stone.
Place of the Shining Ones 33
Poulnabrone
Dolmen, The Burren, Ireland - Some 5000 years ago the Tuatha
Dé
Danann, the Shining
Ones or fairy folk placed the remains of
their ancestors here
using rituals and ceremonies. They were
able to contact the
spirit world to ensure the fertility of their
crops and livestock,
giving honour to the sun, moon and stars
which gave them
life. Poulnabrone Dolmen, also meaning 'The Hole
of Sarrows', was
originally covered by a mound of earth.
Anas Well 34
St Anne's
Well, Whitstone, Devon, England - This small well house dedicated to
St Anne has the
ancient Celtic head of Ana guarding the entrance.
Some of the old
wells of Cornwall possess a distinct and primordial
personality and this
is one of them with its womb-like sanctity
of the subterranean
shrine, framed by an old thorn tree growing
in harmony with the
ancient spring. Hidden inside the well, peering
out above the water
is the impressively ancient face sculpture of Ana.
King Arthurs Birthplace 35
Tintagel,
Cornwall, England - Uther Pendragon, King of England
was overcome by
desire for Ygraine, the wife of Gorlois, Duke
of Cornwall. With
the help of a spell from Merlin causing a thick
fog to descend on
Tintagel castle and surrounding area, Uther
took on the
appearance of Gorlois. While his men were fighting
Gorlois, Uther
slipped away into the the castle and with Ygraine
conceived Arthur,
the future King of England. Tintagel castle
is also known as a
Celtic Christian monastery.
Arthurs Quoit 36
Trethevy
Quoit, Cornwall, England - Trethevy Quoit, meaning 'place of
the grave' is also
known as Arthur's Quoit. This impressive burial
chamber is also
known locally as The Giant's House. A mound of
earth would have
covered the quoit in earlier times.
