The last day of the pilgrimage on the Wild Edges of Ireland took us back to the Burren, but to two new locations. The theme of the day was “conversion.” We have a slightly different understanding of this word in Protestant America. Conversion is actually an openness to other possibilities, a disposition toward what is new, a flexibility in our thinking that makes space for what might be. Conversion is an attitude of hopefulness and belief that we’re never really “done”, the journey is always unfolding.
Our first stop was St. Colman’s well and hermitage. This little oasis in the midst of the limestone of the Burren, in a grove of hazel tress, was like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia. You can see in the pictures, the hazel tree and rock that mark the entrance to the sacred ground, the holy well and stream, a church ruin that stands on the site, the cave where Colman’s is believed to have lived, that view from the cave down to the stream, the ring of trees at the exit and the pilgrims walking back to our starting place.
Hawthorne and rock at entrance of site 
Holy Well and stream 
Holy Well 
Colman’s church ruin 
entrance to cave 
Colman’s hermitage cave 
view from cave toward stream 
the path ahead 
pilgrims walking in silence
David Whyte (one of my favorite poets) wrote a beautiful poem about this place called “Colman’s Bed”. Here is a portion of that:
See with every turning day,
how each season makes a child
of you again, wants you to become
a seeker after rainfall and birdsong,
watch now, how it weathers you
to a testing in the tried and true,
admonishes you with each falling leaf,
to be courageous, to be something
that has come through, to be the last thing
you want to see before you leave the world.
Above all, be alone with it all,
a hiving off, a corner of silence
amidst the noise, refuse to talk,
even to yourself, and stay in this place
until the current of the story
is strong enough to float you out.
Ghost then, to where others
in this place have come before,
under the hazel, by the ruined chapel,
below the cave where Coleman slept,
become the source that makes
the river flow, and then the sea
beyond. Live in this place
as you were meant to and then,
surprised by your abilities,
become the ancestor of it all,
the quiet, robust and blessed Saint
that your future happiness
will always remember.
Our final stop as a group was Corcomroe Abbey. We held a closing ritual there and sang together for the last time. We passed apples and honey around like communion, inviting one another to savor the sweetness of life! And then hazelnuts, the symbol of wisdom in the Celtic tradition, reminding us to carry with us the wisdom and insights we have gained along this journey.
Infirmary now overrun with medicinal herbs 
It is unusual in that the church was ‘downsized” at some point with this wall 
many outdoor graves are decorated with wild flowers 
Closing communion with apples, honey, and hazelnuts
What a rich time this has been. I am still processing the gifts of this leg of the journey and thankful to my leaders and to my fellow pilgrims. This chapter in the journey is ended and I’m off for a stay with the Sisters of St. Brigid in Kildare. Thanks for your continued interest and prayers along the way.