From St Brendan setting out from Clonfert, to St Colmán praying in the quiet of Kilmacduagh, our story begins with people who walked, prayed, and searched. That spirit continues in all who still take to the road or the shore today – for a day or a week, near or far.
One saint said that “life itself is a pilgrimage towards the face of God.” That shapes how we travel together as dioceses. Each year, parish groups, schools, and parish and diocesan communities journey to holy places – Lourdes, Fatima, Knock, Medjugorje and beyond. These journeys draw us into prayer and service, especially with the sick and the young. In Lourdes, volunteers push wheelchairs through candlelight processions. In Knock, pilgrims pause for silence or join a rhythm of prayer that has lasted generations.
Yet pilgrimage is not only about distance. We have sacred places close to home – Our Lady of Clonfert, the well at Kilmacduagh, Máméan in the Connemara hills, St MacDara’s Island off Carna, St Brigid’s Well in Clare.
At heart, pilgrimage is simple: leaving what is familiar and going in trust towards God. It gives us time to pause and teaches patience, gratitude, and perspective. And when we return, we are not quite the same.
Want to join our next pilgrimage? See the calendar below.
Or perhaps you could organise one yourself — gather a few others, choose a place, and set out together.