St. Declan's Way 2021 - The Irish Camino
Join us as we walk in the footsteps of St. Declan across 110 km of Ireland's Ancient East this August!
About this event
Registration covers all meals, transport for pilgrims to starting point, transport for your luggage during the pilgrimage, a support vehicle along the way, lodging arrangements. The only exception is the second night when you must take care of yourselves for supper and you have the option of booking your own lodging arrangements (otherwise the community hall is at our disposal).
Commencing in Ardmore, Co. Waterford on Friday 20th August 2021, pilgrims will walk 110km to reach Cashel, Co. Tipperary on Sunday 22nd August 2021. During three days, pilgrims will walk and offers acts of prayer and penance - although, it is a pilgrimage to renew our Catholic faith, we will also have some fun along the way too! It's not to be missed; register today to book your space.
Lodging. We can ensure that there will be a roof over everyone’s head each night. However, if you'd like to book yourself into a hotel you're more than welcome to, but you only have the following options (don’t book in any other place). For Friday night, Pilgrims Rest B&B is available in Mount Melleray; and for Saturday night Cahir House Hotel is available in Cahir. But if you’re not booking anything, be sure to bring a sleeping bag and mat because you will more than likely be sleeping on the ground.
Luggage. Each day all personal luggage will be transported to that day's destination, so no need to worry about that. You must however provide yourself with snack and bottles of water. There will be many opportunities to refill the bottles along the way. Also please bring rain gear since this pilgrimage is taking place in Ireland. Full kit list can be found below.
Transport. All pilgrims are asked to park their vehicles in the Walsh’s carpark (eir code E25 AR23) in Cashel and take the 5.30am bus which departs in front of the Minogue furniture shop.
SDW Kit List
1) Big rucksack/suitcase for most of luggage this piece of luggage goes in the back of the support vehicle during the day and should be labelled
- sleeping bag
- ground mat
- blister patches/sterilised safety pins for popping blisters/plasters
- socks (a thin pair (like thousand-mile socks) under a thick pair or simply a good thick pair by themselves).
- clothes: wear stuff that dries easily (sports t-shirts etc), jersey material etc....no denim!
- well broken in walking shoes or runners (NOT a pair that you buy a month before). You need to have walked at least 50 miles in a new pair of walking shoes (less if you wear trainers). Get plenty of walking done in the 2 months run up to the pilgrimage if you can (three or four 5 mile walks per week at least) - the pilgrimage is very tough: 110km in three days – and can lead to chronic injuries if not adequately prepared for.
- towel
- flip flops (if you fancy getting your feet aired at the campsite)
- plastic bags (for wet/dirty clothes)
- tissues/toiletries/gel handwash/rosary beads/mobile/wallet/ /alarm clock/after suncream
2) Small rucksack for carrying your necessities during the day:
- light rain coat or cape (a poncho is ideal for covering your rucksack as well as yourself unless you have a waterproof covering for your rucksack - also good for sitting on during breaks)
-an extra pair of socks
-duct tape (for blisters)
- fleece/bandana (it can be really cold in the morning)
- snacks
- bottles of water (we will refill this when we can along the way)
- sun hat (we don't want anybody getting sunstroke; and yes, this can happen in Ireland!)
- suncream
- wipes
-diorylite to replenish electrolytes
-some cash for payments on the way esp supper on the second night
-small camping chairs to sit on during the breaks.
3) Food: meals will be provided (except for the second night in Cahir town), but here are some ideas for snacks during the day:
- Snacks: chocolate, nuts (salted ones are the best to option to replace the bodily salts you will be losing), raisins (or choc or yoghurt coated), sweets, fruit compotes, apples.