In the Footsteps of St. Patrick
Thirteen days through Ireland and Northern Ireland, from Armagh and Downpatrick to Knock, Croagh Patrick, the Skellig Islands and Glendalough, with Mass every day.
Meet your hosts
Dan & Stephanie Burke
Founders of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation
Dan Burke is the founder and president of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers studies in spiritual theology to students in 90 countries and helps prepare men for seminary in more than 100 dioceses. He is a past president and chief operating officer of EWTN’s news network, a best-selling author and editor, and the founder of Apostoli Viae.
Dan and his wife, Stephanie, host Divine Intimacy Radio together each week on EWTN Radio. Parents of four, they lead this pilgrimage together.
Fr. Jim Boland
“Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me.”
St. Patrick’s Breastplate
The ancient Irish prayer that tradition gives to St. Patrick. We pray it where he walked: at Armagh, the church he founded; at Downpatrick, where he is buried; and beneath Croagh Patrick, the mountain where he fasted for forty days.
Day ten · Friday, May 21 · Skellig Michael, County Kerry
Ireland, May 12 to 24, 2027
Thirteen days, eleven nights in Ireland. We follow St. Patrick from his church at Armagh to his grave at Downpatrick and his holy mountain at Croagh Patrick, with Knock, the Skellig Islands and Glendalough along the way, and Mass each day.
All travelers must obtain a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before departure. Each pilgrim, including children, applies via the UK ETA app or gov.uk (currently 20 GBP; typically approved within minutes; valid 2 years or until passport expiry). This is an entry requirement, not part of the tour package.
Begins and ends in Dublin
OvernightVisit
Nights: 1 Dublin, 2 Armagh, 1 Derry, 1 Claremorris, 1 Galway, 1 Limerick, 2 Killarney, 2 Dublin.
Departure
Our pilgrimage begins as we depart the United States on our overnight flight to Dublin, Ireland. Dinner and breakfast will be served during the flight.
Arrival in Dublin
Upon arrival in Dublin, our local professional tour escort will greet us and accompany us by motorcoach to our hotel. After check-in, we gather this evening for a welcome dinner to begin our pilgrimage together.
Boyne Valley, Monasterboice & Armagh
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel, then drive north through the Boyne Valley, and stop in Drogheda to celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Church, resting place of the head of St. Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh martyred for the faith in 1681. We continue to Monasterboice to see the High Cross of Muiredach, one of the finest examples of early medieval Irish stone carving, its panels depicting scenes from Scripture, and to pray among the ruins of its early Christian monastic settlement. We continue to Armagh, ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, for our stay.
Armagh & Downpatrick
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel, then celebrate Mass at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, seat of the Primate of All Ireland, and tour its grounds. We continue to Downpatrick to visit the traditional grave site of St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, before returning to Armagh.
Belfast & Derry
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel, then visit Clonard Monastery in Belfast, the Redemptorist church that has held a perpetual novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help since 1943, drawing more than a hundred thousand pilgrims of every tradition each year, and celebrate Mass here. We continue to Derry and visit St. Eugene’s Cathedral, seat of the Diocese of Derry, for a time of prayer. We conclude at the Long Tower Church, built on the site of St. Columba’s sixth-century monastery, the earliest Christian foundation in the city, and pray before its beautiful high altar.
Sligo & Knock
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel. We journey through the countryside of County Sligo to the pilgrimage town of Knock and celebrate Mass in the Apparition Chapel at Knock Shrine, where in August 1879 the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist appeared in silence to fifteen witnesses at the parish church. We continue to County Mayo for our stay.
Croagh Patrick, Ballintubber Abbey, Clonmacnoise & Galway
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel. We begin the day at Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s holy mountain, where tradition holds St. Patrick fasted for forty days in the year 441, and which remains the country’s foremost pilgrimage site. We continue to Ballintubber Abbey, founded in 1216 and still in continuous use today, the traditional starting point of Tóchar Phádraig, the ancient pilgrim path to Croagh Patrick, and celebrate Mass here. We travel east to Clonmacnoise, on the banks of the River Shannon, the monastic city founded by St. Ciarán around 545 and for centuries one of the great centers of faith and learning in Europe. We walk among the ruins of its cathedral and churches, the round tower, and the Cross of the Scriptures, one of the finest high crosses in Ireland, and pray where St. John Paul II prayed during his visit in 1979. We continue to Galway.
Please note: Clonmacnoise is undergoing renovation throughout 2027. If access is restricted on the day, we visit Portumna Friary instead.
Cliffs of Moher, Ennis & Limerick
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel, then stop at the majestic Cliffs of Moher, rising more than seven hundred feet above the Atlantic. We continue to Ennis and celebrate Mass at Ennis Cathedral, seat of the Diocese of Killaloe. We continue to Limerick and visit Mount St. Alphonsus, the Redemptorist church home to the Solemn Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, which spread here from Clonard and draws thousands of pilgrims each year.
Adare & Killarney
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel. We stop in the village of Adare to celebrate Mass at Holy Trinity Abbey Church, a Trinitarian abbey founded in 1230 and restored in the nineteenth century, today the parish church of Adare. We continue south into County Kerry for our stay.
Skellig Islands & Killarney
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel, then transfer to Portmagee on the Iveragh Peninsula for a sea excursion around Skellig Michael and Little Skellig. From the water we see Skellig Michael, the UNESCO World Heritage island monastery founded in the sixth century by hermit monks on a rock pyramid twelve kilometers off the Kerry coast, its beehive huts and stone steps clinging to the summit, and Little Skellig, home to one of the largest gannet colonies in the world. Sailings are subject to weather and sea conditions. We return to Killarney and celebrate Mass this evening at St. Mary’s Cathedral, seat of the Diocese of Kerry.
Cashel & Dublin
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel. We travel north and east to Cashel and celebrate Mass at St. John the Baptist Church, the Catholic parish church built on the site of the town’s medieval Franciscan friary. We tour the Rock of Cashel, seat of the Kings of Munster and traditional site of St. Patrick’s baptism of King Aengus. We continue to Dublin.
Wicklow, Glendalough & Catholic Dublin
After breakfast, we gather for Morning Prayer before departing the hotel, then travel south through the mountains of Wicklow, known as the Garden of Ireland, to Glendalough. This ancient monastic city, established in the sixth century by St. Kevin, lies in the valley of the two lakes and was for centuries both a great center of learning and one of Ireland’s foremost places of pilgrimage; many legends surround St. Kevin, the hermit whose love of the creatures of the valley has often seen him compared to St. Francis of Assisi. We tour the round tower, the ruins of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, and St. Kevin’s Church, and take time for quiet prayer among the graves and the water. We return to Dublin, where there is free time for lunch on our own, then celebrate Mass at St. Teresa’s Church on Clarendon Street, the Discalced Carmelite church begun in 1793 and one of the first Catholic churches permitted to be built in Dublin as the Penal Laws began to ease, its high altar sheltering John Hogan’s moving sculpture of the Dead Christ. We walk a few streets to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church, home to the relics of St. Valentine, brought to Dublin in 1836 as a gift from Pope Gregory XVI, and where we entrust to him the marriages and families of our group. This evening we gather for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant, featuring traditional Irish music and dance.
Dublin, Return Home
With hearts renewed by the grace of pilgrimage and the intercession of St. Patrick, Ireland’s beloved patron, we transfer to Dublin Airport for our return flight home to the United States.
What’s included
Everything below is covered by the package price.
Your hotels in Ireland
Four-star hotels throughout, with one 3-star stay at the Armagh City Hotel, the best hotel in the city: three nights in Dublin, two each in Armagh and Killarney, and one each in Derry, County Mayo, Galway and Limerick. Hotels are subject to final confirmation; if a hotel changes, it is replaced with one of the same standard.
“The entire trip from start to finish went smoothly. We felt very safe and well cared for.”
“Each site was thought out about why and how to pray there.”
“Thank you for taking care of the day to day details, leaving all of us free to focus on prayer and spiritual growth.”
Questions pilgrims ask
Short answers to what most people want to know before they put down a deposit.
It is a touring pilgrimage by motorcoach, not a walking one. Expect about 1 to 2 miles of walking on a typical day. Days usually start around 7am and end back at the hotel between 5pm and 6pm, with some walking on uneven ground at monastic sites such as Monasterboice, Clonmacnoise and Glendalough. You should be comfortable on your feet for a few hours at a time.
You can have a room to yourself, with a single room supplement of $1,399, or share a room. If you would like to share, we will do our best to match you with a roommate. If we cannot find a match by February 11, 2027, the single room supplement applies. Couples, families, friends and singles are all welcome, and plenty of pilgrims come on their own.
Airfare, since this pilgrimage is priced ground only. Lunches, donations at Masses, souvenirs and laundry. A typical lunch costs about $15 to $20. Tips are at your discretion: as a guide, $8 to $10 per person per day for your tour guide and $6 to $8 for your driver. Travel insurance if you choose it, and a 3% fee if you pay by card. Abroad, we recommend paying for most things by credit card, which is accepted almost everywhere and comes with protection that cash does not; bring a couple hundred U.S. dollars in cash for emergencies. When a card machine or ATM asks whether to pay in dollars or in the local currency (euros in Ireland, pounds in Northern Ireland), choose the local currency; it is almost always cheaper.
Cancel in writing. Up to February 11, 2027 (90 days before departure), everything you have paid is returned except $200. After that date, the $450 deposit and any costs we cannot recover are kept. Travel insurance may cover a cancellation, depending on the reason.
Dan and Stephanie Burke lead the group, and Fr. Jim Boland travels with us for the whole pilgrimage.
More answers in the FAQ below and in our Support Center, or call us at +1 (800) 653-0017.
Price per person
Land package per person, ground only. Airfare is quoted separately.
Shared rooms are always doubles with two beds. If you would like us to match you with a roommate, tell us when you book and we will do our best. Please note that if we cannot find you a match by the final payment date of February 11, 2027, the single room supplement will apply.
$200 per person is non-refundable.
Final payment is due 90 days before departure and is non-refundable once paid. Payment plans are available if you would like to make smaller payments before then.
Check
ACH bank transfer
Zelle
Cash, money order or cashier’s check
Protect your pilgrimage
Your pilgrimage is paid for long before you leave. Travel insurance is added as part of your booking: when you reserve, choose an Allianz plan on the insurance step. There is no separate quote to get. Classic is the plan we recommend for most pilgrims.
- Covers your trip cost. Classic reimburses 100% of the trip cost you insured if you cancel for a covered reason, and adds emergency medical care and baggage cover.
- Buy within 14 days of your first deposit to keep Cancel Anytime and pre-existing condition cover. The plans stay available until departure.
- Buy it in the same checkout as your pilgrimage. Prefer to add it by phone? Call us at +1 (800) 653-0017.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Part of this pilgrimage is in Northern Ireland, which is in the United Kingdom, so every pilgrim, including children, needs a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before departure. Apply through the UK ETA app or gov.uk; it currently costs 20 GBP, is usually approved within minutes and is valid for two years or until your passport expires.
Yes. Bring a US passport valid for at least six months beyond your return date. US citizens need no visa for Ireland or the United Kingdom for a stay of this length, only the UK ETA described above.
Yes. This pilgrimage is priced ground only, so airfare is separate either way. Many pilgrims fly with the group so that arrivals, departures and transfers line up; others prefer to use miles or a favored carrier. Either way, tell us at registration so we can match your flights to the group’s arrival in Dublin on May 13 and departure from Dublin on May 24.
Sailings around Skellig Michael and Little Skellig depend on weather and sea conditions on the day, and the boat operators decide whether it is safe to sail. We see the islands from the water; this excursion does not land on Skellig Michael.
We strongly encourage travel insurance for all of our pilgrims, and we partner with Allianz Travel Insurance to offer affordable coverage. Most of our pilgrims choose the Classic Plan. You add it as part of your booking: choose a plan on the insurance step when you reserve, or call us at +1 (800) 653-0017. Buy within 14 days of your first deposit to keep Cancel Anytime and pre-existing condition cover.
A pilgrimage is not a vacation or excursion but a unique spiritual journey that provides many opportunities to deepen your relationship with God and enrich your Catholic faith by bringing Scripture to life. Pilgrimages offer the opportunity to let Christ draw you near, and your chaplain is there to guide you spiritually on the journey.
More questions are answered in our Support Center, covering booking, payments, travel insurance, passports and what to expect on pilgrimage.
Couples, families, friends, singles, all are welcome!
Some pilgrims come as a couple, some bring the whole family, some come with a friend from the parish, and plenty come on their own. Everyone is welcome.
Walk with St. Patrick in Ireland.
May 12 to 24, 2027, with Dan & Stephanie Burke and Fr. Jim Boland. Reserve today with a $450 deposit per pilgrim.
Questions? Call +1 (800) 653-0017 or email hello@canterburypilgrimages.com.
Secure your spot today with a $450 deposit per pilgrim.