From Ardfield to Santiago de Compostella/Finisterre

A journey in pilgrim footsteps of over 1000 years

by

Traolach Ó Donnabháinin

The Parish Centre, Clonakilty

on Thursday 28th February at 8pm

Pilgrims from West Cork have been travelling to Santiago de Compostella since the 10th century AD, either by ship to La Corunna, or on foot across England, France and Spain to Santiago, braving attacks by bandits and wolves along the way.

Traolach Ó Donnabháin had been intrigued by this tradition for some time and between 2007 and 2011, sometimes alone, sometimes with colleagues, he undertook the Camino Frances/Camino de Santiago, from Le Puy-en-Velay in France to Santiago de Compostella, and onwards to Finisterre on the west coast of Spain, having initially walked from St James Well in Ardfield to Cork Airport – a total distance of 2,000km. His reasons for undertaking the Camino were twofold: to experience, at first hand, this spiritual and historical tradition and secondly to undergo the physical challenge of 500km sections of continuous walking, carrying one’s worldly possessions on one’s back!

An important step in commemorating this tradition of pilgrimage between Ardfield and Santiago de Compostella was taken in 2009, when Traolach purchased a locally carved, wooden statue of Naomh Séamus/Santiago/St James, in Santiago de Compostela, which was later positioned in a specially constructed grotto at St James’ Well. In this lecture, Traolach will give an account of his experiences on the Camino.