My Irish friend, Daniel, took me on an afternoon drive. We went south through bog country on which stood no building, no tree, no animal. It was eerie. We went for over an hour to get to this place Daniel so wanted to show me. It was Glendalough in County Wicklow.
What a treasure of a place! The countryside was more than eerie. The hills, the green, the mist, the lake in the near distance made it a spiritual place. Daniel knew where he was taking me and why. This was a centre of beauty, history, culture, religion and learning. While little remained standing and there was but a hotel and a visitors' centre, there was much to behold. A city was not needed here and would only serve to destroy the place and what it truly has to offer.
This was the home of St Kevin, an early Irish saint, who attracted the people. They came and built a monastery, a home, a church, a centre of learning, and it all served humanity for some centuries until finally destroyed. What remains may be little but the feel of the place itself with its natural setting and its ruins, along with the passion of Daniel for all that is there - it all made a huge impact on my spirit. There was something great there and it still is. It is the spirit of humanity, the spirit of the divine that is much stronger than any great city or worldly power.
This place, its experience stay with me. It does not have to be described. The experience just is and it is good for the spirit. While it can't be captured by words, it is good to share it and deserves to be shared for it is about sharing life and the spirit of life which endures and is much stronger than we ever realize in our daily existence. Long live life! Daniel, you were so right to take me to Glendalough. Thanks ever so much.
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