Let’s explore the Celtic concept of thin places – surreal physical spaces where heaven and earth seem to touch.
Ireland is a mystical land, with many magical, thin places, just waiting to be discovered.
Drombeg Stone Circle in County Cork.
The concept of thin spaces is not found only in Ireland, but one that was also recognized by Native Americans.
Join me today, on our heritage journey to Ireland’s thin places.
Celtic Origins Of The Term “Thin Places:”
Ireland is home to numerous thin places, so it may come as no surprise to learn that the term itself has Celtic origins.
Our forefathers believed some physical locations on earth are closer to the spiritual than others – places where God’s presence is more accessible to us as humans.
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, County Sligo
The exact origins of the term “thin places” may never be traced, but there is an ancient Celtic saying that beautifully introduces this terminology ….
“Heaven and earth are only three feet apart,
but in thin places that distance is even shorter.”
~ Celtic Saying
Ancient Celts spoke of mesmerizing, mystical places where the veil between heaven and earth is very thin. Past, present and future seem to collide in these spaces. It is as if the visitor witnesses or even experiences an ancient reality, in just a passing moment.
Sacred Spaces:
There is a luminous quality to the air and light. Rugged seacoasts, rocky mountain peaks and windswept beaches call out to Ireland’s thin place pilgrims to this very day.
The Grianan Stone Ring Fort in County Donegal
Ireland’s sacred landscape offers many sanctuaries of creation to visitors.
These mystical spots host no flashing lights, nor informational graphics to delight the senses. There are no tourist “rides” to satisfy our 21st century desire for instant gratification and entertainment.
Instead, Ireland’s thin places are raw and untamed, offering visitors a slow, seeping awareness of the magnificence of creation.
In these places it is important to pause, to feel the wind upon your cheeks, to drink in the landscape and the energy that exudes from the very earth and rocks.
Proleek Dolmen, County Louth
John O’Donohue, the Irish writer and Celtic philosopher said the purpose of these places is “to anchor our longing in the ancient longing of Nature.”
Native Americans were keenly aware of thin places. I love this Apache proverb which beautifully encapsulates the concept. It simply states …
“Wisdom sits in places.”
~ Apache Proverb
And believe me, there is much wisdom just waiting to be discovered in Ireland’s wise old places and spaces.
Ireland – A Pile Of Old Rocks:
A few years back I was talking to an American mom at one of my children’s weekly activities. Once she heard my Irish accent, she said …
“My friend just returned from Ireland,
but she thought it was just a pile of old rocks.”
My heart stopped beating for a split second. You know those moments in time – when the world around you seems to freeze, and litanies of thoughts and emotions catapult from the deep recesses of your mind.
The term “a pile of old rocks” pierced my very soul. These words maligned our ancient stones, misrepresenting our mystical heritage to the world.
I wanted to scream out in anguish …
“How could your friend not fall in love with Ireland’s thin places,
marked out by our wise ancestors using cryptic stones
that have stood sentinel for multiple millennia?”
But don’t worry I held my tongue, fully aware such a response might hastily assign me to the loony mom bin.
I just smiled, and asked if this Irish tourist was reconnecting with her Irish ancestry on her trip. I soon learned she had no links to Ireland. A wave of relief rushed over me as I quietly concluded her lack of interest in ancient stones and mythical heritage may simply be a genetic thing. Or perhaps, she may be totally unaware of the magic of thin places.
Genetically Wired To Appreciate Thin Places:
Just like many of you, I believe Ireland is truly my spiritual home. There, I feel a divine presence more acutely than anywhere else on earth.
It’s as if I am genetically wired to appreciate Ireland’s thin places, and to even find such spots that are not marked on the well worn tourist trail.
Many Irish Americans feel an inexplicable link to the Emerald Isle, even if their forebears departed from Ireland’s shores generations and sometimes even centuries ago.
Skellig Michael, County Kerry
This deep spiritual connection to Mother Ireland gives many Irish Americans an uncanny ability to appreciate and experience the mysteries of Ireland’s thin places.
How To Recognize A “Thin Place?”
And here is the point in this blog post where I am going to try to do the impossible, fully aware that my words will fail. Describing what a thin place experience feels like, is simply beyond the power of language.
These places bring feelings and emotions, realizations and awareness to the fore. It is as if the line between all that is sacred and human meet for just a moment.
These are hallowed spaces, sometimes, though not necessarily, marked by a church or Christian symbols like Celtic Crosses. Many stone circles and ring forts were built in places where you can feel an ancient presence.
The Rock of Dunamase, County Laois
There is something otherworldly in the atmosphere, transcendent, even divine. Other dimensions seem closer than usual. There is a tangible stillness to the silence.
In a thin place something beyond words causes our spines to tingle, as if awakening our souls. Even our thoughts seem to be swept away in the moment, and something deep within our beings touches a luminous seat of knowledge.
You may visit a thin place as part of a group, but each person will experience something different. One man’s thin place may be a very thick place to another.
If you find your thin place, no matter how many others are with you, you will feel drawn by something powerful, yet unspoken. Despite the companionship of others you will be lost in a solitary world between past and present.
Lough Crew, County Westmeath
Your soul feels awash with time, eager to linger, while lost in the silence of natural prayer, and the confluence of worlds and dimensions.
The more spiritually skeptical or scientifically inclined amongst us may attribute these effects to electromagnetic fields that some rocks may generate to make some locations feel different. Or perhaps there is some type of seismic activity beneath our feet contributing to our mystical experiences?
But as for me, I feel no need to rationalize the experience of a thin place. Even if our science fails to explain the reasons, or our words fail to express the sublimity, the awe inspiring power of thin places is exhilarating.
The After Effects Of Visiting Thin Places:
I highly recommend visiting Ireland’s thin places as a form of spiritual renewal, whatever your faith or beliefs might be. Returning from a thin place is marked by a feeling of refreshment and renewal. Our awareness of the world around us becomes heightened.
In days, weeks and years to come, memories of sacred landscapes help us see glimpses of nature and the divine in the chaotic world around our urban existences.
The Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry
The prayerfulness of these little corners on earth urge us to return to them in our imagination when we cannot physically visit them again.
When overwhelmed by the monotony of daily life, the tedious details of work and living, we can listen to our hearts and hear the silent music of thin places. Our souls guide us back to the peaceful presence of those ancient stones, and help us draw strength from the peace and serenity of our thin place experiences.
Have you ever experienced something you might call a thin place? Feel free to let us know in the comment section below.
Where To Find Ireland’s Thin Places:
And so you may be thinking you too would like to undertake a spiritual walkabout or driveabout in Ireland.
You can choose an unplanned journey of discovery, keeping an open mind and open heart in search of your thin place to experience a spiritual revelation.
Ardmore, County Waterford
Or you can research with the experts. Mindie Burgoyne, is a travel writer, blogger, author, tour operator and speaker. Here’s what she says on her blog …
“Her focus is traveling within the context of a story to mystical – magical places that stir the mind and spirit.”
Her blog, Thin Places, is a wonderful, insightful guide to Irish Mystical Sites. She teaches us there’s far more than meets the eye to Ireland’s “piles of old rocks”.
Thank you, Mindy, for sharing and recording such important information about Ireland’s amazing heritage.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
Here are some other posts you might enjoy…
Christi Caughey
Dingle is the thin place I discovered for myself. The harbor which was very quiet when we were there, as well as the whole peninsula really touched me. It is so hard to describe the feeling of a thin place to others but it made this trip the trip of the lifetime for me.
Irish American Mom
Hi Christi – I believe there are many thin places on the Dingle Peninsula. I’m delighted you found a spot that makes your heart sing. I couldn’t agree more about how hard it is to put a thin place experience into words. But memories of such an experience can sustain us for years.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
ROSY
SOME PEOPLE CANNOT SEE BEYOND THEIR NOSE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO DISEARNMENT. IRELAND WAS VISITED BY JESUS ANS HIS UNCLE JOSEPH. JEREMIAH AND HIS GRAND DAUGHTER WERE THERE ALSO. SHE WAS CALLED TIA. IRELAND IS RICH IN HISTORY OF BIBLICAL ANCIENT FATHERS LIKE THE DISCIPLES TOO. I RESEARCH A LOT ON THIS OVER THE YEARS, AND WAS EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT THIS!! PEOPLE HAVE COMPUTERS YET NEVER DIG DEEP, AND I NEVER UNDERSTOOD THAT! I WISH SO BADLY TO SEE IRELAND.
SOUNDS GOOFY BUT I FEEL A SWEET CONNECTION TO IRELAND, AND SEEING PICTURES ON PINTEREST CAUSES SOME TEARS AND AN ACHE IN MY HEART. MY MOMS ANCESTORS WERE FROM THERE BUT I DON’T KNOW WHERE AND IT BUGS ME. I AM A ROCK PERSON AS MY FAMILY COULD TELL YOU, MY YARD’S FULL OF THEM, LOL! I WISH I HAD A ROCK FROM THE BEAUTIFUL IRELAND, WHAT A JOY I HAVE THOUGHT TO BE IN A CREEK IN IRELAND AND FIND SOME STONES, OR ROCKS! IRELAND IS A BLESSING BEYOND WORDS, BUT PEOPLE DON’T KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE RICH HERITAGE OF THIS LAND! SAD!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING ALL YOU DO FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME THAT WAIT TO HEAR MORE ON IRELAND!! I EVEN BUY KERRY GOLD BUTTER BECAUSE IT’S GOOD, BUT IT’S FROM MY BELOVED IRELAND!!!
Irish American Mom
Hi Rosy – Thank you so much for sharing your insights and learning about Ireland’s ancient past. I have read that the prophet Jeremiah may even be buried at Lough Crew in County Westmeath. I hope to visit there sometime soon.
Thanks so much for checking out this post.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Jeff
Another wonderful post! I wonder what some of our very ancient Irish/Celtic ancestors would have said about all these places. I can just imagine Finn MacCool and Cú Chulainn walking some of those very places.
Irish American Mom
Hi Jeff – I think you are correct about Finn MacCool and Cú Chulainn walking these very places. The Hill of Uisneach in County Westmeath is said to be the center of Ireland and features frequently in Irish Mythology. It is a very thin place. I’m quite certain some of our legendary heroes walked this hill.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Kay G.
Yes, dear Mairead, you know that the local monadnocks (mountains of stone) in this area are the “thin places” for me.
This was a very beautiful post and the next time, I write of the very special mountains that we have here, I will link to this post, if that is okay with you.
AND you always make me want to see Ireland, you know!!!
xx
Irish American Mom
Hi Kay – I’m so glad you enjoyed this post and would be delighted if you linked to it when you write about your thin place in Georgia, where stone mountains also create a link between heaven and earth. It’s so hard to describe such places in words. They have to be experienced to fully understand their importance.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Kay G.
Yes, they must be experienced to fully understand but you must not underestimate your wonderful ability with words, your writing here is very, very good!
Love you and your gift of this blog. xx
Irish American Mom
Hi Kay – Thanks for your kind words about my blog. It’s always lovely to read your comments, and learn from another blogger who loves to write and connect with others through the power of words and blogging.
Here’s to many more years of writing and blogging for both of us.
All the best,
Mairéad
Maury
Mairead, this post is wonderful! I spent a morNing alone in one of the thin places, near Limerick. It was an experience I can feel, even now, many years later. Ireland is such a mystical place…the energy there is amazing. Being there is like being held in God’s arms. I often wonder what it would be like to actually live there, feeling this energy on a daily basis. Thank you for such a heartfelt post!
Irish American Mom
Hi Maury – I wonder if you were in Lough Gur in County Limerick. It is such a magical place. I love it there. I think living in Ireland offers different experiences depending on where you live. When I am in Dublin, the city feels like a very “thick” place, but you can escape to places like Howth to the north of the city, and Wicklow to the south where once again the positive energy of the island flows. I love being in Cork. There I feel most at home in the world.
So glad you had the opportunity to experience one of Ireland’s thin places.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Penny Wolf
Your words have not failed. Believe me, well put. What a wonderful piece to read and dream and think about. And for some to remember.
Irish American Mom
Hi Penny – Thanks for your kind words about my attempt to describe a thin place experience. I’m so glad my words held meaning for you. Thanks as always for stopping by and joining in our discussions.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Gene
Hi, Mairéad.
Just the most majestic “pile of old rocks” I’ve yet met in my many years.
My first thin place was found wandering about the Blarney Castle grounds on a day I had seen enough castles and elected to not be the ten-millionth(?) person to kiss that famous stone. The sense of seeing some of the primitive places people once found for shelter was a moving experience; and even more welcome since so few chose to follow me that day.
On a side note, I’ve finally tried your scones on my iron skillet. It took a while to find the WhiteLily flour; but well worth the wait. What a great way to start the morning. It turns out that Smuckers carries it (as part of their ever expanding line) in their store in Orrville, OH. I once worked with one of the Smucker boys who chose construction over picking strawberries some 80 years ago. He told me that there would always be work in new homes; but who knew how tastes in jelly would last … ha!
Thanks for the memories,
Gene
Irish American Mom
Hi Gene – I have heard from others about the beauty around Blarney Castle. Next time I make it there I must do more exploring to discover the thin places. Thanks for sharing your thin place with us.
It’s lovely to hear from everyone who appreciates Ireland’s piles of old rocks. Thanks for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad
Patty Gannon
There are so many Thin
Places for me in Ireland. We rented a cottage on W Coast of Galway & Mayo where my Dads family came from. My husband daughter & I spent some time @ Cong Abbey In the Cemetery I saw many of my family names i.e.: Mary Gannon Micheal Gannon Patrick Gannon etc. What a magical feeling that was. Makes me smile more when we were right across from the town “The Quiet Man” was filmed. The Great John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara. I luv luv luv Ireland!!!!☘️🌈🎻
Irish American Mom
Hi Patty – I remember visiting Cong when I was very young. It’s a magical village amidst picturesque surroundings. I fully understand how Cong Abbey was your thin place. Thanks for sharing your family’s Galway/Mayo heritage and your love of your ancestral home.
All the best,
Mairéad
Maury
Hello again Mairead! I got out the photo albums and found my thin place outside Limerick! It was Carrigogunnell Castle! I remember the pleasure of sitting in and walking around the ruins of the castle for several hours. There was water in the distance which had fog on it. After a while the fog had moved up to the castle, surrounding me, and I felt like I was in a fairy land for sure!
Irish American Mom
Hi Maury – I’ve never been there, but definitely another spot to add to my Irish “to see” list. I can just picture how the mystical mists from the River Shannon enveloped you as you wandered around the castle. Ireland’s mists and fogs can be very dense and sometimes seem to creep across the ground in rolling waves making the countryside feel magical. Thanks so much for sharing your thin place.
All the best,
Mairéad
Cheryl Barker
Ah, “where heaven and earth seem to touch” – love that definition of thin places. I think we can find them almost anywhere where we are keenly aware of and connected to God. Sacred spaces one and all, huh?
Irish American Mom
Hi Cheryl – Sacred spaces are everywhere, but I think you highlight an important element – an awareness of God and the divine is definitely key to finding thin places.
All the best,
Mairéad
Claudia
I do understand what you mean writing this post: I’m an Italian woman with no family connections to Ireland but the thin places I visited on the Emerald Island really made me feel HOME, as if I belonged somehow to that place. Thank you for making me remember those feelings and those wonderful landscapes! Cheers!
Irish American Mom
Hi Claudia – It’s lovely to learn that you too experienced Ireland’s thin places and felt right at home, even though you have no ancestral connection with Ireland. The beauty of the landscape is inspiring, but a thin place experience goes far deeper than observing breathtaking scenery. Thin places help us feel a deep spiritual connection to the eternal. Thanks for stopping by, and through your comment, confirming that thin place experiences are something very real.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Irishnannie
Just love this, Mairead!
I think that many of us may simply feel we “know” what this means, though it is very hard to articulate…seems to me each of us would have our own stories…
To me, a thin place is when (& not always a certain “physical” place) God removes a bit of the haze that clouds our vision of the Immortal Sacred…not always the same for each of us…& only when God allows it. In my minimal life experience, that happens in Ireland so very easily…
Fun topic to speak of!
Thank you, Mairead, & God bless you!
Irish American Mom
Hi Irishannie – I like how you point out that a thin place experience is not the same for each of us. It is often a “when” and not a “where” experience, and the key to this spiritual awakening is a sacred awareness of the Divine in our lives. Thanks for adding your wonderful insights to our little discussion Ireland’s thin places.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Edward
Good website! Trying to reconnect with my Irish heritage. Looking for those thin spots.
Irish American Mom
Thanks for checking out my website, Edward and for your kind words. I hope my ramblings help you reconnect with your Irishness. I hope you find your thin places.
All the best,
Mairéad
Margaret Farrell-Rafferty
Oh there are thin places. Thank you for posting this. Thin places are more than just beautiful scenery. I’ve only been fortunate enough to go to Ireland once. I loved every minute of it. For me I was thunderstruck when I went to Clonmacnoise. As you and many others have said it’s hard to put an experience of a thin place in words. Even though I knew I was going to a monastery, I did not expect what happened to me at that sacred place. Time slowed. My heart rate slowed. I knew I was in the presence of the profound. Your post has brought me back to that time. Thank you.
Irish American Mom
Hi Margaret – It’s lovely to know you agree with me about Ireland’s thin places, and even better to know you found your thin place at Clonmacnoise. These sacred experiences are hard to put into words. I have not been to Clonmacnoise since I was a little girl, and that’s many moons ago. I must add that magnificent monastery on the banks of the Shannon to my Irish “to see” list. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my ramblings.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Concepta Bithell
Thank you Mairead for your website with so much insight into my beloved Country. I’m from Galway City but now live in MA. Galway has many many “thin places” and yes its very difficult to discribe what that means. Thin places to me are breathtaking and leaves one speechless. The Aran Isles which is a place I love to visit when I go home for a visit, has many “thin places” too. Thank you again.
Irish American Mom
Hi Concepta – There are so many thin places especially in the west of Ireland and Connemara. As a native of Galway I’m sure you have experienced many of these mystical spots over the years. I have to visit the Aran Islands some one of these years. I’ve never been lucky enough to visit in the past, but they are definitely on my “to see” list. Thanks so much for adding to our discussion of “thin places.” It’s lovely to hear from others who understand and appreciate what I am talking about.
All the best,
Mairéad
Patricia
Hmm, much food for thought. I don’t feel I have experienced a thin place yet. Makes me aware I am perhaps not ready spiritually. My husband felt some energy from the standing stones in Brittany. Maybe that’s it. Thank you all for making me go deeper into what really matters.
Irish American Mom
Hi Patricia – Someday you’ll find a place that speaks to you. Everybody’s thin places can be different. I hope you do experience the energy of a place sometime. Thanks for stopping by to check out this post.
All the best,
Mairéad
Michelle Huskinson
I do love your blog. My husband and I visited Ireland for our 25th wedding anniversary. He did a splendid j9b if arranging our vacation. We spent just over 2 weeks there.
For me there were several thin places. I understand your meaning. For me to describe it i explain the feelings as having been their before and your ancestors spirits lay their hands up In you and try to touch your soul so that you can remember your heritage in a spiritual way.
I felt at home in Ireland.
To this day I miss it more than when I had never been there. I longed to go for many years.
One day we will return. Hopefully with our son and daughter in law.
My thin places were mixed. The Rock of Cashel and the ruins around it were quite amazing as was the Ballycotton trail, Dublin was like being at h9me for me. I could get around without directions. It was surreal even my husband was amazed.
Irish American Mom
Hi Michelle – It’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed such an amazing and memorable tour of Ireland. I’m delighted to learn that you found some thin places while you were there. How you felt so at home in Dublin intrigues me. It’s as if you awakened an ancestral memory once you arrived. Perhaps you wandered the streets of Dublin in another time and place. Thanks so much for sharing your story.
All the best,
Mairéad
Barbara
I’ve never visited “across the pond”,. Ireland is the one place I really want to visit. Although I don’t think I have any Irish blood in me, I got goosebumps reading about thin places. There seems to be something magical about Ireland that appeals to me.
Irish American Mom
Hi Barbara – I do hope you make it to Ireland someday. You don’t need to have a drop of Irish blood to appreciate my mystical homeland. Ireland simply takes the breath away. Thanks for reading my post about thin places.
Take care,
Mairéad
Terri Bennett-Moyer
I’ve felt thin places all my life. I didn’t know it had a name! While traveling through the U.S., I’ve found places I knew my soul had been previously. In a cursory study of my father’s line I found that some of these specific places were where our people had settled for periods as they made their way to just west of the Mississippi river! I knew I couldn’t be the only one that felt this in their bones, so I did a little research and there’s preliminary scientific evidence that environmental elements are passed on in our DNA! I believe this weaves into the idea of thin places. My ancestry on both sides is predominantly Irish/Scottish with a healthy dose of Cherokee from my dads full blood grandmother. Add my name derived from “terra” and I can’t help but feel thin places vividly!
Irish American Mom
Hi Terri – Thank you so much for sharing information on scientific evidence that we may have environmental elements encoded into our DNA. That little piece of scientific information definitely ties in with the concept of thin places. Judging by your Irish, Scottish and Cherokee ancestry it is no wonder you are so keenly aware of thin places. I believe the Irish developed close ties with the Cherokee when they moved west across the United States especially in places like Kentucky. I need to do some more research on this topic but I think it is a fascinating one.
Thanks so much for joining our discussion about thin places.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Terri Bennett-Moyer
I’m going to do some more reading on Native American (more specifically Cherokee) thin places. My European ancestors followed a very similar path across the U.S. as the Cherokee were forced to on the Trail of Tears. Could it be Cherokee thin places that spoke to my soul rather than my Irish/Scottish dna? Hmm. Many ideas to explore! I love your writing, recipes and etc. sweet lady!
Irish American Mom
Your Cherokee heritage may be very much in tune with your Celtic DNA – there are many similarities between our folklore and that of the Cherokee. A friend of mine is a writer in Kentucky and he writes picture books retelling old Cherokee tales. The similarities between some of these stories and the tales I grew up hearing in Ireland are amazing. He has a new Cherokee children’s book just published, which I plan to feature on my blog very soon.
All the best,
Mairéad
Here’s the link for his book…
https://www.amazon.com/Spearfinger-English-Cherokee-Charles-Suddeth/dp/1940310571
Valerie
“Thin places” – *exactly* the expression I needed to describe the sense of “seeing beyond the veil” when I regard some of the places in my family’s history and, interestingly, some of the places in NZ where they settled.
Thank you so much!
Irish American Mom
Hi Valerie – I have heard that New Zealand is similar to Ireland in places, so I am quite certain you are correct when you say your family may have found some thin places in New Zealand. Thanks so much for checking out this post.
All the best,
Mairéad
Heather J. Kirk
I commented on her article: As I plan a trip to Ireland I revisit the concept of Thin Places, and am excited to step into its genesis. I wrote a story called Thin Places (though I had originally called it Breathing Deeply), which was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Finding My Faith: 101 Inspirational Stories About Life, Belief and Spiritual Renewal. I discovered my own thin place on a speed boat off the shores of the Dominican Republic where God told me “You need to be here.” I lived there for 8 months, hoping for a repeat of that elusive experience and Seeking the ‘Why?’ (the title of a blog I wrote as I tried to figure out WHY I needed to be there, as it seemed pretty random and impetuous once I had actually moved.) Finally, I discovered purpose is found in being exactly who you are, and that as an instrument of God, I carry a thin place around with me wherever I go.
Irish American Mom
Hi Heather – “as an instrument of God, I carry a thin place around with me wherever I go.”
What a beautiful statement, Heather. Thanks so much for stopping by and joining in our conversation about “thin places.” I’m delighted to learn you introduced this concept to readers of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Your story about finding one of your thin places in the Dominican Republic is uplifting, especially since it is through this experience you discovered that your true “thin place” lies within your own soul.
Many thanks for your lovely contribution.
All the best,
Mairéad
Thomas Coates
Thank you so much for this beautiful website. Your deep love for the mystical layers of this “pile of old rocks” blesses us all. I looked for but could not find the Irish Gaelic words for “thin space” in your writing nor have I been able to find them anywhere after two days of Googling. I’m hoping to have this information for a sermon I’m developing.
All good things,
Thomas
Irish American Mom
Hi Thomas – I’m delighted to learn you enjoyed this piece about thin places. The Irish words for thin place are “áit tanaí” (pronounced aw-tch thon-ee). A thin space would be “spás tanaí” (pronounced spaw-s thon-ee). These are literal translations of the words. Another way of saying it, that I think is the more correct poetic way is “caol áit.” I would pronounce this kwale aw-tch using the Munster dialect, but in Connemara it would be “kweel aw-tch”) I hope this helps with your sermon preparation. Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my ramblings.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Here’s a link for a reference I found:
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/thinplace.html
Thomas Coates
Thanks, Mairead!
Is your name by any chance related to the name of the leading character in the Pixar movie, BRAVE?
Irish American Mom
Hi Thomas – Mairéad is the Gaelic form of Margaret. It’s also spelled Maighréad. Pronunciation rhymes with parade. I believe Disney created the name Merida, but possibly based it on the name Mairéad. Merida is not truly a Gaelic/Celtic name, but Disney probably needed a name that could be easily pronounced by English speakers.
All the best,
Mairéad
Andrea Simpson
Hey! I am so glad I found your blog. My fiancé and I are planning an Irish honeymoon-I am so excited! We are 62 and 61 btw 😁. Have you been to or heard of Inis Cealtra? That’s one of the ‘thin places’ I was interested in. Any other advice appreciated!
Irish American Mom
Hi Andrea – Inis Cealtra is an island in Lough Derg on the River Shannon and is one of Ireland’s most famous monastic sites. I’ve heard it’s a very holy and spiritual place and many visitors find it to be one of their thin places. I have not been there myself, but it’s on my list of thin places to visit in Ireland. Clomnacnoise in County Offaly is another monastic ruin I wish to visit. I was there as a child but that’s over forty-five years ago. I hope you’ll have an amazing honeymoon in Ireland. Congratulations to you and your fiancé. And I’m thrilled you found my blog.
All the best,
Mairéad
Anne Herridge
This is such a wonderful post! Ireland is indeed full of thin places. As soon as I stepped off the ‘plane the first time I visited, I felt (perhaps for the first time in my life), that I had come “home.” I definitely sensed an ancestral call, and drawing of the soul. Skellig Michael was my special place! Such a sense of peace and spirituality and sacredness….I felt its call not only when visiting the island but even just gazing at it across the bay!
Irish American Mom
Hi Anne – Skellig Michael is definitely one of Ireland’s most amazing thin places. It amazes me to think of how monks once lived there. Thanks for checking out my ramblings.
All the best,
Mairéad
Kyle Buckley
I love the idea of “thin places!” My husband and I spent a glorious two weeks in Ireland last year celebrating our 40th anniversary. We visited many thin places, and I felt awed by the sheer ancientness of them. You could feel the spirits and that magical bond with nature that can be so elusive in our hectic American lives. What struck me the most was the power of spirituality that these places hold and represent through eons. The ancient beliefs in a higher power deity that has even a constant for humanity was an overwhelming experience for me. Here in the States, our history is so recent in comparison. While I have experienced many spiritual moments visiting around our country, there have been no experiences that impacted me as deeply as those precious places in Ireland.
Irish American Mom
Hi Kyle – I’m so happy to hear you had such a wonderful time in Ireland and that you experienced the mystical nature of thin places. It’s difficult to describe and needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated. The world is full of such places but for some reason Ireland seems to have a high density of spiritual corners.
Thanks so much for following my ramblings.
All the best,
Mairéad
Patrick McCloskey
Years ago I passed by an old graveyard near Bantry Bay. It was late at night and I will never forget this peaceful almost spiritual feeling there. Perhaps is was a thin place or at least on for me. I get that feeling in the mountains a lot. I feel with those vistas I am closer to God. Your blog is wonderful. My wife Janet invited me to view it. You are an excellent writer and blogger.
http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com my blog if you care to peruse.
Irish American Mom
Hi Patrick – I understand what you mean about that peaceful feeling in an Irish graveyard. There’s an old cemetery by the sea in Castlehaven, right beside a pier, and for me, it is a thin place. My husband would agree wholeheartedly with you about the mountains. He loves to go mountain climbing, both in Ireland and America. Thanks for your kind words about my blog. I’m delighted your wife recommended you stop by to check out my ramblings.
I took a look at your writings too. I enjoyed all the wonderful hiking photos, snowy vistas and your stories.
All the best,
Mairéad
Angela Dougherty-Way
Thank you for sharing this! Yes, I feel a very close relationship with my Heavenly Father at times here in America, but more so in Ireland. Its hard to explain so my cousin and I just say we are home our soul feels relaxed like you just walked into your home and are secure and loved. Wonderful feeling and I hope all can find their thin spot in their life time.
Irish American Mom
Hi Angela – It sounds like Ireland is your spiritual home, just like so many readers of this blog. I fully understand what you mean about that feeling your soul is coming home when you arrive in Ireland. I truly believe that I could never be lost in Ireland. When I was a child exploring with my grandaunt, she never felt lost, even when we had no idea where we were heading. She always said, we could keeping going until we reach the sea, and then all we have to do is turn around. It felt as if Mother Ireland was cradling us, no matter where we wandered.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad
Janice L Reed
I felt a “Thin Place” in the Redwoods of Northern California. It was like being with God.
Irish American Mom
Hi Janice – How wonderful to know that you too have experienced a “thin place” in California. Those redwood trees must be amazing to behold and definitely close to God. Thanks so much for checking out my recipes and ramblings.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Mary Beth Boldt
Hi Mairead,
I’m wondering if you have any information on thin places in Carlow, or if you can point me in the right direction. Both my family and my late husband’s family are from Carlow and if I go to Ireland I’d like to be prepared.
Thanks for your blog and your time.
Irish American Mom
Hi Mary Beth – There are many dolmens in County Carlow, and its nickname is the Dolmen County. Some of these sites may be thin places. Here is a link for a tour of County Carlow:
https://www.irishamericanmom.com/county-carlow-the-dolmen-county/
Another place of spiritual interest is Saint Finnian’s Holy Well. You’ll find it’s location here, together with other monastic sites from early times…
https://www.irishamericanmom.com/county-carlow-the-dolmen-county/
I hope this is helpful.
All the best, and I hope you will have a lovely trip when you eventually go to Ireland.
Mairéad
Tish Aimone
This is so me. Always!
Irish American Mom
Hi Tish – I’m delighted to hear you too can relate to this idea of thin places. The whole concept intrigues me. Thanks so much for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad
Mary Beth Boldt
Very helpful. Thank you so much!
Irish American Mom
Hi Mary Beth – Thanks so much for stopping by to check out this post. I’m so glad you found it helpful.
All the best,
Mairéad
Nelly Burgees
Sometimes letting go is the only way to find out who you’re meant to hold on to.
Irish American Mom
Hi Nelly – That’s a beautiful thought. Thanks so much for sharing it, and for checking out this rambling about Ireland’s thin places.
All the best,
Mairéad
Pat O'Leary
I don’t pick up on many of these sites with other-world resonances, with the exception of sites of mass graves from the Famine, or sites of massacres or treachery during battles (of which there are many!). But SWMBO did, and there was one place in particular where she’d look at me in amazement and say “can you not see those people in the old dress walking round?” – that is at Blarney Castle Gardens – not the tourist-trap castle and Blarney Stone itself, but the rambling gardens with the almost fairy-door-like entrance. She took a visiting fellow psychologist there once, unwarned, and the poor woman nearly freaked when she, too, picked up on something benign but not of today’s world! The ancient Celts believed distance between “here” and “there” became thin enough to step through on certain festivals like Bealtine and Lughnasa. Time to watch “Dancing at Lughnasa” again, I think!
Irish American Mom
Hi Pat – Another reader preciously emailed me about his experiences in Blarney Castle Gardens and how he became aware of a thin spiritual veil there. I have been to the castle, but have never wandered through the gardens. I must do so next time I make it back to Cork. Thanks so much for sharing your story and experience here through the comments. It’s lovely to hear from others who understand and appreciate this Celtic concept. Many thanks for checking out my recipes and ramblings.
All the best,
Mairéad
Amy
WOW! I had never heard of most of these places. Thank you so much for this post. Our family cannot wait to go back for another visit.
Irish American Mom
Hi Amy – I’m so glad I could introduce you to some new places in Ireland that are off the beaten track. Ireland has so many amazing places to see and experience it would take a long time to see them all. I hope it won’t be long before you are able to travel to Ireland again as a family.
All the best,
Mairéad
Bernadette
This is one of my favorite Irish and spiritual subjects! “Pile of old rocks”, how rude regardless of ancestry or spirituality. It’s roots for many of us, even those of us who celebrate heritage but are not Irish born.
To those that feel and appreciate thin places, what a beautiful blessing.
Irish American Mom
Hi Bernadette – Lovely to hear you too are aware of thin places and appreciate what I am talking about. I believe those piles of old rocks resonate with energy and wisdom from the past.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Sara McLain
On the Great Blasket Island in 2008 I first began to sense something unusual. After a life long fear of water & boats, I think I was healed of that fear out there. On the return journey, in a small open ferry, our group was hit with a sudden almighty storm in the sea. At times it seemed the boat would capsize, but oddly, I felt no fear. I felt exhilarated. Somewhere on that island, I was later told I’d likely passed by a thin place and was healed of my fear. Since then, other places have moved and connected me to Ireland in permanent, extraordinary ways: Gougane Barra, Lough Crew cairn T, Lough Gur, Beltany Stone Circle, and in each place I could feel a strengthening of my soul and mind. Your photos of those places brought it all back to me. When people ask me why I go to Ireland so often I tell them it’s because Ireland has made me into a better person, more aware, stronger in mind, more open to others, more attuned to others’ fears, a process that has enriched my life continually. I am so thankful to have found this post on the Thin Places of Ireland. You explained and shared it so well. I pray that the one who saw only a pile of old rocks will find the healing openness, in His own time and place. Blessings to you for the wonderful sharing of Irish culture on this site.
Irish American Mom
Hi Sara – Thank you for sharing your experiences of thin places in Ireland. The Blasket Islands truly are one of those mysticl spots off the coast of Ireland. How amazing is it that you were cured of your fear of water there. I need to take my mom to the Blaskets. She does not like water, even though she was born near the coastline in West Cork. All of the places you mention are truly thin places. I remember visiting Gougane Barra as a child, and feeling the peace and serenity of the place despite being very young. Thanks so much for adding to our discussion about thin places.
All the best,
Mairéad
Veronica Krulish
This is a beautiful rabbit hole I have now found myself in. My husband and I visited Ireland on our honeymoon in 2005. I have felt what you describe and am now happy to know it has a term, ‘thin places’. Because of this post, I find myself wanting to go back and take it all in at a slower pace. (We were only there a week and tried to see as much as we could in that short time.) Hence the rabbit hole and the many tabs of Ireland open on my computer. Thank you!
Irish American Mom
Hi Veronica – Lovely to hear you too have experienced a thin place. I hope you get back to Ireland someday soon to explore some more. There are so many amazing mystical places to discover and it’s best to go at a slow pace to truly take it all in. Thanks so much for exploring my website – it’s lovely to know you find it entertaining and helpful. Happy armchair travels as you discover Ireland through the pages in our little corner of the internet.
All the best,
Mairéad
Kate Burk
People that visit special places & fail to see that beauty, drive me crazy.
Here in the U.S. as you mentioned, there are places the Natives held/hold in high esteem as a Sacred Spaces. And they feel they must leave their mark on it. Grrrr
Irish American Mom
Hi Kate – I understand your frustration. I often find people rush through places and don’t stop to truly experience the mysticism of their surroundings. Thanks so much for checking out my ramblings about Ireland’s thin places.
All the best,
Mairéad
Dorian
I live in Arizona, the land of the Apache, Navajo, Hopi and other Native American tribes. In beautiful Sedona, Arizona there are many spots with a vortex. Although all of Sedona is a vortex, there are special spots where the energy is more intense and where you can actually feel it. These vortexes are “feminine” (energy entering the earth) and “masculine” (energy coming out of the earth). The Native Americans believe that spiritual transformation can occur more quickly and easily in Sedona because the veils to other dimensions are thinner here. I have felt the tingling sensations while walking in these vortexes. Truly amazing!
Irish American Mom
Hi Dorian – It’s wonderful to hear you understand what a thin place is and have actually experienced the concept. I truly believe in these places. I have never been to Sedona, but I’ll be adding it to my wish list of places to see and experience. There was much wisdom in the belief system of native American tribes. Thank you for sharing their ideas about Sedona.
Take care,
Mairéad