The Spanish Camino has undoubtedly been the European tourism phenomenon of the 21st century. Seeking meaning beyond materialism and recourse, for a time at least, to a freer and less controlled way of living, the numbers completing this mystical Spanish trail have risen from fewer than 100 in 1967 to almost 500,000 in 2024. This…
Magnetically attractive, abbeys are islands of serenity in a chaotic world. And so it is that for almost two centuries, the dreamy spires of Mount Melleray Abbey, County Waterford, have acted as a beacon for travellers crossing the famous Vee Gap of the Knockmealdown Mountains. Yet, it was by chance that this renowned abbey came…