About Kerry Camino

Introduction

In the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s a path was developed from Tralee to Dingle around the headland and back to Tralee was which they called the” Dingle Way”.

Having this path in place and given that part of this route from Tralee To Dingle was suited to a pilgrim way it was decided by a small group of volunteers to resurrect the ancient trail travelled by both Saint Brendan and latterly the pilgrim travellers.

In 2008 the Kerry Camino was born. Although thousands of people come and walk the route all year long, we organise a wonderful guided walk on every May Bank Holiday weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday with upwards of three hundred walkers from all corners of the globe coming to join us.

We invite you to walk the 57 kilometres of the Kerry Camino from Tralee’s Roman Catholic Church “The Church Of Saint John The Baptist” westward to Dingle’s church of Ireland “The Church Of Saint James”.

The Kerry Camino is one of the most scenic waking/ pilgrim routes in the world. In walking the Kerry Camino on our annual weekend on the May bank holiday weekend, one can take part in a religious, a wellness or a social experience that will leave you with great memories for life. Whether you walk with us, on your own or with friends, you will be walking in the footsteps of Saint Brendan the Navigator and the many pilgrims who have gone before us. We wish you well on your journey.

The Kerry Camino logo, which is printed on the front of our Passport, is a pewter scallop shell with a bronze-gilded statue of St. James attached and mounted on a brooch, which indicates that it was a pilgrim’s badge. It was found in 1992 during an archaeological dig at the ruined Ardfert Cathedral, just north of Tralee and associated with St. Brendan, patron saint of Kerry. The artefact was found underneath the wall of a late medieval tomb at the cathedral. The shell has long been associated with St. James and, when found in a grave, suggests that the deceased person had been on a pilgrimage to the apostle’s burial place in Santiago…Kerry pilgrims setting off for La Coruna from St. James Church in Dingle, others from St. James Gate in Dublin etc.

Walk in the footsteps of
St. Brendan the Navigator

In the fifth century Brendan who was later to be canonised as a Christian saint and fourteen of his fellow monks left their abbey in Ardfert to travel the seas in search of other lands. They were lured by the thoughts of spreading the word of god to lands beyond the Irish shores. Brendan who was born in Fenit County Kerry and had built an Abbey in Ardfert was convinced that there were other lands far beyond these shores. Watching the birds migrating to our lands he was convinced that there were other lands out there. He travelled west over mountain, rivers and glens until he reached Ireland’s land’s end, or as the story goes, Brandon Creek near Dingle, thus forging the path for countless pilgrims after him.

He made a boat using hide and materials of that time to carry himself and his apostles on a journey north towards Arran, Wales, Scotland, Newfoundland and some would say that he eventually landed in the Americas.

It is widely believed that a thousand years before Christopher Columbus did, so Brendan landed in North America. Believing that Brendan had been ahead of him on his voyages Columbus on the eve of his voyages was said to have uttered,

“I am going to find the sacred lands of Saint Brendan”

The stories of Brendan were passed down through the ages by word of mouth, until 900 AD when the voyages were chronicled in the

“The Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis” (Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot.) From then on Saint Brendan was referred to as Brendan the Navigator. The Voyage Of Saint Brendan told of fantastic lands and large monsters and fire spouting lands. These have since been explained as whales and active volcanos.

In the 16th, 17th, 18th centuries pilgrims travelled the same route traversed by Saint Brendan to Dingle where they travelled by ship to La Coruna in Spain and onward by foot to the burial place of the relics of Saint James’ in Santiago.

Walk Weekend

We are a group of committed local people promoting walking this beautiful part of Kerry. We encourage local pub and accommodation providers to register with us going forward. Whether you come on a pilgrimage of personal faith or renewal, or for the fun and health benefits of a good walk, we will welcome you with open arms the way St. Brendan welcomed the converts he made while on his travels.

Our launch of Kerry Camino was in June 2012 when we walked the first stage of the present route (Tralee to Camp.) A commemorative plaque was unveiled adjacent to St. Johns Church, Castle Street, Tralee, where our annual walk departs from. Numbers have been increasing steadily since then. It is held annually over 3 days of the May Bank Holiday Weekend.

Kerry Camino is both a walker’s dream and a path of pilgrimage for the contemplative. A certain level of fitness is required for this 3-day event, with appropriate footwear, clothing, snacks and drinks. Each day’s walking is approx. 6-7 hours.

Outside of the walk weekend, information packs/passports are available all year round from Tralee Tourist Office.

We are very grateful to volunteer members Tralee Mountaineering Club, Tralee Civil Defence and other local walking enthusiasts who have assisted us in a guiding capacity for our walk weekends since 2012.

Additional information about Kerry Camino can be found by contacting us via email or on our facebook page.

Email: info@kerrycamino.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KerryCamino

We would like to acknowledge the following who assist us all year around :-