There are shrines, retreats, and meditation centres all over this are where visitors can find peace and reflection. Lough Derg, an island retreat in calm lake waters, has been attracting pilgrims for over 1,000 years, while typically 60,000 people a year make the ascent of Croagh Patrick in Co Mayo to where St Patrick is said to have fasted for forty days and nights in 441AD.
Visitors today are still mesmerised by this energy at these and other sites in the area, which weaves its way back to ancient times. Some sense it when they find stillness in the surrounds of a crumbling monastery or at an ancient passage tomb. Others tap into it as they explore the history, culture and folklore at museums, libraries and once-imposing castles.
And others just feel it emanate from the landscape itself – on the wild open seas, on the rugged hills or during a stolen moment of calm on a windswept beach.