Third stage for pilgrims

The Clare Pilgrim Way has been marking out a route linking the ancient monastic sites and holy places around the perimeter of County Clare and a small section of South Galway since a group came together to develop the route last year.
Since then, the group has extended the way to two stages and next month a third stage will be launched with a route from South Galway through East Clare.
The aim is to map a Clare-style Camino, allowing walkers to follow a pilgrim path linking significant sacred places, especially the great early Christian monastic sites.
The first half of the third stage of the Clare Pilgrim Way will be walked for three days from Monday, April 9 to Wednesday, April 11 and will begin in Kilmacduagh. Walkers will then follow a route to Flagmount, halfway to the Holy Island of Inis Cealtra, the island monastic foundation of St Caimin on Lough Derg.
A section from Holy Island is planned to take place from May 5 to 7.
Stage one of the Clare Pilgrim Way took place in August 2011 with a walk from Molougha, the birthplace of Senan of Scatttery, to Kilfenora, the City of the High Crosses and the site of the 6th century monastic settlement of St Fachtnan.
Stage two was completed at the end of October 2011, when those participating walked from Kilfenora to Kilmacduagh, the site of the great monastic settlement founded by Colman MacDuagh. 
Throughout each stage the walkers visited holy wells and other sacred places en route, learning something of the associated history and the folk memory, mostly from local people, the keepers of the stories.
As part of this new stage through East Clare the route will begin at 10am on Monday, April 9 going from ­Kilmacduagh to Knockatoo Mount via Shanaglish holy wells, ending at the junction on the Gort/Crusheen Road, R462 close to the Clare/Galway border.  
On day two the walk begins at 10am on Tuesday, where the grouping will depart from the Gort-Crusheen road and follow a route through Knockatoo Mount to Killanena via Fahy. Walkers are advised to bring a packed lunch for this walk.
On Wednesday, the route will go from Canny’s pub in Killanena onto Flagmount via the East Clare Way route around Lough Graney.
A core group will complete this walk but anyone can participate at any point along the way. The walk begins each day at 10am and takes in visits to the ancient sacred sites of each locality, where stories of their significance will be recalled as the group continues walking.