The team travels to the mythical and sacred centre of Ireland, the magical Hill of Uisneach. The team is welcomed by local owners of the hill who tell of a steady stream of people who started arriving in the early 2000s from all around the world, mysteriously drawn here. Archaeological excavations in the past 20 years confirm people have been visiting the area for over 5,000 years.

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At the top of the hill near Lough Lugh, John Paul assembles the team around the Medicine Wheel he has inscribed on the earth. Each team member takes a position in each of the four directions: a Celtic Historian stands in the East ready to interrogate accepted history, an archaeologist stands in the South, primed to draw connections between the physical evidence and new discoveries and theories and an Irish Bard will sift through the legends and tales for the most meaningful and relevant connections to what the team discover. When John Paul once visited and asked the spirits for permission to walk this land, two ancient faerie spirits introduced themselves as guides to this hill. Contrary to accepted belief of wee little folk, these spirits were over six feet tall. Our storyteller says that Uisneach is the ancestral home of the Tuatha Dé Dannan, the faerie folk who were originally a race of tall and well-built supernatural beings.

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The Celtic historian shares that this hill is where the ancient King’s court was based, and a new King would have to come here to ‘marry’ Eire, the Goddess of Ireland, before he could rule. Following the legends of royalty, the team inspects the stone foundations of the ancient palace. John Paul knows from his earlier visit where the Queen’s Palace was located – even though all that remains is a circle of moss-encrusted stones in the field.

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Over the week the team investigates various parts of the hill and assembles a ‘pilgrim’s map’ of how the site was used in ancient times.

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The archaeologist helps the team climb into a hidden chamber with inlaid paved floors revealing the design of a mare being pursued by a galloping stallion. This is understood to be where the horses of the Dagda, the King of the Tuatha Dé Dannan, were stabled. Our bard tells of the fierce war between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians (forebears of the modern Irish people) that resulted in the Tuatha Dé Danann being exiled to the lower world.

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At dusk on the third day John Paul leads the team to an ancient Hawthorn Tree, bound all around with ivy. This is one of the Faerie Trees. He knows from communicating with a female spirit in glowing white that this is a portal to the lower world where the Tuatha Dé Danann now live. John Paul’s guide said the Tuatha Dé Danann emerged from the lower world in the 1987 to call back their descendants to have them reconnect with their heritage which is why people have been coming here from all over the world.

 

Over the course of the week, the team investigates an unusual geological anomaly where the Goddess Eiru was buried and taste the healing waters from the women’s healing spring. They learn about the fire festival of Bealtaine which has been celebrated on this hill for thousands of years. In the far distant past, as spring ended, all the fires in Ireland would be put out. At the top of the hill of Uisneach, the King would light a new fire, then new fires would be lit on surrounding hills and then the next lot of hills, passing along the message of renewal until the light of Uisneach re-kindled all the fires of Ireland. This hill is re-awakening the ancient past.

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For the final week the team follows the trail of the exile of the Tuatha dé Danann after their defeat by the Milesians and travels to the west coast of Ireland to Skellig Michael, a place of many hidden secrets. As we’ve travelled so far from the Hill of Uisneach, John Paul inscribes a new Medicine Wheel on this island. The team members take their places eager to add to the knowledge and understanding they have accumulated so far.

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This island of jagged rocks is well-known to Star Wars fans as the bleak planet of Ahch-To where the older Luke retires to contemplate life. It is only accessible by boat or helicopter, and the seas here are wild. This site has been well studied by archaeologists and our archaeologist introduces the team to the stone monastery and beehives where Gaelic monks established their community in the 6th century. The monks abandoned the island in the 13th century when the weather became too inhospitable. The historian unpacks the tales of the Archangel Michael and draws some interesting connections to what we are learning about the Tuatha dé Danann.

 

Our storyteller tells of a shipwreck here caused by the Tuatha Dé Danann in 1400 BCE. He asks John Paul about the faerie folk. Were they here too? John Paul knows from having spoken with one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, that when they fought the Milesians and were defeated, they were allowed to stay in Ireland but only underground at the Hill of Uisneach or in outlying areas like Skellig Michael. The air is clean here so the Tuatha Dé Danann use this island as a communication station, an outpost where they can gather news from around the world.

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Sitting around the fire on the mainland the team discusses, from their investigation of the sites whether the Tuatha Dé Danann really existed and whether they still exist. John Paul explains that for shamans, there can be different versions of the truth that are all valid and everyone can make up their own minds based on their direct experience.

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On the final day on the island each team member selects one of the bee-hive huts to experience deep contemplation and meditation. Before departing this remote island, the team members take their places on the Medicine Wheel to give thanks and to offer their direct experience of the investigation of the faeries of Ireland.