Dr. Carole Ann Drick, a past president of the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA),  invites you to join her on this uniquely immersive professional development journey to Ireland. Meaningful interaction and collaboration between program participants and your Irish counterparts will include meetings with holistic nursing professionals in Dublin and Cork. Discussing topics of mutual interest will embrace the inroads they are making to spread awareness around holistic care supporting and complementing traditional care. 

 Going deeper into holistic nursing roots,  you will explore many mystical and energy centers of Ireland and participate in a special guided meditation at that sacred Hill if Usineach. The program includes many opportunities to meet with the warmly welcoming Irish people, in a cooking class, dancing a jig in the local pub, exploring magical castles or meeting people in their everyday lives. You will meet nurses and healthcare professionals who are striving to holistically to improve the lives for themselves and their patients. 

Carole Ann said of her last international experience coordinated by Nanda Journeys 

"Nanda Journeys lives up to its tag line - traveling with purpose and passion. How refreshing to have a purpose to traveling in addition to being a tourist. The passion was quite evident with the all the guides - national, cultural and group leader. Each displayed a true love for what the were doing, its importance and the joy in sharing this journey together as a group of like minded professionals. I am so grateful for this experience as it opened my heart to other cultures and felt theirs open to mine! " 

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"It's all about customer service. Tapping the knowledge, expertise and communication capability of a Nanda Journeys means our group gets expert advice, customized to our interests, knows what to expect each step of the way, gets answers and help on all those impossible exceptions that crop up, and returns from the adventure having an experience that lasts a lifetime…and craving even more.”  G. Crispin - Business Owner

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Depart from a New York area airport and make your way to Dublin, Ireland. The stunning beauty and friendly people alone are worth a visit! 

Focus on Nursing & Nursing Education 

• Meaningful interaction and collaboration between program participants and professionals in Ireland will include meetings with holistic nursing professionals in Dublin and Cork like UCD College of Naturopathic Medicine and the Cancer Support House. 

• Discuss topics of mutual interest including the inroads they are making to spread awareness around holistic and traditional care and how they can complement Western medicine. • Learn what programs are available for training and advancement of holistic medicine in Ireland today. What holistic principles, presence and teaching/learning strategies do they have? 

• Enjoy a guided meditation & tour at the mystical Hill of Usineach, one of the most sacred & historical sanctuaries in the world as well as exploring mystical energy line sites including New Grange and the Hill of Tara. 

Focus on the Community & Culture 

• Explore some of the iconic sites of Ireland, including the historic Dublin, Ring of Kerry, and Lough Gur, rich in folklore and archaeology. 

• Put on your dancing shoes for a visit to O’Shea’s Merchant Pub where you can learn Irish dancing and enjoy traditional music. 

• Cahir Castle one of Ireland's largest and best-preserved castles. 

• Visit Muckross Traditional Farm and Enjoy a butter and scone making demonstration and learn all about traditional rural life in Country Kerry during the early 1900’s. Guests Welcome – Optional Extension 

Accompanying guest program – alternate activities will be provided for those who do not wish to attend the meetings. 

Optional post-program extension to County Clare & Limerick. Details coming soon.

 Download and save the daily itinerary HERE 

Upon arrival, the group will be met and transferred to Dublin city center. Enjoy a panoramic tour of Dublin City. Here you will discover the north and south side of the River Liffey including such iconic sites as O'Connell Street, Phoenix Park, the house of Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula), and the medieval district where Dublin Castle and the two Anglican Cathedrals can be found. 

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before heading to the hotel to check in this afternoon (around 3:00 pm). 

All program participants will gather later this afternoon with your national guide for an early afternoon orientation and welcome. The Iveagh Garden Hotel is a modern take on traditional luxury in an urban oasis just steps from Grafton Street. They offer onsite casual dining with a bar and bistro and access to a nearby health club for a small fee. Guest rooms have flat-screen TV, laptop safe, luxury amenities, free Wi-Fi, USB charging station and coffee & tea maker. 

Enjoy a welcome dinner this evening at the hotel. 

Overnight: Iveagh Garden Hotel (or similar) 

Included meals: Lunch & Dinner 

Professional members of the program will meet with your nursing counterparts today at a facility like Lansdowne College of Acupuncture and Complementary Medicine or UCD College of Naturopathic Medicine in Dublin. Discussions with representatives will focus on education and training for holistic nurses and other allied healthcare professionals trained in integrative medicine in Ireland today. 

Lunch will be provided at a local restaurant. 

The afternoon we will request a visit to a local hospital or clinic in Dublin to discuss how integrative (holistic) medicine is used in Ireland and how widely alternative care is accepted in treatment and preventative care. 

Guest program: Today accompanying guests will enjoy a visit to County Kilkenny with Kilkenny Castle and Jerpoint Park. The town of Kilkenny is often referred to as “the Marble City” and is the most interesting and best preserved of the medieval Irish cities. It owes its immense charm to the various impressive historical monuments. Kilkenny Castle has been an important site since it was built by the AngloNormans in the 12th century. The castle has been remodeled in Victorian times and set in extensive parklands which was the principal seat of the Butler family, Marquesses and Dukes of Ormonde. Due to major restoration works, the central block now includes a library, drawing room, and bedrooms decorated in 1830's splendor, as well as the beautiful Long Gallery. A warm Irish welcome is guaranteed at Jerpoint Park, a period family home and working sheep farm. A sheep dog demonstration with a collie dog herding sheep in the farmyard is a sight to behold! Dinner will be provided at a local restaurant or pub. 

After dinner, head to O’Shea’s Merchant Pub or similar for a night of traditional Irish music and dancing (optional). 

Overnight: Iveagh Garden Hotel (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Depart for Boyne Valley this morning. We will request the opportunity this morning to visit Brú na Bóinne Visitor Center and Newgrange. Brú na Bóinne is Ireland’s richest archaeological landscape along the River Boyne, famous for their spectacular prehistoric passage tombs of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth which were built circa 3200BC. These ceremonial structures are among the most important Neolithic sites in the world. 

After lunch visit the Hill of Tara. Explore and learn about the ancient ceremonial and burial site during a visit with your guide. An ancient seat of power, 142 kings and a "stone of destiny"... welcome to the historic epicenter of royal life in Ireland. These striking ridges of once dominant ring forts offer much more than just incredible views of the lush County Meath countryside. They tell old tales of kings, gods, and sacred rituals. This place has been an important site of worship and a coveted seat of power since pre-Christian times, and it overflows with the myths and legends that make Ireland’s Ancient East so endlessly fascinating. 

Return to Dublin where dinner is by individual arrangement.  

Overnight: Iveagh Garden Hotel (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

The group will depart after breakfast for Cork in southwest Ireland. The group will enjoy a guided meditation and tour at the Hill of Uisneach, one of the most sacred and historical sanctuaries in the world. This ancient ceremonial site, in the barony of Rathconrath in County Westmeath, is in Irish mythology the location of the center of Ireland connected with both ley lines and sacred geometry. It is where the five provinces of Ireland meet and where the magical otherworld is said to be accessible via the Catstone (Aill na Mireann or Stone of Divisions). The stone is also reported to be the burial location of goddess Eriu (also one of the Tuatha de Danann). Tour with a local guide and take part in a special meditation session. The Ancient Walkway connects the royal sites of Uisneach and Tara, and its remains can be seen today. Uisneach predated Tara as a royal residence for the High Kings of Ireland. 

Lunch will be provided this afternoon before heading to the hotel to check in and to have dinner nearby. 

Overnight: Kingsley Hotel (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 

Wrap up your professional exchange today with a morning visit to a community healthcare facility to continue discussions around how at this local level they are working to improve the health and wellbeing of service users, staff and the wider population of Cork and Kerry. Key areas of improvement include chronic diseases, staff health and system reform. 

Lunch will be provided at a local restaurant today.  

A meeting will also be requested this afternoon with the Cork ARC, Cancer Support House to learn about the free services provided to patients and their families during this difficult journey. 

Guest program: Today accompanying guests will depart for a trip to Mizen Peninsula. Mizen Head Irish Lights Signal Station is located at Ireland’s most southwesterly point, at the end of the Mizen Peninsula, where the currents meet from the west and south coasts and where waves from the mid-Atlantic crash into the land. Mizen Head Fog Signal Station was sanctioned in 1906 by the Irish Lights Board to combat the high loss of life and shipping on the rocks. Visitors can dare to cross the iconic bridge high above the gorge; watch for seals and their pups in the swell below; experience the solitude of the keepers’ lives and the elemental power of the restless Atlantic where the ocean currents swirl; laugh with exhilaration into the fresh salt-laden sea air. 

Dinner is by individual arrangement. 

Overnight: Kingsley Hotel (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

This morning head out for a full day trip that includes some of the highlights of the Ring of Kerry. Rolling green hills and sparkling lakes. Sheep bleating and cows grazing in patchwork fields. Note this will include some of the ring’s highlights, not a trip along the full 111-mile road. 

This 179km circuit of the Iveragh (pronounced eevraa) Peninsula winds past dreamlike landscapes, dramatic coastlines, pristine white sandy beaches, medieval ruins, mountains, and loughs, with ever-changing views of the island-dotted Atlantic. Your guide and driver will stop frequently to allow you to admire this spectacular scenery, some of the most beautiful in all of Ireland. They are sure to include infamous vantage points such as Moll’s Gap and Ladies View. 

Moll’s Gap provides magnificent views of Macgillycuddy's Reeks Mountains. The rocks at Moll's Gap are formed of old red sandstone and a great scenic vantage point. 

Ladies View is another scenic vantage point whose name stems from the admiration of the view given by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting during their 1861 visit. 

After lunch at a local pub or café, the group will head to Muckross Traditional Farms. The Muckross traditional farms are an authentic outdoor interpretation of rural life in Kerry in the 1930s and 1940s, on a 70-acre elevated site. Traditional buildings and field systems are recreated, and domestic farming and craft practices are carried out daily.  

You’ll be greeted upon arrival by a schoolmaster; proceed into a classroom for a short background on school life in the early 1900s and learn some traditional Gaeltacht (Irish) words. Then take part in a butter making and scone making demo. The Bean an Tis (women of the house) will explain the importance of butter to the Irish farmer’s wife, how it was transported throughout the world, and why Irish butter is ranked so high both at home and abroad. Sample the wares and have some tea or coffee afterwards. 

Return to Cork where dinner is by individual arrangement (own expense). 

Overnight: Kingsley Hotel (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch  

Today head out to explore Lough Gur. Lough Gur is a magical and mysterious place that is rich in folklore along with a wealth of archaeology and history dating back to Stone Age times. It is home to Ireland’s oldest and largest stone circle noted for its most recent megalithic art find in August 2022. Formerly covered in moss, the stone now has visible carvings that are drawing a lot of attention and being studied for their unusual design. 

Lunch will be by individual arrangement. 

Later today head over to Cahir Castle for a tour! Once the stronghold of the powerful Butler family, Cahir Castle retains its impressive keep, tower and much of its original defensive structure. It is one of Ireland's largest and best-preserved castles so well worth a visit. Built in the 13th century it has featured in tv and film including Excalibur and The Tudors. 

Say goodbye as you reflect and share memories over a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. 

Overnight: Kingsley Hotel (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner 

Drive to the Shannon Airport (two-hour journey) for check in for your flight home. Depending on the flight time, lunch is by individual arrangement. 

Included meals: Breakfast

Professional Participants - As this Nanda Journey is focused primarily on professional development, costs associated with your participation on the program may be tax deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense. Consult with a tax professional to determine eligibility.

Please note: All itineraries are subject to change based on availability of hotels, flights and hosting organizations at the time of finalization of booking. Comparable meetings and activities will be arranged should an itinerary change be necessary. 30 days before departure, a finalized itinerary will be available and reflect final details.

Carole Ann is the Past President of the American Holistic Nurses Association. 

 Carole Ann Drick, RN, PhD, AHN-BC has over thirty years working in expanding health awareness and reducing complexity into simplicity. As an early advocate of holism and self care, she was the first childbirth educator in Indiana using the breath. Her life theme is shifting the consciousness of both health care providers and patients to one of holistic care and coming alive in life. As a past president of the American Holistic Nurses Association, she is also certified as an advanced practice holistic nurse. Her forte is empowerment for health care professional, Executive Development, Wellness programs and keynotes. 

Her private practice, Conscious Awareness in Austintown, Ohio provides support for lay and professionals moving into coming alive in life plus end of life support locally and at a distance. Her national and international presentations are numerous from Europe, Scandinavian, Russia to Australia and Asia. Carole Ann is a two time recipient of the American Journal of Nursing prestigious Book of the year Award for her seminal work in end of life. She has numerous articles and 5 books which reflect deep understanding of holism, self-care, self-reflection, stress, ending-of-days and related topics. Her latest book, The Last Journey – the Roadmap for Ending-of-Days brings the physical aspects of the body closing down into an upfront and personal experience for the reader taking the mystery and fear out of this normal process. Her gentle presence and depth of understanding is evident in her words and actions. Her presentations are inspiring reflecting deep understanding and knowledge on that which she speaks so eloquently.   

LINKEDIN PROFILE: Dr. Carole Ann Drick

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