Where Saints & Heroes Retreat 🇮🇪
Visiting the Cliffs of Moher (Ireland, 2025)
It’s winter, yet this island never stops growing.
Cobblestone homes, roads, and fences stand firm, softened by moss that thrives wherever water and earth meet.
Colors emerge in unexpected places—on tree trunks and bare branches, laid bare by the gentle wind and rain.
The air is crisp, fresh, carrying the scent of the sea. Hills roll in endless shades of green, dotted with clusters of family trees.
Birds fill the sky—chirping, singing, soaring—finding homes and making friends.
This is a beautiful country. A place where Frederick Douglass first felt he was “not treated as a color, but as a man.”
This is IRELAND.
I was (and still am) fascinated by the ground. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen! (Dundalk, Ireland 2025)
An extract from Frederick Douglass and Ireland: In his own words, edited by Christine Kinealy, and published by Routledge. (From rte.ie)
The year 1845 proved to be a pivotal one both in the history of Ireland and in the personal life of Frederick Douglass. In May of that year, Douglass’s autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Written by Himself, had been published in the United States, to equal degrees of praise and opprobrium; in September, a destructive blight appeared on the potato crop in Ireland, marking the onset of a prolonged and deadly famine.
By travelling to the United Kingdom to avoid being recaptured into slavery, unwittingly Douglass became a witness to this unfolding tragedy, which was to develop into one of the most devastating social disasters in modern European history. Concurrently with the commencement of a famine in Ireland, the ‘fugitive’ slave, for the first time in his life, felt like a free man, and rejoiced in this transformation as he found his own voice and matured from being an American abolitionist to international human rights’ champion. Neither Douglass nor Ireland would ever be the same afterwards.
Frederick Douglas: Photograph by Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images
Letter from Frederick Douglass to William Lloyd Garrison
Victoria Hotel, Belfast, 1 January 1846
My Dear Friend Garrison: I am now about to take leave of the Emerald Isle, for Glasgow, Scotland, I have been here a little more than four months …
I can truly say, I have spent some of the happiest moments of my life since landing in this country. I seem to have undergone a transformation. I live a new life. The warm and generous co-operation extended to me by the friends of my despised race—the prompt and liberal manner with which the press has rendered me its aid—the glorious enthusiasm with which thousands have flocked to hear the cruel wrongs of my down-trodden and long-enslaved fellow-countrymen portrayed—the deep sympathy for the slave, and the strong abhorrence of the slaveholder, everywhere evinced—the cordiality with which members and ministers of various religious bodies, and of various shades of religious opinion, have embraced me, and lent me their aid—the kind hospitality constantly proffered to me by persons of the highest rank in society—the spirit of freedom that seems to animate all with whom I come in contact—and the entire absence of everything that looked like prejudice against me, on account of the color of my skin—contrasted so strongly with my long and bitter experience in the United States, that I look with wonder and amazement on the transition.
Eleven days and a half gone, and I have crossed three thousand miles of the perilous deep ocean. Instead of a democratic government, I am under a monarchical government. Instead of the bright blue sky of America, I am covered with the soft grey fog of the Emerald Isle. I breathe, and lo! the chattel becomes a man.
Everyone all together before the baby was born (Dundalk, Ireland 2025)
My sister and her family (Blackrock, Ireland 2025)
Time with my parents touring the Barak Obama Plaza, Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, and the city of Galway in Ireland. (2025)
Me and Kendall at The Burren (Ireland 2025) We were blessed with such a beautiful day!
Kendall, my parents, and I have spent the past several weeks in Dundalk, Ireland, helping my sister and her family welcome their third child, Penelope Celin Byrne—born on January 29, 2025, at 9:11 PM, weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz. It’s been a whirlwind of hard work but also a time of deep joy, especially since we hadn’t seen them since they moved to Ireland last year.
Being here, I’ve been captivated by this place. There’s a noticeable sense of peace, a slower pace, a life that feels less burdened by stress. It’s been a privilege to step away from the chaos back home—the relentless churn of executive orders and its harmful impact on our country.
Spending time here has reminded me that those who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place also recognize the importance of rest. Saints and heroes alike have intentionally stepped away from the fray, seeking solitude in sacred spaces that reconnected them with their humanity—places that didn’t just offer survival, but the possibility of thriving.
Did you know James Baldwin found solace in Turkey? I recently came across this on Instagram:
"Between 1961 and 1971, James Baldwin spent extended periods in Turkey, where he worked on some of his most influential books. For Baldwin, Istanbul offered a refuge from the racial and sexual discrimination he faced in the United States as a Black gay man. Embracing Turkey’s distinct atmosphere, he found freedom and acceptance that allowed him to explore his identity and creativity in new ways. His engagement with Turkish intellectuals and artists, along with his local theater work, opened new conversations on topics like social justice and personal freedom. As he put it, 'Turkey saved my life.'"
James Baldwin sightseeing in Turkey.
Ireland has been that place for me—a beautiful, green, and lush land that is showing me a different way to live. I recognize the privilege of having the resources to travel, but it shouldn’t be that way! Everyone should have the opportunity to witness God’s good creation.
Regardless of our status, I believe we can all find a place of peace—whether it’s a park, a familiar home, a train ride, a long walk, or simply a quiet spot under a tree. What our heroes and saints seem to share is a place of retreat, a sanctuary that renews their spirit and gives them the joy and strength to live another day.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
In what ways can we intentionally seek out moments of peace and rest in our own lives, even amidst the chaos of daily responsibilities?
How can the beauty and tranquility of places like Ireland inspire us to reflect on our own relationship with nature, and what role does this connection play in our spiritual or personal growth?
RECOMMENDED READING
N E W L Y R E L E A S E D
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