Ever since I took my first steps on the French Way, the Camino de Santiago has slowly become a bigger part of my life. I’m sure a lot of you feel that way too. Not a day goes by without remembering a moment from my first Camino back in 2011. Since then, I manage to take a few weeks of the year to follow the footsteps of pilgrims to the great Cathedral in Santiago. The complexities of daily life don’t seem to matter on those few weeks. You wake up, put on your pack and you walk. It’s as simple as that.
Having being a member of the Camino Society for a number of years after my first walk, I was asked if I would like to volunteer at its Information Centre in Dublin. The Camino Society’s motto is to “Give Something Back” and it’s members can do so in a number of ways. Volunteering in their Camino Information Centre in Dublin being one. Here, future pilgrims can receive information, purchase pilgrim passports or guidebooks, and are invited to come back and share stories of their Camino.
Not only is it a great way to learn about the many other ways to Santiago but it is a perfect way to meet pilgrims from all over the world! I have met many pilgrims from such countries as the USA, Canada, the UK, South America, Australia, and Russia. Some on their way to Spain to walk a Camino and visit to collect a sello, while others are visiting Dublin. And the stories they tell.
The Information Centre is based at St. James’s Church in Dublin and is open from Saturday January 18th from 10.30am to 3.30pm. It is easily accessible from Dublin City Centre. It is less than 2 minutes walk from St. James Gate – a popular tourist spot in the Liberties. If you would like to learn more about our Information Centre or if you would indeed like to volunteer, more information can be found here.
By David Smith
Shamrocks & Shells 