Sunday 26 September 2026
World Rivers Day
Workshop and Shannon River Blessing
Drumkeeran, Co. Leitrim
Water has always been sacred. Our Rivers have always been sacred
Across cultures and throughout history, rivers, wells, springs and other bodies of water have been understood not as resources, but as living beings, places of healing, blessing, pilgrimage and encounter with the sacred.
Wild Waters is a day-long experiential workshop exploring how we can begin to restore our own relationship with the waters of the land around us.
In this workshop, we will explore some of the old traditions, folklore and spiritual practices associated with sacred waters. We will consider what it might mean to encounter our rivers and waterways as living beings, to honour the spirits of these places, and to move beyond simply taking from the natural world towards relationships of reciprocity, care and service.
We will also explore offerings, prayer, blessing and other ways of honouring the waters, what it means to be in service to the waters and the wider living world, and how we can create our own practices for developing an ongoing relationship with the waters where we live
A River Blessing for World Rivers Day
As this workshop takes place on World Rivers Day, part of our day will be spent creating an offering together before travelling out from Drumkeeran to the nearby River Shannon.
There, we will share a simple ceremony of gratitude and blessing for the river, offering our prayers not only for the Shannon, but for rivers and waterways everywhere.
This will give us an opportunity to put some of what we have explored during the workshop into practice, meeting the river itself and considering how ceremony can become part of a deeper relationship of listening, gratitude and service.
About the day
The workshop will run from 10am until approximately 4pm, based at my workshop space in Drumkeeran, Co. Leitrim.
What to bring
Water from somewhere local to you, gathered from a local river, well, spring, lake, the sea or another body of water you have a connection with. Please bring this in a clean bottle or jar. We will bring these waters together as part of our ceremony and offering to the River Shannon.
An offering for the waters, such as flowers or flower petals. We will combine these to create a shared offering for the river. Please make sure anything you bring is natural and biodegradable.
Suitable outdoor clothing and footwear, as part of the day will be spent outdoors beside the River Shannon. Please come prepared for whatever the Irish weather may bring!
A blanket or yoga mat and a pillow, so that you can be comfortable during a shamanic journey to connect with the spirit of the waters.
No previous experience of spiritual or ceremonial practice is needed. The workshop is open to anyone who feels called to consider or deepen their relationship with water, rivers and the living land around them.