# PilgrimIRL - Ireland's Sacred Heritage Database

> Discover Ireland's ancient monastic sites, pilgrimage routes, holy wells, and Christian heritage across all 32 counties.

## About PilgrimIRL

PilgrimIRL is a comprehensive database documenting Ireland's sacred Christian heritage spanning over 1,500 years. The site catalogs 817+ sacred sites across all 32 counties of Ireland, including ancient monasteries, pilgrimage routes, holy wells, high crosses, and Christian ruins.

## Core Content Areas

### Monastic Sites
Ancient Irish monasteries and abbeys from the early Christian period (5th-12th century) through the medieval era. Includes famous sites like Glendalough, Clonmacnoise, Skellig Michael, and hundreds of lesser-known foundations established by Cistercian, Augustinian, Franciscan, and other religious orders.

### Pilgrimage Routes
Sacred walking paths and traditional pilgrimage routes across Ireland, including:
- Croagh Patrick (Mayo)
- St. Kevin's Way (Wicklow)
- Cosán na Naomh / Saints Road (Kerry)
- Tóchar Phádraig (Mayo)
- Lough Derg pilgrimage (Donegal)

### Christian Sites
Holy wells, high crosses, mass rocks, and Christian ruins throughout Ireland. These sites represent the folk religious traditions and penal-era Catholic heritage of the Irish people.

### Irish Saints
Profiles of 101 Irish saints and their associated sacred sites, including:
- St. Patrick (patron of Ireland)
- St. Brigid of Kildare (female patron)
- St. Colmcille/Columba (founder of Iona)
- St. Kevin of Glendalough
- St. Brendan the Navigator

### Liturgical Calendar
Irish Catholic liturgical calendar featuring feast days, solemnities, and commemorations of Irish saints throughout the year. Available for 2025 and 2026.

## Site Data

- **Total Sites:** 817+
- **Counties Covered:** 32 (all of Ireland)
- **Saints Documented:** 101
- **Site Types:** Monasteries, Abbeys, Priories, Friaries, Holy Wells, High Crosses, Round Towers, Churches, Oratories, Mass Rocks, Pilgrimage Routes

## Geographic Coverage

All 32 counties of Ireland including:
- **Connacht:** Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim
- **Leinster:** Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Longford, Meath, Louth, Kildare
- **Munster:** Cork, Kerry, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford
- **Ulster:** Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Derry

## API Endpoints

REST API available for calendar data:
- `GET /wp-json/pilgrimirl/v1/calendar` - Full liturgical calendar
- `GET /wp-json/pilgrimirl/v1/calendar/today` - Today's feast
- `GET /wp-json/pilgrimirl/v1/calendar/upcoming` - Upcoming feasts

## Key URLs

- Homepage: https://pilgrimirl.com/
- Monastic Sites: https://pilgrimirl.com/monastic-sites/
- Pilgrimage Routes: https://pilgrimirl.com/pilgrimage-routes/
- Christian Sites: https://pilgrimirl.com/christian-sites/
- Saints: https://pilgrimirl.com/saints/
- Calendar: https://pilgrimirl.com/calendar/
- Blog: https://pilgrimirl.com/blog/

## Contact

Website: https://pilgrimirl.com
Location: Ireland

## Content Licensing

Content on PilgrimIRL is intended for educational and informational purposes about Ireland's Christian heritage.

## Technical Information

- Platform: WordPress
- Theme: Custom PilgrimIRL theme
- SEO: Yoast SEO
- Structured Data: Schema.org JSON-LD (TouristAttraction, Place, Event)
- Sitemap: https://pilgrimirl.com/sitemap_index.xml