This is the new online home of the Aistear InisCealtra project and is a guide to the many aspects of Aistear InisCealtra, its symbolism and relevance. The website highlights the story behind the Aistear, the significance of the themes and concepts of the maze and the process involved in understanding the symbolism of the labyrinth as a metaphor for journey for the 21st century.

The Aistear Iniscealtra project represents the vision of a community and their efforts to retain a green area in the village for themselves, visitors and future generations. It was officially opened on the 21st June 2000; the completion of the project closed a chapter on an area of ground that had been a concern for fifteen years. The fear was that the rectory field would become a site for housing development, and that the last green area in the village would be lost.

The creation of the Aistear has taken many years to come to fruition. The significance of the Aistear is found in the metaphor of journey associated with human development in the 21st Century. While this was not understood at the beginning of the project, the experiences involved in the many stages of its evolution were indicative of a deeper process that needed to be recognised.

The establishment of the Mountshannon Community Council in the early eighties and the work ethic that emerged ensured that a structure was in place to undertake such a project. By the early nineties, other initiatives, such as the LEADER project, espousing bottom-up development, and the Urban & Village Renewal Scheme, focused on projects that involved personal and communal responsibility. 

In hindsight, the threads were woven in a tapestry that allowed a project such as the Aistear to emerge. However, it was the will of the community united in a major decision to undertake the project that was the catalyst for the purchase and development of the Rectory Field and subsequently the Aistear. The rest is history.

Now it is recognised as a collective undertaking that involved numerous people and organisations in the birthing of the concepts of the Aistear, making it, as Thomas Berry has stated, an effort to bring the Universe and the human into an immediacy with each other.

Aistear Iniscealtra is a 4.5acre Community Park, situated in the centre of the village of Mountshannon, between the main street and the harbour. There are over three and a half thousand trees, plants and shrubs planted throughout the park. Pedestrian access has been developed from harbour to village via the gravel path. Over five hundred trees and shrubs have been planted along this walk to ensure the village is kept green and that the beauty of nature is never far away. A large green area has been retained for recreational and relaxation purposes.

The main entrance to the Aistear is from the village. Iniscealtra or Holy Island, as it is locally known, is captured in the circle of the tall gate of the entrance arch. Iniscealtra ranks as one of the most important monastic sites in the country and is located on Lough Derg, a short distance from the village. An exit/entrance has also been created from the harbour to the park.

Inside and to the left of the main entrance gate is a rustic play area for children. As one moves forward along the pathway, one encounters the maze, which is one of the main features of the Aistear. The maze is a pathway or pilgrimage through time, measured by the history of spirituality in Ireland.

There are seven distinct periods or time spans during the journey depicting the spiritual evolutionary process. These spaces display an explanatory text and contemporary relics and artefacts which draw together the beliefs of generations past. The artefacts have been replicated from original archaeological discoveries.  

The word Aistear means journey. The metaphor of journey is associated with the movement from darkness to light. This journey is characterised by growth in human self awareness encompassing the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of being.   The journey begins in the maze with the beliefs associated with the Hunter-Gatherer Societies of c. 6000 BC and continues to the present time.

The theme of spirituality encountered in the journey through the maze is evoked in present time through the symbol of the labyrinth. The Aistear Labyrinth is intended to function as a symbol of the transformative process involved in an unfolding or evolving Universe. It also represents this process in the inner journey of the human being.