Thousands make Croagh Patrick pilgrimage

THIRTY thousand pilgrims, some in bare feet, took to the slopes of Ireland’s holy mountain Croagh Patrick yesterday.

The county jerseys worn by many of the climbers reflected their diverse origins - Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Dublin, Tyrone, Laois and Kerry.

The tradition of climbing the Co Mayo peak on the last Sunday of July dates back to 441AD when St Patrick fasted on the summit for 40 days and 40 nights.

Bernie Finnegan, a middle-aged man from Oran, Co Roscommon, climbed to the top barefoot in less than two hours.

“Everybody has their own beliefs and it means a lot to me to do it. I continue to do it for spiritual reasons,” he said.

One of the most experienced climbers was Roscommon man Seamus Cummins, 63, who reached the summit for the 45th time yesterday.

“It’s good for your health and you’re glad to go. I want to make the ‘50’ anyway, but that’s up to the man above,” he said.

Conditions on the mountain were reasonable and far better than the gale force winds and heavy rain which left some climbers with hypothermia last year.

The Order of Malta, which brought volunteers from across the country to provide first aid and ambulance services, said the only problem was fog, which cut visibility to 75 metres in places.

Eamon Berry, from the order’s Westport unit, said: “On a scale of one to 10, if last year’s weather was minus two, then this year’s is a seven.”

He said it was still worrying to see people passing by without adequate clothing.

“Sometimes I think they’re going to the beach. Croagh Patrick is a mountain, one of the highest in Ireland, and it’s a difficult place,” he said.

“When you see a child with hypothermia and it’s getting worse and the parents think it’s getting better, that’s scary.”

Climbers paused halfway up to circle a cairn of stones called St Benin’s bed, after the saint who slept there while St Patrick was on his fast.

The final leg was the toughest, with sliding rocks and steep slope.

At the summit, hundreds of people gathered for hourly mass at the small white church which was built in 1905.

Locals are planning a campaign to build a small mountain rescue shelter halfway up the mountain.

The last was blown down nine years ago.