Staging post for Croagh Patrick pilgrims

A staging post for the tens of thousands of Roman Catholic pilgrims who each year climb Ireland’s holy mountain - Co Mayo’s 2,510-feet Croagh Patrick - was opened for business at the foot of the peak today.

A lot of the climbers, as many as 25,000, and many in their bare feet, flock to Croagh Patrick, overlooking the West of Ireland’s Clew Bay, on the final Sunday in each July to mark the occasion in the year 441 when St Patrick spent 40 days and nights fasting there and praying for the people of the country.