Journey to Croagh Patrick summit is really a pilgrimage to the heart

All religions have the idea of pilgrimage at their core to help followers achieve personal redemption, writes Tony Flannery

Ferdia Kelly and Ben Brouder, Co Galway, walk barefoot to the summit of Croagh Patrick, Co Mayo. Picture: Conor McKeown

FROM the bottom of the mountain, it looks like a muti-coloured snake going all the way to the peak but the thousands of people who made the climb to the top of Croagh Patrick for Reek Sunday did so for reasons as individual as the footprints they leave behind. Whether they are motivated by religion, personal petition or merely the physical challenge, the climbers became part of the same tribe for the day, united by a common purpose, sharing snacks, tips and personal stories along the way. No matter what happens, they will never forget the day they climbed Croagh Patrick.

To understand why the attraction of this type of pilgrimage remains as strong as ever, we must step back in time to look at the origins of the concept. Going on pilgrimage is as old as Christianity itself, probably much older, and certainly not unique to Christianity. In fact, it is a feature of most of the major religions of the world. Christians go on pilgrimage to a whole variety of places, probably most notable being the Holy Land and the Shrine of St James in Compostela in northern Spain, which is now commonly referred to as the Camino. Islam believers flock to Mecca in their millions, and the Hindus go to bathe in the sacred river, the Ganges.