Croagh Patrick

Seen the mountain Croagh Patrick from Westport

The Croagh Patrick ( Irish: Cruach Phádraig ) is a 764 meter high mountain in County Mayo in the west of Ireland. He has the nickname The Reek, the smoke or the smell.

For hundreds of years of Croagh Patrick is in honor of St. Patrick, a place of pilgrimage. In the year 441 the saint of Ireland rose to this mountain, there fasted for 40 days and built a chapel. According to legend, he threw on one side of the mountain down a bell and so drove all the snakes from the island of Ireland. The place where the bell supposedly landed, is a U- shaped valley. It was created during the Ice Age and opens into the Clew Bay.

The small chapel on the summit was consecrated on 30 July 1905. On 31 July 2005, during the annual pilgrimage, revealed Michael Neery, the Archbishop of Tuam, a plaque commemorating the centenary of the consecration.

At the so-called Reek Sunday (also called garlands Sunday ); the last Sunday in July, actually a pagan date, about 25,000 pilgrims climb up the mountain; many do this barefoot.

At the foot of the mountain lies the village of Murrisk.

Pilgrim path

Pilgrim path