Watching pilgrims struggle up Reek was inspirational

Croagh Patrick climb a real test of human spirit

HOW to describe climbing Croagh Patrick? Imagine a half-mile-long dry stone wall in Connemara, tip it on its side, rise it to a 60 degree angle then proceed to climb up it – and of course walk back down!

It is a jaggy, craggy, rocky climb from beginning to end. There is no let-up or, for that matter, no let-down when you reach the summit where the sense of relief is coupled with unparalleled views of the hundreds of islands in Clew Bay.

I made the decision to do it a few months ago with a group of family and friends. I didn’t give it a second thought. After all, every year the TV showed pilgrims in their bare feet undertaking the pilgrimage. Apparently, they have been doing it this way ever since it began as a pagan ritual 5,000 years ago. We seldom hear of the after-effects of doing it barefoot, and I was pleasantly surprised last Sunday at the small number of people doing it in this ludicrous style.

There were 140 mountain rescue volunteers on the Reek, with ambulances on standby and two Air Corps helicopters shuttling back and forth – but their job is not easy or totally safe. Why make it worse by whipping off your walking boots to prove a penitential point?

But these portrayals of barefoot climbers are deceptive – dangerously so. To see a 12-year-old child somersault through the air after tripping on a jagged rock, knowing she would land on similar terrain is a frightening experience. Luckily, the girl we saw doing this landed in a cradle of stone and her fall was somewhat cushioned. Two hours later the traumatised child still could not talk of the fall although, miraculously, her injuries were minor.

I have twice climbed Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrantuohil – about 1,000 feet higher than Croagh Patrick, although boasting the same conical shape. But the Mayo mountain is a much harder ascent – and descent – than its Kerry counterpart.

That is why I have nothing but admiration for the thousands who climb every year. Such is the concentration needed as you negotiate each step, that the climb does not generate conversation – it is a solitary experience, which has been much of its appeal for the last 5,000 years. Obviously, the atmosphere and sense of camaraderie at the top of Croagh Patrick after a gruelling final 40 minute stage, borders on the ecstatic. Although with Masses, confessions, Communion and the constant hum of praying pilgrims, coupled with the beautiful weather last Sunday, the summit is a calming island of tranquillity as you contemplate the treacherous descent!

Unbelievably, one local family have lashed a small tarpaulincovered structure to the side of the summit selling soup, tea, sandwiches and sustenance to the exhausted pilgrims. This well-stocked shop and cafe is brought to the top of the mountain by a herd of donkeys!

And in many ways that is the miracle of Croagh Patrick: being awestruck by the endeavour of others, many, no doubt, carrying their own burdens and prayers for others.

Because, while I can claim some naïveté about my first climb, many of those I met have accomplished the feat many times. But for me it was a once in a lifetime experience.

Never again!