Ireland Guide
Galway and Mayo
Croagh Patrick
Rising to 764m to the east of Louisburgh, the cone of Croagh (pronounced "croak") Patrick dominates Clew Bay and the Westport area. It was the pagan home of the mother goddess, now converted into the holiest mountain in Christian Ireland, and on a fine day offers an awesome panorama, stretching from the Twelve Bens in the south to Slieve League in the north.
The starting point for the ascent of Croagh Patrick is the excellent visitor centre on the R335 on the north side of the peak (March– Oct daily 11am–4.30pm or longer hours – phone 
098/64114 to check; free; 
www.croagh-patrick.com ). Here you'll find lockers, showers, advice about the climb and the weather, an excellent café and a DVD on the history of the mountain (on request). During his long missionary tour of the island, St Patrick is supposed to have passed the forty days of Lent in 441 alone on the mountain, finding time to hurl all of Ireland's snakes to their deaths over the precipice of Lugnanarrib just to the south of the summit. This association with the saint has made Croagh Patrick the focus of major pilgrimages, which take place three times a year, on March 17 (St Patrick's Day), August 15 (Assumption Day) and – the main event – on the last Sunday in July, Reek Day (which coincides with the pagan harvest festival of Lughnasa). On this day, tens of thousands of pilgrims still make the climb to attend Mass on the summit, some of them fasting and walking barefoot.
The climb itself, taking on average 3hr 30min return, is easy to follow though very steep in places – you'll need good walking shoes and preferably a stick, available from the visitor centre. At the summit you'll find a small chapel that took twelve men six months to construct in 1905, though archeologists have discovered evidence of much earlier building work up here, a massive rampart dating from pagan times.
In a small park opposite the visitor centre stands the national monument to an nGórta Mór (the Great Famine), commissioned in 1997 for the 150th anniversary. The bronze sculpture of a coffin ship, with skeletons floating around its masts and prow, looks more eerie and shocking now that it's been weathered green by the rain. On the shoreline behind the sculpture, well-preserved Murrisk Abbey, which features some unusual battlements on the south wall of the church, was established by the O'Malley family in 1457. An Augustinian foundation dedicated to St Patrick, in former times it housed famous relics such as the Shrine of St Patrick's Tooth and his Black Bell, both now in Dublin's National Museum. From the abbey there are fine views of the islands of Clew Bay, which are actually half-submerged drumlins; there are said to be enough of them for a year and a day – 366 – of which only seven are now inhabited.
If you're relying on public transport for a day-trip to Croagh Patrick, Thursday (the main shopping day in Westport) is the best day to attempt the climb, with three or four buses in each direction between the town and Louisburgh; Tuesdays and Saturdays are also possible, but you won't be able to dawdle on the mountain if you're going to make the bus back. For B&B in the area, try Béal-an-t-Sáile ( 098/64012, www.bealantsaile.com ; Price: €60-90), overlooking the sea less than a kilometre east of the visitor centre, with great breakfasts. The Tavern, on the main road near the visitor centre, does very good food and has pleasant outdoor tables.