Croagh Patrick: The Reek
Mayo, Ireland
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Holy Mountain Conqueror
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400
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2 days
Croagh Patrick: The Reek
400 XP
Croagh Patrick is a quartzite cone rising 764m straight out of Clew Bay, and the tradition holds that Patrick fasted on the summit for forty days in the 5th century. People have been walking up it ever since — on Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July, anything from five to thirty thousand climb it in a single day, and some of them still do it barefoot. The scree on the final cone is the hard part, loose quartzite that moves under you. The round trip is about 7km and the chapel at the top has been there since 1905. Most pilgrims now start from Murrisk, beside the ruined Augustinian abbey the O'Malleys founded in 1457, and across the road stands the National Famine Memorial, John Behan's bronze coffin ship, unveiled by President Mary Robinson in July 1997.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Climb Croagh Patrick mountain (764m) to the summit chapel
2
of 5
Find the site where Saint Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days in the 5th century, giving the mountain its pilgrim tradition
3
of 5
Time your visit for Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July, when anything from five to thirty thousand pilgrims climb the mountain, some barefoot
4
of 5
See the National Famine Memorial at Murrisk, John Behan's coffin ship of 1997, and the ruined abbey beside it
5
of 5
Complete the 7km round trip climb safely
Climb Croagh Patrick mountain (764m) to the summit chapel
Find the site where Saint Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days in the 5th century, giving the mountain its pilgrim tradition
Time your visit for Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July, when anything from five to thirty thousand pilgrims climb the mountain, some barefoot
See the National Famine Memorial at Murrisk, John Behan's coffin ship of 1997, and the ruined abbey beside it
Complete the 7km round trip climb safely
Before you go
Reek Sunday, when thousands climb the mountain, is the last Sunday in July.
A full mountain day on exposed ground with no shelter and weather that changes fast. Carry a map, compass and windproof layers, and turn back if the cloud comes down.
Reek Sunday brings twenty to thirty thousand people onto a loose quartzite path. Boots, not runners, and expect the descent to take as long as the climb.
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400 XP
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