Croagh Patrick - Ireland's holy mountain

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Croagh Patrick (the Reek) is a mountain of 764 m (2,507 ft) in Co. Mayo, Ireland. It has a pyramid shape and is seen as a holy mountain. St Patrick is said to have spent 40 days fasting on the summit. Thousands of pilgrims climb the peak each year on Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July. This custom goes back at least to the Middle Ages. It is a very stony track but is supposed to take on 3-4 hours to climb in daylight. The film footage of it made the climb look very arduous. Some climb it barefoot as a sort of penance. In 1905, a church was built on the summit by twelve local men, using donkeys and horses to haul sand and cement to the top. It took the men six months to build the church. Skilled workers were paid a sovereign a week and labourers half a crown. The photo shows Croagh Patrick from the carpark of Murrisk, the village at its base.