Known locally as “the Reek”, it’s scaled by thousands each year on Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July, with some of the more devout tackling the 7km pilgrim trail and 750-metre climb barefoot.
Despite many arriving on Reek Sunday, this is certainly not a journey that’s reserved for one day a year…


Clew Bay, County Mayo
St Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, wasn’t the first to start a pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick. Croagh Patrick has been considered a holy mountain since pagan times, when people would gather at the summit to celebrate the beginning of the harvest season (known as Lughnasa), on or around 1st August.
More recently, archaeologists have found evidence of Neolithic art here, suggesting that it has been a sacred site for thousands of years.
The mountain, however, is now inextricably linked to St Patrick. It’s said that the saint fasted for 40 days for Lent hereback in the year 441 AD.
Originally, the mountain was called Cruachan Aigli, but it was renamed Cruaich (meaning “mountain”) Patrick, in the mid-14th century in honour of the patron saint.
Climbing the 764m holy mountain is an act of penance for thousands of believers on the last Sunday of July (Reek Sunday)
Lonely Planet
County Mayo
L-R: St Patrick's Church at Croagh Patrick summit; Clew Bay; Walkers on Reek Sunday; walkers at bottom of Croagh Patrick