Ireland's Holy Mountain

Croagh Patrick

Croagh Patrick, affectionately known as "The Reek," is a 2,500-foot mountain in County Mayo and one of Ireland's most revered pilgrimage sites. Its distinctive pyramid-shaped summit rises above the village of Murrisk, overlooking Clew Bay just a few miles from Westport.

For thousands of years, Croagh Patrick has been considered a sacred mountain. It was once the center of an ancient ritual landscape before becoming forever linked with Saint Patrick, who is believed to have spent forty days fasting and praying on its summit. A church has stood atop the mountain since the 5th century, with the present chapel dating to the early 1900s.

Each year, on Reek Sunday—the last Sunday in July—tens of thousands of pilgrims make the challenging climb to the summit, continuing a tradition that has endured since at least the Middle Ages.

Croagh Patrick is always a memorable stop on The Pub Runners' Musical Tours of Ireland. During the band's November 2024 tour, the lads gathered near the statue of Saint Patrick at the foot of the mountain, overlooking Clew Bay, where they sang the beloved Mayo anthem, "The Green and Red of Mayo."