Thousands in mountain pilgrimage

Many pilgrims choose to climb Croagh Patrick

About 30,000 people are taking part in the annual 1,500-year-old pilgrimage to the top of Ireland's holiest mountain.

The annual climb up Croagh Patrick in County Mayo commemorates St Patrick's ascent to the summit of the mountain.

The Mayo Mountain Rescue Team called on all those taking part to be mindful of the weather conditions.

A number of people have suffered sprain injuries. One man has been airlifted to hospital after suffering a suspected heart attack.

The pilgrims include Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam who will hold a service at the summit on Sunday. Mass is also being celebrated every hour.

The archbishop used his homily at the start of the pilgrimage to urge Catholics to slow the pace of life in the hectic Celtic Tiger economy.

"The world in which we live has set an impossible pace," he said on Saturday.

"We are rushed from infancy to adolescence and then through those special years to an ill-timed adulthood.

"We live in the age of the instant, where there is no joy in the anticipation and no time to value the achievement."

The archbishop urged pilgrims to "discover the need to reflect, to slow down the pace of life, to wonder at the beauty of the earth, and to really appreciate the value of our friends."

Barefoot

The tradition of climbing the 764-metre high mountain on the last Sunday in July - known as Reek Sunday - stretches back to 441 AD.

It was then that Saint Patrick reputedly fasted on the summit for 40 days and 40 nights, following the example of Jesus Christ and Moses.

A church spokesperson said: "This pilgrimage has been carried out uninterrupted for over 1,500 years.

"Croagh Patrick has over 100,000 visitors annually with up to 30,000 people expected this weekend."

The ancient custom for the most devout climbers has been to make the pilgrimage up the 45-degree slope of loose shale and stones of the mountain "barefoot and blind" -- at night-time and not wearing footwear.

An estimated 20,000 people took part in the annual pilgrimage last year. They had to endure some of the worst weather conditions in recent years.

Last year, Ireland's leading Catholic clergyman Dr Sean Brady became the first Archbishop of Armagh since the time of St Patrick to climb the mountain.