Hundreds of people have climbed Craogh Patrick today, despite the cancellation of the annual ‘Reek Sunday’ pilgrimage. This is the first year in living memory that the pilgrimage has been cancelled.
The pilgrimage had been called off this morning due to adverse weather conditions. Met Eireann had issued a yellow weather warning for today, expecting heavy rain which would leave the ground slippy and treacherous. However, this did not dissuade many people who decided to brave the climb against safety warnings.
Mayo Mountain Rescue has said that eight people were assisted with minor injuries on Croagh Patrick and that many of these were suffering with mild hypothermia.
Archbishop Michael Neary described the cancellation as disappointing. “I’m not aware of it having been cancelled before and I’ve been climbing this mountain since I was a young lad many, many years ago.”
The Reek Sunday pilgrimage has been happening in County Mayo for over 1,500 years. Mass is celebrated at the summit, and Confession offered. The pilgrimage is traditionally held on the last Sunday in July.
