Mt. Croagh Patrick Mt. Croagh Patrick (also spelled Croach
Patrick) is a mountain near the town of Westport in County Mayo,
Ireland. Each year, as many as one million pilgrims and visitors
make the trek to the top to pray at the stations of the cross,
participate in Mass, do penance (in which case the rocky journey
is undertaken barefoot) or just enjoy the spectacular view.
Known in Irish Celtic as Cruach Phádraig and colloquially as
"the Reek," Mt. Croagh Patrick has been a sacred site since
ancient times. Before the arrival of Christianity, the Celtic
people regarded the mountain as the dwelling place of the deity
Crom Dubh. The mountain was the focus of the harvest festival of
Lughnasa, traditionally held around August 1. The sacred
mountain was especially important for women, who would sleep on
the summit during Lughnasa to encourage fertility. Neolithic art
can still be seen on a rock outcropping known as "St. Patrick's
Chair" along the path to the top, and a Celtic hill fort was
recently uncovered at th