Pilgrims and priests make annual Croagh Patrick climb

Westport, 30 July 1919 - Large crowds attended the annual pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo yesterday.

Mass in the oratory at the top of the mountain was said by the Archbishop of Tuam, Thomas Gilmartin. This was the first time in 14 years that the occasion has been graced by an Archbishop of Tuam – the last time was when the late Archbishop John Healy opened the oratory.

For days before the ascent, pilgrims begin pouring into Westport, a town that has recently been subject to military law. They came from all over the country arriving by motorcar and by train.

Several hundred pilgrims camped in the vicinity of the reek on the night before the pilgrimage, setting off for the summit at daybreak to be in attendance for the first mass at 6 am. One group of young women left their hotel in Westport shortly after midnight and were found praying in the Oratory before the first mass was celebrated.

Masses were celebrated throughout the early part of the day, from 6 am to midday, and during this time there was a constant stream of pilgrims to and from the base of the mountain.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]