Politics and piety on display during Croagh Patrick pilgrimage

Murrisk, 29 July 1918 - The annual pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick took place yesterday.

Masses were held and prayers were said on the holy mountain where the catholic faithful were urged to pray that the scourge of conscription be averted; spontaneous pilgrimages to the site have been frequently held over the past two months for a similar purpose.

Large numbers travelled to Westport by bicycle from all over Connacht while others availed of the regular train service – unlike in previous years, no special trains were run from Dublin or Cork and no special fares were available. Motor transport to Murrisk from Westport was restricted to priests only, but this didn’t prevent a steady stream of traffic to and from the site.

It was notable that the number who remained on the mountain top overnight to attend the first mass as 7am was as a big as any other year and these devout worshippers included men and women in their 70s.

Holy communion was handed out continuously from 7am until noon and thousands joined in the recital of the rosary in Irish.

Special prayers were also offered up to the recently deceased Archbishop Healy.

[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.]