the ancient pilgrim path which wends its way from *Ballintubber to the base of Croagh Patrick mountain. We set off with the blessing of Fr Frank Fahey, the parish priest, and with a jagged

stone in each of our pockets to remind us that pilgrimage is all about change of heart. Looking at Croagh Patrick way off in the distance I felt a sense of challenge but also a lot of trepidation. 

We headed out across the fields in companionable silence, each finding our own space and rhythm but keeping the other in view, finding our way from stile to stile, from signpost to signpost. Sometimes it was easy to find the next stile, but at other times we had to search amongst hedgerows or clumps of trees. Having two of us made this much easier. I thought about times in my life when signposts were clear and of the other times when the search was difficult ... how at times I depended too much on my own skill in searching but that when there was help on the road it was so much simpler.

Most of the time we could not actually see Croagh Patrick; it was like those times in life when one's destination is not clear. How easy it is to lose focus! Whenever we reached higher ground, the mountain appeared and we felt glad to know that we were on track. Sometimes the trail took us along the public roads, and then diverged again through fields and bogland. I found the roadways tough going, the unrelenting tarmac making for tired feet. Still, I was aware that each step, however small, was the precursor to the next one.

So often in my life I want to skip the steps, want to be at journey's end without the task of journeying. What I miss! Everywhere the beauty of creation - rich grasslands, wildflowers and the rugged scenery filled me with delight and with a sense of God's bounty. The light wind and one or two rain showers kept our bodies refreshed.

Some markers along the route drew attention to the history of the places we passed - Neolithic markings on rocks, pre-Christian burial mounds, remains of villages decimated by the famine of 1845. From time to time we trod the flagstones of the original path. (The path is estimated to date back to around 350 AD when this was the main chariot route from the north west). I felt a strong sense of kinship with those thousands of pilgrims who walked this same path from the 5th century to today, all somehow searching for God through the ups and downs of their lives and times. What were their struggles? For what did they pray? I prayed for present-day pilgrims, wanderers, searchers. I prayed in solidarity with the people of Iraq , Niger, for the completion of the peace process in Ireland .

At about 3pm we reached the little village of Aughagower and enjoyed some refreshment in the local hostelry. It was good to rest awhile and to enjoy the banter of the other people in the pub.

6pm . 8pm . Throughout the walk Croagh Patrick seemed to be like a symbol of God; as the mountain loomed larger on the horizon it seemed to beckon and invite us onwards.

We journeyed on, by now with sure hope of reaching journey's end.


By 9pm .. the quiet of evening, mechanically walking, the last miles being a road walk. What can I say of our tired bodies? I felt a curious mixture of delight and endurance and I prayed for those whose lives demand a day-to-day staying power that seems beyond human strength .. people coping with terminal illness, people in the twilight years of life.

By 9.15 we reached our destination. I wonder if the joy, the sense of achievement, the contentment we felt is a foretaste of the joy we will feel when our journey in life is over and, we trust, the vision of God becomes reality?

'Indeed the Lord is good!
God's love is forever,
Faithful from age to age'.

(Psalm 100 )

*[Explanatory Note:

Ballintubber is in County Mayo in the west of Ireland.

St Patrick, who came to Ireland in 432 AD, is reputed to have traveled via Ballintubber to The mountain now known as Croagh Patrick where he prayed and fasted for 40 days.

Tóchar Phádraig predates Patrick. It was probably built around 350 AD and was the main route from Cruachan, the seat of the kings of Connaught, to Croagh Patrick - then called Cruachán Aigle, the sacred mountain. Since Patrick's time it became a Christian pilgrim route and was known as Tóchar Phádraig or Patrick's Causeway.

St Patrick is reputed to have baptised people at a holy well which is in the grounds of Ballintubber Abbey. The name Ballintubber is derived from the Irish 'Baile an Tobair' = the town of the well.]