Croagh Patrick - barefoot on Ireland's sacred mountain

A melodic female voice wakes me up. Slowly, I jump out of bed at seven in the morning, as that voice continues to echo beyond my bedroom door. My Irish hostess lives just nine kilometres from the base of the sacred Croagh Patrick mountain, but she has never "climbed" it.

It's probably a common experience for many locals in any other country. Whether it's a museum, a park or a tourist attraction close to where you live, you always put it off until later. Because those points of interest will always be there and, probably, so will we, putting off the visit until tomorrow, the next day, the next week or the next year. Until you realise that you'll probably never go.

The now blue sky has already pushed away the dark clouds of a night of storms and heavy rain, giving way to a golden sun still without energy. In Ireland it's common to witness all four seasons in one day. Soon I'll be starting the walk to the top of Croagh Patrick in Ireland, and that blue sky will be even closer.

Before that, the smell of a robust, typically Irish breakfast, with eggs, bacon, mushrooms, (moderately) hot tea and weak, almost flavourless coffee, had already invaded one of my five senses.

Pilgrimage to the top

Croagh Patrick is the highest point of an extensive mountain range in Ireland, which stretches from the east coast to the west coast, crossing some 150 kilometres.

The hostess, who owns a B&B where the water in the shower is slow to heat up and runs more fragile than a natural spring in summer, confesses that she has never felt any desire to emulate many of the locals or the thousands of out-of-towners who settle in Westport every year and make the climb to the top of Croagh Patrick their faithful pilgrimage.

Year after year, thousands of pilgrims, hikers, photographers and adventurers set themselves the challenge of travelling uphill to reach the highest point of Croagh Patrick, in the westernmost county of Ireland - County Mayo. It is Ireland's most sacred mountain, the third highest in the county, and has attracted thousands to its summit since prehistoric times. Cruachan Aigle.

According to folk tradition, it was here that St Patrick rounded up the snakes and drove them out of Ireland. The saint, legend has it, fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in 441 BC, while giant birds flew over him. Now, on the last weekend of July, thousands of pilgrims gather to honour the saint as an act of faith and to ask for forgiveness for sins committed.

Sacrifice of feet in blood

Until very recently, it was quite common to see pilgrims starting their journey at midnight, by candlelight, barefoot. In this modern age, the majority complete the route with their shoes on and set off towards the summit at sunrise.

Some of the pilgrims I met - while climbing the steep slopes of Croagh Patrick - chose to stay true to tradition and endeavoured to reach the summit without wearing any footwear - some with their feet bloodied by long minutes on a path with sharp stones.

An action that could be described as a painful way of proving their faith and paying for any sins committed in the past. Many of these walkers are over 50 and are making the pilgrimage for the second or third time.

But this invigorating hike isn't just about faith - or at least it wasn't for me. It's a tough yet exhilarating challenge, offering breathtaking views at the end - small islands and islets, between the green and gold colour of the vegetation and the salty blue, spread across Clew Bay to the Atlantic Ocean.

Croagh Patrick takes my breath away

The journey begins at sea level, near the northern foot of the mountain, next to the Franciscan convent in Murrisk. The first few metres don't require much agility or technique, but after leaving the statue of Saint Patrick behind, you need to be prepared to cross small puddles of water and mud on a slippery moss trail.

As I approach the summit via a narrow path, the view of the bay becomes more and more absorbing. At this point, and despite the many rocks and pebbles that roll down the slope, the climb is still not very steep. It's impossible not to pause, look back and take photos. Not only is it a good opportunity to catch your breath, but also to save images on your digital card that your memory is unlikely to forget.

And with this inspiring view, I feel that nothing or nobody can stop me. Or perhaps almost nothing. After almost two hours of arduous walking, and with the summit getting closer and closer, here comes an even more gruelling challenge. Many of the pilgrims who were also on this journey decide to stop there, but some take the risk and keep the faith to reach the highest point.

Stones in the shoe

In front of me are thousands of loose stones. I look down and see loose stones ready to roll (and make me roll). I lift my head and realise that I'm still in for an arduous, steep, rocky ride to... heaven. There's no room for distractions or mistakes. And for those descending, the challenge is even more demanding because a fall can mean - at best - a few scratches.

On reaching the summit I find a white chapel - St Patrick's Bed - and the ruins of an old stone fort. The altitude is 764 metres. I take the opportunity to recover my energy and for more than an hour I enjoy the wonderful views of Connemara, Clew Bay, Clare Island and dozens of other small islands, until it's time to start the journey home.

The magnificent journey is almost over, but not without thinking about the next step on arrival in Westport, where Matt Molloy, one of the members of the Irish band The Chieftains, owns a pub - Irish music and a cold beer. I end the day the same way I started it, to the sound of Irish tunes. My next stop is the most beautiful, peaceful, enigmatic and vibrant place in Ireland: Connemara.

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