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This book was inspired by a poem by Patrick Claffey published in Poetry Ireland Review on the enduring pull of Croagh Patrick throughout his time abroad working as a missionary priest.
Atlantic Tabor consumed him, with the 'craggy faces' of the pilgrims urging him to give expression to the distinctive character of the Holy Mountain. When Claffey was doing the background research for his book, fate intervened in the shape of two Polish photographers who were out in the field gathering the images that complement his elegant prose.
The photos are a mixture of black and white (for the physical landscape) and colour (for pilgrims’ faces) and when viewed in conjunction with the text, they enable readers to appreciate the Croagh Patrick experience.
For Claffey, pilgrimage allows people to step out of place and time. At a time when traditional religious practice is on the wane, people are still searching for new methods of communing with the transcendent. Atlantic Tabor is a unique and aesthetically pleasing production, one that may well point to a way of pursuing one's own spiritual quest outside of the traditional churches.
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