If the weather is good, as forecast, between 40,000 and 50,000 people could be expected to climb Croagh Patrick in Co Mayo tomorrow. With rain, the number of pilgrims may be as low as 25,000.
Over recent years, an average of 30,000 people have climbed the mountain on the last Sunday in July, traditionally known in the west as "Reek Sunday". As many as 100,000 people complete the climb annually.
The Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary, will begin his climb between 7 and 7.30 tomorrow morning to celebrate 10.30 a.m. Mass in the oratory at the summit.
This pilgrimage is associated with St Patrick who, in the year 441, spent 40 days and nights fasting on the summit, following the example of Christ and Moses. The name "Reek Sunday'" comes from Patrick's ability to Christianise many pagan customs, including the festival of Lughnasa, which previously had heralded the start of the harvest festival honouring the ancient pagan god Lugh, whose gave his name to the Irish word for August, Lughnasa. This festival's tradition was absorbed into the new Christian faith and locally become known as Domhnach na Cruaiche (Reek Sunday).
Meanwhile upwards of 150,000 pilgrims are expected to attend the novena at Knock next month, beginning on August 14th and continuing to the 22nd, the parish priest of Knock, Monsignor Joseph Quinn, said yesterday.
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Marian apparition at the shrine in 1879, and it will also see the official blessing of a new replica of the processional statue of Our Lady of Knock by Archbishop Neary on the final day of the novena. It will replace the processional statue used since 1954.
As August 15th, the feast of the Assumption, falls on a Sunday this year, between 40,000 and 50,000 are expected at the shrine. There will be two novena sessions each day, at 3 p.m. and 8.30 p.m., and beginning on Sundays at 2.30 p.m. with the anointing of the sick. Father Paul Gallagher SJ will conduct a novena day for young people on Thursday, August 19th.
Monsignor Quinn said the confessional chapels at the shrine remained extremely busy, with 29 priests now involved at Knock, some part-time.
At St Patrick's Purgatory in Lough Derg, Co Donegal, the number of pilgrims remains as high as in previous years, with an average 120 people per group on the current three-day pilgrimages, Monsignor Richard Mohan said yesterday. However, 215 people arrived there yesterday for the coming pilgrimage.
The three-day season continues from June 1st to August 15th, with one-day retreats in the month of May and from August 15th to the end of September.
Monsignor Mohan said generally they did not concentrate on numbers but were very pleased this year, particularly with the quality of the pilgrimage.