14 July, Tuesday
The day to climb Croagh Patrick had arrive and we decided to sleep in late...9:30 a.m. Joseph had avocados and we have been craving them since we left on June 12th. Mackenzie made us toast with avocado, sliced apples and orange juice and I made us some very strong coffee and off we went.
Here's the thing about Croagh Patrick. We knew absolutely nothing about this mountain when we began our journey...din't even know that it existed. The first time we had heard about it was in Dingle when Muireann told us about a mountain near Westport that they had climbed and that it was really rocky at the top and she didn't enjoy it at all. She also said that some people were going barefoot up the mountain! And, that's all we knew. We made our reservations outside of Westport at Joseph's based on the fact that he had 3 huskies, a beach nearby, and all of his reviews said that he was really nice and a great host. So, when we realized that his home was directly in front of Croagh Patrick we were even more surprised. But, it was when we read about Croagh Patrick that we realized that the Lord had sent us here.
Croah Patrick or Teach Na Miasa as it is know in Irish is considered a holy mountain:
Croagh Patrick, which overlooks Clew Bay in County Mayo, is considered the holiest mountain in Ireland.
The tradition of pilgrimage to this holy mountain stretches back over 5,000 years from the Stone Age to the present day without interruption. Its religious significance dates back to the time of the pagans, when people are thought to have gathered here to celebrate the beginning of harvest season.
Croagh Patrick is renowned for its Patrician Pilgrimage in honour of Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint. It was on the summit of the mountain that Saint Patrick fasted for forty days in 441 AD and the custom has been faithfully handed down from generation to generation.
Source: http://www.croagh-patrick.com/visitorcentre/holy-mountain
Could climbing this mountain be more perfect for our journey?! I think not! We set off thinking we could do this pretty easily. People said it could take about 2 hours to climb. It was hard! For you Colorado springs people, a cross between the incline and the top of Blodgett Peak. It rose 2750 feet above the Atlantic below and was just about straight up. I tried to keep up with Mackenzie who has Jim's long legs and I did. We talked on the way up about our hopes, fears, our future, and how tired we were!!! We made it in 1 hour 35 minutes (thanks to training at 7000 feet) and we prayed on the mountain and of course took jumping pictures and selfies. The church at the top was peaceful and a great time to reflect. We lit a candle for Jim and headed down the mountain.
We slipped and slid our way down the mountain in 1 hour and 25 minutes and bought a 3 euro ham and cheese sandwich from the take-away wagon below. It really was a wonderful climb and I felt stronger than ever...as if I'd never had ass cancer (I'm sorry, anal cancer).
After a shower at the lovely Joseph's home, we headed to Cong...site of 'The Quiet Man' filming. CBut first we stopped another circle of stones which are quite popular around here. Cong is so far one of our favorite spots. The town center contains a beautiful old abbey with the newer church built right into the older structure. From the abbey we walked the abbey grounds and then took a slow walk into the old enchanted woods surrounding the castle and found ourselves at Ashford Castle. Ashford Castle isn't really a castle...well it is but now it's a 5 star hotel which really doesn't count. The grounds were amazing and we wandered through the gardens and danced in the arbor of vines.
Yes, I was tired from climbing that mountain and with all the additional walking so we headed into town to eat something. Pat Cohan's the same bar that was used in the filming of the Quiet Man...although it wasn't a bar in the movie, but a grocery store or something. We walked in and asked for a table, but the polite (slightly attractive...that's from Mackenzie) manager told us that there were no tables and that all were reserved so we had to sit at the bar. The bar! Sitting at the bar and eating just isn't done in Ireland...or so we thought. Bartender John served us and we enjoyed a Guiness and monkfish and topped it off with expressos and a sinfully delicious chocolate dessert. And, while we were sitting there we watched about 3 other couples come in without reservations and were seated in the restaruant immediately. It was quite comical.
You know what was even more comical? Our ride home. We took the back way across the mountain and we got a flat. Yes another flat. Now, I've only had one flat in my entire life of driving for 40 years and yet in a few weeks time I now have had 2! We were on a little road with no one around. We didn't panic because we know by now that everything happens for a reason and God had sent angels and people to us in the past to help us and we had a spare in this car.
And, did I say that there was no one around? My bad! Two men in tractors who were plowing the fields left their fields and pulled up next to us. An older man got out and said that he had no idea how to change the tire, but the younger man in the bigger tractor did. They both were angels sent to us. Mackenzie and I played with Toby, the dog who also came with the man in the big tractor and they had our tire fixed in no time. Prayers answered. Hey, Madeleine, all we did was lift our back trunk!
It was 11:00 pm when we arrived back home and we crashed in the nice comfy bed.
Peace from Croagh Patrick,
The Traveling Women
Tip of the Day: If there is a mountain to climb...climb it!
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Wow sounds like a beautiful day!!! Only in Ireland:)
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