History of Reek Sunday

Bill Petro
Jul 30, 2017 · 3 min read
Reek Pilgrimage

Several years ago at this time of the Summer, I was on the west coast of Ireland, where they say,

“West o’ here, ta next parish over, tat’s Boston.”

This Sunday, the last one in July every year, marks Reek Sunday, or Garland Sunday in Ireland. At this time between 25,000 and 40,000 people will walk the 3-hour round trip up the Reek Mountain, or Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, Ireland, the sacred mountain of St. Patrick in a popular pilgrimage in honor of the patron saint of Ireland, commemorating his driving the snakes from Ireland. Over 100,000 people a year visit Croagh Patrick.

The Tradition

On the summit of this mountain, it is believed that St. Patrick fasted and prayed for 40 days in 441 A.D. The story goes that at the end of this fast St. Patrick threw a bell down the mountain side and banished all the serpents from Ireland. The fact that snakes never were native to Ireland does not diminish the tradition. Some believe that the banishing of the snakes represents either certain pagan practices or outright evil. In any event, the pilgrimage in honor of St. Patrick goes back to this date over 1,500 years ago. Radiocarbon dating of the remnants of a dry stone oratory is dated at between 430 and 890 AD. This oratory or place of worship is similar in design to the magnificently preserved Gallarus Oratory found on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The bell we have now dates from 600 to 900 AD and is kept by the National Museum of Ireland.

More Snakes

You can read more:
Part 2: Reek Sunday: the Pilgrimage
Part 3: Reek Sunday: the Location

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

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History of the Holidays

The history behind the holidays, the backstory, featuring the secular history behind the sacred holidays, and the sacred history behind the secular holidays.

Bill Petro

Written by

Sales Enablement | Product Marketing | Product Management. Expertise: Cloud, Automation, Storage, Data Center, Enterprise Software. Blog: http://billpetro.com

History of the Holidays

The history behind the holidays, the backstory, featuring the secular history behind the sacred holidays, and the sacred history behind the secular holidays.

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