Evening star., 1909-09-03
MT. SINAI OF IRELAND
Pilgrimage to Sacred Heights
of Croagh Patrick.
MOUNTAIN OF CONNEMARA
Where the Angels Promised Success
to st. Patrick.
PAGE FROM ARMAGH'S BOOK
Representatives Of Irish Race Scat
tered over the World Take Part
in Sacred Festival.

From the Manchester Chronicle.
Who wants to see the religious enthu-
siasm Of medieval days in all its uli-
questioning faith should witness the an
nual pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick. the
Sinai of Ireland.
Here on the summit of one Of Come
maras giant mountain tops. where the
clouds stoop to touch the heather. great
concourse of people annually assemble on
! the last Sunday Of July.
From cabin and mansion. from the din
giest of Dublins dingy back streets, as
we'll as from the laWn-fronted and ter
raced homes where wealth abides and So
cietv DANES foregather from north. south
east and west are come heterogeneous
assemblage all equal in their devotion. al
simple in the faith that carries them to
the feast of prayer.
Even from the far western states Of
America. from Africa, Australia. New
Zealand and almost every land INTO which
Irish men and women have projected
themselves and their faith. representa-
tives are present to take part In the sa-
cred festival
II was on the summit of Croagh Pat
rick. a great hoary cone that raises its
rugged head more than 100 feet above
Clew bay, that st. Patrick received the
ange,s who brought him blessings on his
work and promised him its success. Here,
footsore and fatigued, he rested during
Lent praying and fasting and holding in
tercourse with the heavens that seem
ever to rest on the shoulders of that tow
ering mountain.
An Ancient Elopement.
Gazing up at the summit from where
the town of Westport stands one can al
most understand how easy it was for the
hnl w 10 s,
for surely that mountain top seems to
pierce beyond the clouds. The Book of
Armagh says that all the sins of the peo-
ple, past. present and future, passed be-
fore the eyes of the saint While he rested
on his breezy couch-a fact by which the
irreverent account for the SAINT 5 long
stay on that bleak and distinctly uncom-
Portable perch. Such jests, however can
not be passed above a whisper the nal
lowed precincts. of Croagh Patrlch. flom
which according to AUTHORITIES the sam.
sent the first message of irish loyalty 10
Rome .,
In the dim and distant long ago a little
chapel stood where st. Patrick had rest
ed, and to this sacred shrine more tha1l
a thousand years ago the lr!sa peopie
made pilgrimages as they 60 TO-DAY. his-
tory recordeth that on the II Glt OF MaFttl
:, lib. dur 'ng terrible storm thlrty Pill
grims perished on the summlt-a very
natural ending. II wi ! be CONSIDERED. 10
an expedition that depended too much
upon ST Patrick and too tile upon wise
weather signs.
1t is rather an unfortunate fact that tn =
saint did not always sufficiently protect
the interests of his faithful followers, for
while o. 'RouIke. Prince of Breffui. was
absent on pilgr.mag to Croagh Patrick
III 1lJ2 his wife eloped with Dermott
| NJ Murrough. the King of Leinster
Moore the poet, tell us how the prince
felt about ii when:
looked for tha lamp which she tod me
Should shine when hnr pil ,rim returned:
Iiut. though darkness tegan to enfield me
No lamp from the hattlvment burned
History tells how the prince when he
discovered that the faith ess Devorg liza
had made off with the ferocious M'Mur-
rough, his sworn enemy. followed the
pair and after duly chastisirg the CO.
respondent. to speak. brought back
the woman. Finally NJ Murrough had to
flee to England. but he went back az ain
" til the English invaders, and there and
then began the conn. ction of the SaS-
senach with the distressful country. No
body has ever charged st. Patrick with
being a unionst. but there is no contro-