PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. Young, old, a lot in between, and in all kinds of gear. Counties Clare, Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Dublin football tops, Manchester United soccer tops and Ireland rugby shirts. And that was just the women! writes Patsy McGarry.
Lots of young people. "Maybe it's coming back... they say religion goes in cycles, ya know," said the native Westport man. "Off the drink 21 years, thank God. But, I'll tell ya this, I'd be back on it again if I stayed with that AA crowd." And he relayed the story of a man he knew who had been driven to drink by the AA.
But it seemed worth checking the spiritual intent of some of the young there, and totally at random. Along comes a young man in his bare feet. Perfect! Stephen Maguire is 19 and from Glasnevin in Dublin and will start at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin later this year. And it's his second year to do it in his feet. Even better. But "It's to prove that, as an atheist, I don't need faith to be able to do something like this," he said. "It's a mental and physical challenge." Good luck, Stephen.
But here come three nice exhausted girls. Hello. They are Helen O'Donnell, a nurse from Crumlin in Dublin, and Kilkenny girls Deirdre O'Halloran (another nurse) and her sister Aislinn, a postgraduate student. Perfect. So, girls, why do it? For spiritual reasons? "Ah no. We did it for fun," said Helen. "It's a group thing," said Aislinn. "It was a promise," said Deirdre - to their Dad, who is from Galway and who then was somewhere up the mountain. So he does it for religious reasons? "Ah, no. It's a sports thing with him really. A fitness thing." Thank you, girls. Hmm. Time to review the situation.
Ah yes. There's a nice eastern European-looking girl. Probably Polish. Hello. "Hello." She writes her name in my notebook: Ilona Alamczyk. She is 26 and is in Ireland three years. It is her second time to climb Croagh Patrick. Two of her friends from Moate are with her. Her boss, Jim, and another girl. So, she is Polish? And Catholic? "Yes. But I don't practice." So why was she climbing Croagh Patrick? "It's all for the sport," she said. And thank you too, Ilona.
Another man in his bare feet. Hmm. Maybe? His name is Chris Moran. He is a 35-year-old mechanic from Cross and says "This is my 10th, 12th time " to climb the mountain. For spiritual reasons? "Yes. I'm a Catholic. I go to Mass." He is your ordinary, regular, decent Catholic west of Ireland man. And his friend Mark Everard also - who didn't do it in his bare feet.
And there was Michael Scally from Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, than which there is no better place on this earth, who has been climbing the Reek since 1971, apart from a few health-related misses. He said, of completing the climb, "It really is the best feeling you can get." And there was Teresa and Brendan Egan from Cloonfad, Fairymount, Co Roscommon, who did their first climb 25 years ago and, apart from a few years with kids and all, have been doing it regularly since.
Then at the foot of the Reek, there are all those people handing out pro-life literature and miraculous medals and free orange drinks from Northern Ireland. "Would you like a free gospel according to John?" Thank you.
"The Time of the End" proclaims the single poster, warning we can still turn back to Jesus and repent before it is too late. Or you could have tea at the Murrisk Development Association centre. Chairwoman Breda Hyland said they are there all year round, serving refreshments to all comers - believer, non-believer, or sports/fitness fanatics alike.
All are equal before God and their tea.