Hiking Croagh Patrick and Discovering the Real St. Patrick

Find yourself at a typical bar or pub in America on St. Patrick’s Day, and many a person might be surprised to discover that St. Patrick was not actually a beer guzzling leprechaun.

It isn’t likely to win you any friends at the pub on St. Patrick’s day — but it is a point worth making.

In fact, Patrick was an amazing warrior of a man. His memory deserves to be kept alive because he had an heroic love for people that once oppressed him — and that love helped transform an entire nation of people.

So go ahead, enjoy a pint or two on St. Patricks’ Day — but don’t miss out on the opportunity to become friends with a man whose strength, faith and determination are worth imitating.

Really, Patrick was amazing.

There are no other words to describe a young boy who was carried off and treated cruelly as a slave for 6 years — with little food or clothing and much abuse — and yet he found only love and forgiveness in his heart for his oppressors.

Not only that, he was rugged. He survived the cold and rain and abuse in those early days of captivity and would continue to push himself to extremes throughout his entire life in order to bring the Light of Christ to the nation of Ireland.

He was also a man of incredible faith. He never allowed this early trauma to cause him to grow bitter — but rather he allowed it to be the cause of the blossoming of his faith.

He never gave up hope in God and trust in His ways — even on the darkest of days.

After 6 years of captivity, an angel told him he had “fasted well” and it was time to walk through 200 miles of bogs and forests and to reach a port where he would convince a captain to return him to his homeland.

He did what the angel told him to do, and when that captain first refused Patrick’s attempt to board, Patrick simply offered a prayer to God and waited for the eventual change of the captain’s heart.

Not only that, but as the crew turned on him when the voyage became rough and no food was to be found — Patrick told them to have faith and God would provide.

And God did provide. A herd of wild pigs soon crossed their path and let’s just say that Patrick’s faith quickly spread among the crew of men.

To possess such a resilient faith and believe that what was promised to him would come to pass — no matter how incredible it seemed — is one of the defining marks of this man.

This early “success” with sharing the Gospel in a persuasive way was another defining mark of Patrick.

It was a foreshadowing of the great success he would eventually have in converting an entire nation of people.

After finally making it back to his home, Patrick decided to dedicate his life to the priesthood and return to the people who had once subjected him to so much cruelty — much to the surprise of his family and friends.

Patrick tirelessly worked to bring the light and love of Christ to the entire island of Ireland, and by the time he died, Ireland was a strongly Catholic country.

All because of one man’s love for God and the people God had placed in his path.

This love never left Patrick and became the driving force behind Patrick’s tireless prayer, fasting and proclamation of the Gospel and the eventual prodigious conversions that were the result.

Which brings us to the mountaintop where Patrick spent 40 days and nights, in fasting and prayer during Lent of 441AD: now known as Croagh Patrick

As somebody who hiked to the summit of Croagh Patrick, I can attest to the fact that it must have been extremely cold and windy and rainy throughout most of those 40 days in early spring in Ireland.

Stones served as his bed and the Word of God served as his bread. It could not have been an easy 40 days.

Frankly, it puts most of us to shame. His love for God was amazing!

Because of Patrick’s example, a million pilgrims each year make the same trek to the summit of Croagh Patrick.

I was blessed to make the hike with my family this past summer. It is totally doable with kids, but definitely not easy.

Kids can hike up all the way themselves until about the last 3rd of the hike. At that point, I definitely recommend you wear them or hold their hands to avoid bad spills.

For the “hardcore” pilgrims, you can even go barefoot. The jagged stones that cover the entire trail make for a truly penitential walk, shoes or not.

But, it’s also amazingly beautiful!

The terrain and scenery changes quickly as you make your way up. You will not be bored during your hike.

Have good walking shoes and be prepared for at least half a day with kids.

Our teenagers could have likely hiked up and down within 3 hours, but the hike as a family took about 7 hours for us to complete the ascent and descent.

Make sure you take moments to just slow down and contemplate God and his goodness along the way.

Also, be prepared for the physical demands of the top 3rd of the hike. It is no joke.

It will most definitely be a moment where you find yourself praying for God to sustain you as you carry your 6 year old on your back up that last part.

Also, I highly recommend that if you ever decide to hike Croagh Patrick that you rent one of the walking sticks at the foot of the hill.

The hardest part may have been actually coming back down, which definitely stressed the knees.

Those walking sticks were a total life saver. Trust me on this one.

Once you reach that summit, enjoy it!

Chase some sheep.

Pray.

Be still.

Ask St. Patrick to pray for your intentions.

And don’t forget to thank God for all the beauty that He has placed in your life.

Eventually, you are going to have to head back down.

It is possibly even more strenuous than going up, as you slip and slide down the loose rocks, and your legs are stressed from the hike up.

So take your time.

The good news is that the views are breathtaking as you trek down the mountain.

Enjoy that beauty all the way down, and if that isn’t enough, the exhilaration of having made the hike will likely carry you through to the end.

Just maybe, if your are lucky, you will have 80 year old parents who were crazy enough to make the trip over to Ireland with you.

And just maybe, they will say “to heck with our bad knees and our bad hips”. and they’ll hike up to the statue of St. Patrick and enjoy the views as they wait for their kids and grandkids to return from their hike.

And just maybe it will be one of your favorite parts of the hike, and you’ll take a picture to remember it by.

Tell them your stories and give them all the hugs and then head back down that hill and have one of the most delicious meals of your trip.

Eat up. You earned it.

Laugh with your family, thank God for your adventures and be assured that this day will long be in your memory as one of those good days — one of those days when all was well in the world and you could only find gratitude in your heart for the life you have been given.

Rare days, indeed!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Sharing over at Kelly’s