Croagh Patrick, the holy mountain of Saint Patrick, is climbed by around 100,000 people a year. It is doable by most people in reasonable health, but it is steeper than it looks from the bottom and the upper section is a loose scree that surprises a lot of first-timers. Here is the practical version that the local mountain rescue would tell you.
Where it starts
The trailhead is at Murrisk village, eight kilometres west of Westport on the R335. There is a large free car park and a visitor centre with toilets and a small cafe.
How long it takes
For a person of average fitness, allow three and a half hours up and down with a thirty minute stop at the top. Faster walkers do it in two and a half hours. Slower walkers can take over five. Wear proper walking boots; trainers are not enough.
The route
The path is single, clear and waymarked. From the car park it climbs steadily for about an hour to the shoulder of the mountain at Lecanvey, where there is a statue of Saint Patrick. From the shoulder, the path turns sharply right and the gradient steepens. The final 200 metres are the hardest, on loose scree.
The weather
The summit is at 764 metres. It is colder, windier and often wetter than the bottom. Bring a waterproof, a fleece and gloves even on a fine summer day. If the cloud is on the summit when you arrive at the car park, expect zero visibility at the top and judge accordingly. The path is hard to find in fog.
The pilgrim climb
The annual pilgrim climb is on Reek Sunday, the last Sunday of July. Twenty thousand pilgrims make the climb, traditionally many of them barefoot. If you are not pilgrimming, this is not the day to climb the mountain. The path is overcrowded and the parking situation is impossible. Pick any other day.
What you see at the top
The summit has a small white chapel built in 1905. On a clear day you can see the whole sweep of Clew Bay below, with its 365 islands (legend says one for every day of the year), Achill Island in the north west, and the Sheeffry Hills and Mweelrea to the south. It is one of the great views in Ireland.
After the climb
The Tavern Bar at the foot of the mountain serves food until late and is the natural recovery stop. Locals will tell you a pint of Guinness has medicinal qualities for tired legs. They might be right.