The last weekend in July is traditionally associated with a host of events, both cultural and sporting, and weather permitting this weekend promises to be no exception.
The annual national pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick will take place on Sunday ‘Reek Sunday’ and will be led by the Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary. Related events begin tomorrow evening with 6.30pm Mass in St Mary’s Church, Westport. It will be celebrated by Archbishop Neary, who will also celebrate Mass on the mountain summit at 10.30 on Sunday morning.
Speaking in advance of the pilgrimage Archbishop Neary said that “many people today have lost faith in the Church, in political promises, in the stable institutions of the past and we are not sure where our solid ground lies.”
He continued “we need the reassurance of faith in these days of confusion and doubt. In the storm and stress of current controversies, and with the struggles of the Church to adjust, we come again to this sacred mountain to get things in their proper perspective and seek the guidance of God.”
This annual pilgrimage has taken place without interruption for over 1,500 years. Croagh Patrick has over 100,000 visitors every year now with between 20,000 and 30,000 expected to climb it on Sunday, depending on the weather.
Mass will be celebrated at the summit from 8am and at half-hourly intervals, until 2 pm. The 10am Mass will be in Irish.
Those intending to climb should come prepared bringing warm/waterproof clothing, good footwear, a walking stick and water. They should also be mindful of their own safety and that of other pilgrims.
Dún Laoghaire’s festival of world cultures, now in its 10th year, dominates weekend events in the capital. The two-day festival begins tomorrow and sees participants from more than 30 countries take part in concerts, workshops, markets and carnivals.
Up to 300 participants are expected to turn out for tomorrow’s annual Lee swim in Cork City centre. Competitors and onlookers are invited to sample a number of festivities on the boardwalk outside the Clarion Hotel following the swim.
As part of a week-long Kerry festival, a teddy bears' picnic takes place tomorrow at Muckross Gardens, Killarney from 3pm to 5.30pm.
In Co Wicklow, the Knockanstockan Music Festival takes place at Blessington this weekend. The event, which was named Best Small Festival in 2008, features 100 bands over three stages, with the lakes as a scenic backdrop.
On the sporting front, Croke Park tomorrow plays hosts to the fourth round football qualifier between Dublin and Louth.
The arena plays host to a double header of hurling championship quarter-finals on Sunday as Cork play surprise packages Antrim at 2pm followed by the highly-anticipated meeting of Galway and Tipperary at 4pm.
Met Éireann said rain and drizzle would slowly die out during the course of tomorrow but it will stay cloudy aside from a few sunny spells. The weather is likely to be fairly dry for the rest of the weekend, it added.