PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH 92-year-old Willie Holleran from Gleanntrague, Clonbur, Connemara and his wife Christina are pictured with Fr Michéal MacGréil, SJ. Willie was the oldest member of the congregation to do the climb, to reach the summit and participate in the liturgy and make the journey down again unaided!
Sun shone as Maméan pilgrimage celebrated traditional culture
Áine Ryan
IT is the historic pilgrimage for the Gaeltachts and on Sunday last, despite bad weather, the sun shone over Mámean for the annual autumn pilgrimage. Co-ordinator, Father Micheál MacGréil told The Mayo News yesterday that this year’s event attracted over 700 pilgrims of all ages, including Clonbur nonagenarian, Willie Holleran.
“Maméan, Croagh Patrick and Lough Derg are the main Patrician pilgrimages in the country. St Patrick also came to this beautiful mountain in 441AD. And, like Croagh Patrick, it has a rich spiritual pre-Christian and Christian history. This year’s Intention was for the success of the upcoming Eucharistic Congress,” Father MacGréil said.
“This is predominantly a lay pilgrimage and has a great focus on the patterns and on traditional culture. It was beautiful in the spectacular mountainous setting of the Maamturks on Sunday and even though the weather was dreadful and raining all around us, it was as if there was a big umbrella over Maméan,” he continued.
While Father Fintan Monahan led the Turas na Croise, Joe John Mac Con Iomaire sang Caoineadh na dTrí Muire and there was also ceol agus damhsa by local musicians and seanós dancers.
Mass was concelebrated by An tAthair Seán Ó Conghaile, a Columban priest home from Korea and Father Paddy Considine, retired Parish Priest of Rosmuc.
Meaning the pass of the birds, the Maméan pilgrimage was discontinued at the end of the 19th century because of faction fights and excessive Poitín drinking during the local pattern.
Speaking yesterday, Father Fintan Monahan recalled a pithy observation by one pilgrim: “Croagh Patrick is the most physical, Lough Derg is the most penitential, but Maméan is the most spiritual.”
After Father MacGréil revived Maméan’s tradition of pilgrimage in 1980, the chapel, holy well and stations of the cross, as well as a large statue of Saint Patrick were renovated. A collection at this year’s pilgrimage resulted in over €1,000 being sent to The Horn of Africa for famine relief.