Murrisk
Murrisk Abbey
Croagh Patrick
May 7, 2001
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The Augustinian Church and priory
was founded in 1457 on land donated by Teig O'Malley, chieftain of the
O'Malley Clan. The Protestant Reformation did not effect the abbey
at Murrisk until 1577 when the Augustinians were driven from their sanctuary
but remained in the neighbourhood, ministering to the people. Historically,
the Abbey is intimately connected with Croaghpatrick, the mountain peak
where St. Patrick fasted and prayed for forty days and forty nights.
The pictures below were taken at the
foot of Croagh Patrick, across the street from Murrisk Abbey and the Famine
Memorial
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Until the latter part of the 19th Century the relic was much venerated by the people when displayed in the mountain-top oratory on days of pilgrimages. In former times a pilgrimage was held on the Saint's Feast Day, the 17th of March. On this date in 1113 A.D., the Annals tell us, thirty of the fasting folk perished in a thunderstorm on the mountain top. Nowadays, pilgrims make the ascent on the last Sunday in July. |