A County Mayo priest has hit out at what he perceives as the over-commercialisation of Ireland's Holy Mountain, Croagh Patrick.
With events such as open air dating Meet on the Reek as well as the
Gaelforce West Adventure Race planned for the mountain this year, Fr
Frank Fahey, who is the priest in charge of the nearby Ballintubber
Abbey, says he does not agree with such a commercial use of the mountain
.
While he praised some of the charity event organisers for being well
intentioned he said,
“There are plenty of other higher mountains where
many of these challenges and events could be held. Croagh Patrick
should not be exploited in this way, the sacred dimension must be
prioritised and emphasised.”
He added, “Croagh Patrick like many other mountains and hills such as
Mount Fuji, Ayers Rock, the Hill of Tara, and Devil's Canyon, has been a
sacred place for thousands of years. It's religious and spiritual
significance goes back to the time of the Druids and in Celtic times
these priests were the only people allowed climb the mountain.”
Speaking on sporting and leisure events planned for the mountain he
said, “These different sporting and leisure events are part of the whole
secularisation of our society: nothing is set aside anymore as special
or sacred. The aboriginal people have tried to stop tourists climbing
Ayers Rock which resonates deeply in their cultural and spiritual
history.”
Fr Fahey added, “A sacred place has the power to impose its presence
and sense of awe on the world. If, on the other hand, we conquer these
mountains, they lose their sense of awe and of transcendent power.”
Fr Fahey also called for “information boards along the pathway
explaining the rich Pagan and Christian history and legends associated
with the mountain.”