The Pilgrim Paths
Influenced by the work done by the Council of Europe on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in the 1980s and 1990s, the Pilgrim Paths project was set up by the Heritage Council as its Millennium Project. Its purpose was to develop and support a network of walking routes along Irish medieval pilgrimage paths to raise awareness of natural and built heritage along these routes and to contribute to tourism and community development. Seven pilgrim paths were chosen for the project and, to date, three routes have been completed and are open for walking:
| Name | County | Format | Start | End | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosán na Naomh | Kerry | Linear | Ventry | Mount Brandon | 700118000000000000018 km (11 mi) |
| Lough Derg | Donegal | Circular | Station Island Visitor Centre | Saint’s Island | 700112000000000000012 km (7.5 mi) |
| Saint Kevin's Way | Wicklow | Linear | Hollywood or Valleymount | Glendalough | 700130000000000000030 km (19 mi) |
Each of these routes has been developed according to the guidelines for the development of National Waymarked Trails. They are waymarked with black marker posts with a yellow pilgrim symbol: this image is based on a stone from a pilgrimage site in County Cork which depicts a pilgrim with a Celtic tonsure, wearing a tunic and carrying a staff. Beneath the symbol is a directional arrow inset with a cross of arcs, one of the main symbols of pilgrimage in Ireland.
Of the remaining routes chosen, it was decided that two – Turas, in Glencolmcille, County Donegal, and Tóchar Phádraig, between Ballintubber, County Mayo and Croagh Patrick – were unsuitable for development as permanent walking trails, although funding was provided by the Heritage Council for conservation works. The Pilgrim's Road (or Slí Mhór) between Ballycumber, County Offaly and Clonmacnoise has been developed as a cycle way since so much of the route follows roads. No work has been done to date on the remaining route, Saint Declan's Way between Ardmore and Lismore in County Waterford.
Read more about this topic: Long-distance Trails In The Republic Of Ireland
Famous quotes containing the words pilgrim and/or paths:
“Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South, come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?”
—John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)
“Now the hungry lion roars,
And the wolf behowls the moon;
Whilst the heavy ploughman snores,
All with weary task fordone.
Now the wasted brands do glow,
Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe
In remembrance of a shroud.
Now it is the time of night,
That the graves, all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his sprite,
In the church-way paths to glide:”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)