Pilgrim trails have come full circle and are so popular now

Irish Examiner

04-05-2025

A feature of our time has been that the ancient paths once footed by medieval pilgrims are having a renewed moment.
Seeking meaning beyond materialism and recourse, for a time at least, to a less complicated way of living, increasing numbers are seeking the elusive butterfly of fulfilment and self-awareness by walking the Pilgrim Path to Canterbury, St Olav's Way in Norway and the Via Francigena to Rome.
Above all else, however, modern day pilgrim walkers are discovering a New Jerusalem on the Camino of St James — a fishing net of paths all leading to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Numbers completing this mystical Spanish trail have risen from fewer than 100 in 1967 to almost 500,000 in 2024 as increasing numbers of wayfarers heed the ageless call of a long walk to a place of sanctity.
Until recently, few of those seeking a pilgrim walk in Europe would have considered Ireland as a possible destination, mainly because this country was believed to lack penitential trails. On the contrary, Ireland has a network of mystical paths and a vibrant pilgrim tradition, with all major routes long predating the Camino, some by up to 1,000 years. Throughout history, pilgrimage was an important devotional expression for Irish people with penitents journeying to Glendalough, Gougane Barra, Croagh Patrick, Mount Brandon, and Lough Derg.
Later, during the 19th and 20th centuries, when the Catholic Hierarchy emphasised more formal in-church worship, interest in the Irish pilgrim paths evaporated and they became overgrown and largely forgotten.
St Declan's Way is a 115-kilometre route reputed to have been walked by St Declan when he travelled to Waterford to meet with St Patrick. Pictures: John G O'Dwyer
It is sometimes said that the past never completely dies but eventually comes to revisit us. And so it is that Irish history has come a full circle; in the 21st century people are again taking to these ancient tracks on about 500 kilometres of fully waymarked trails that follow the steps of penitents past.
The pilgrim journey is, however, vastly different these days, with little overt emphasis on the penance and prayer of former years.
Instead, those who follow our ancient spiritual trails are generally a casual and relaxed bunch — more interested in the benefits from the walk itself than reaching the penitential destination. Unlike penitents past, many will have their backpack moved ahead each day, while none will take on the arduous task of footing it back to the starting point, as medieval pilgrims were obliged to do.
And unlike hikers, who generally prefer to explore pristine environments with the minimum of human influence, pilgrim walkers are happier with the well-trodden trails followed by past generations with more emphasis on history, mindfulness and engaging with the surroundings than on the religious origins of the route.
St Declan's Way
To some, pilgrim walking may seem just another form of hiking, but for most participants, it hides a quest for deeper meaning, which is rarely found among general trekkers. As the modern expressions of spirituality becomes more informal and individual, pilgrimage is now as much a voyage of personal renewal as a physical journey.
With the decline of formalised religious practice, consumerism has increasingly become a value that we use to give purpose to our lives, but what do we replace it with when our physical needs have been satisfied? The growing numbers who are, once again, following the ancient tradition of a pilgrim walk are proof of a renewed desire for higher meaning that the rampant materialism of our age leaves largely unsatisfied.
While not presented the same challenge as mountain climbing, pilgrim walking, nevertheless, takes us out of our comfort zone, and in doing so, enables us to know ourselves better. Footing these ageless trails not only offers this opportunity for self-discovery, it also provides a link to the past and provides the feelgood experience of bringing additional visitor spend to rural communities. Since pilgrim paths, in the main, follow routes through populated areas they also expose us to chance encounters with local people which are rare for those visiting on fully packaged holiday experiences.
Great Irish Pilgrim Journeys by John G O'Dwyer
In my new book titled, Great Irish Pilgrim Journeys, I describe the paths followed by medieval Irish pilgrims both here and abroad, such as The Celtic Camino, The Pilgrim Passport Journey, St Declan's Way and many other well-walked trails. Accompanied by detailed maps and photographs of the landscape along the paths, the walks described take anywhere from four hours to eight days to complete.
In this way, I believe the book offers a pilgrim walk for everyone and will act as a complete resource for Irish people and overseas visitors wishing to discover the rich history of the ancient pilgrim trails trodden by our forefathers.
Great Irish Pilgrim Journeys is now available from bookshops nationwide and the publishers at currachbooks.com