Croagh Patrick comes from the Irish Cruach Phádraig meaning " Patrick's stack". It is known locally as "the Reek", a Hiberno-English word for a "rick" or "stack". In pagan times it was known as Cruachán Aigle or Cruach Aigle, being mentioned by that name in sources such as Cath Maige Tuired, Buile Shuibhne, The Metrical Dindshenchas, and the Annals of Ulster entry for the year 1113. Cruachán is simply a diminutive of cruach "stack", but it is not certain what Aigle means. It is either from the Latin loan aquila "eagle" or a person's name. In addition to its literal meaning, cruach in the pagan name may also have some connection with Crom Cruach. The Marquess of Sligo, whose seat is nearby Westport House, bears the titles Baron Mount Eagle and Earl of Altamont, both deriving from alternative names for Croagh Patrick.
Pilgrimage
On the last Sunday in July, thousands of pilgrims climb Croagh Patrick in honour of Saint Patrick who, according to tradition, fasted and prayed on the summit for forty days in the year 441. Masses are held at the summit, where there is a small chapel. From ancient times pilgrims have climbed the mountain barefoot, as an act of penance, a practice that continues. Some pilgrims carry out 'rounding rituals', in which they pray while walking sunwise around features on the mountain. In medieval times, pilgrims carried stones as an act of penance, or to represent a prayer intention. The stones were carried to the cairnon top of the mountain, or to the cairn on the saddle of the mountain, which marks the unofficial half-way point at the base of the summit. This practice of carrying stones or rocks on a pilgrimage, to add to a cairn, was thought to bring the pilgrims good luck, and can be seen in many ancient pilgrimage paths, the most notable being the Camino de Santiago. Some claim that the pilgrimage pre-dates Christianity and was originally a ritual associated with the festival of Lughnasadh. It had been claimed that the volume of visitors has led to erosion and has made the mountain more dangerous for climbers.
Tochar Phádraig
Patrick's Causeway is a 30-kilometre old pilgrim road from Ballintubber Abbey to Croagh Patrick. The road is named after Saint Patrick, but pre-dates Christianity; it is estimated to have been built sometime around 350 AD, as the main route from Cruachan to Cruachan Aigle, the original name of Croagh Patrick. The Tochar Phadraig route was revived and reopened as a cross-country pilgrimage tourist trail by Pilgrim Paths of Ireland; the 30-kilometre route takes about 10-hours.
Summit chapel
There had been a chapel on the summit since the 5th century, called "Teampall Phádraig". An archaeological excavation in 1994 found the remains of a foundation at the summit. In 824 the Archbishops of Armagh and Tuam disagreed as to who had jurisdiction. A small chapel was built on the summit and dedicated on 20 July 1905. During the pilgrimage on 31 July 2005, a plaque commemorating its centenary was unveiled by Michael Neary, the Archbishop of Tuam.
Gold discovery
A seam of gold was discovered in the mountain in the 1980s: overall grades of 14 grams of gold per tonne in at least 12 quartz veins, which could produce of ore – potentially over 300,000 troy oz of gold. However, due to local resistance by the Mayo Environmental Group headed by Paddy Hopkins, the Mayo County Council decided not to allow mining.
