Non-denominational representative body for Ireland's pilgrim paths
Trail marker of Pilgrim Paths Ireland
Pilgrim Paths Ireland (PPI) is a non-denominational representative body for Ireland's medieval pilgrim paths. PPI was founded in 2013 to oversee the development and promotion of Ireland's medieval pilgrimage paths, and consists of 12 community groups supporting specific paths. PPI holds an annual National Pilgrimage Paths Week during Easter, and issues a National Pilgrimage Passport to finishers of the 5 main trails: Cnoc na dTobar, Cosán na Naomh, St. Finbarr's Pilgrim Path, St. Kevin’s Way, and Tochar Phádraig.
In 1997, a Pilgrim Paths Project was started by the Irish Heritage Council focused on seven medieval routes of pilgrimage.[1][2][3]
In 2013, Pilgrim Paths Ireland (PPI) was founded at a meeting in Nenagh "as an umbrella body for the volunteer groups promoting Ireland’s penitential trails".[2][4]
Irish hillwalking guidebook author and journalist John G O'Dwyer, was elected Chairman and highlighted the "spiritual tourism" potential for Ireland.[2][4][5]
On 19 April 2014, Ireland's first National Pilgrim Paths Day was held on various penitential trails across the country, attracting over 1,700 participants.[6][7][8] On 4 April 2015, a second National Pilgrim Paths Day was held attracting over 3,000 participants.[9][10] In 2016, the event was expanded to a National Pilgrim Paths Week to be held over the Easter festival; the following have been held:
2016 National Pilgrim Paths Week (22–29 March 2016).[11]
2017 National Pilgrim Paths Week (11–17 April 2017).[1]
2018 National Pilgrim Paths Week (31 March – 8 April 2018).[12]
2019 National Pilgrim Paths Week (19–28 April 2019).[13]
National Pilgrim Paths Week 2020, which was scheduled to take place from April 9 to 19, was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic in Ireland.
As of June 2020[update], PPI represents 12 community groups associated with Ireland's main penitential paths and is considered the national representative body.[14]
The passport covers 124 km of Ireland's most important medieval pilgrim paths, with stamping points arranged at the conclusion of each path so that walkers can "earn" their completed passport, in a similar manner to the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trails in Spain.[15] On completion of all five paths, participants can apply for a Pilgrim Certificate (Irish: Teastas Oilithreachta), from Ballintubber Abbey (which is at the start of the Tochar Phádraig pilgrimage route).[15][18]
As of June 2019[update], the five routes included on the Pilgrim Passport are:[15][18][19]
14 people were registered as finishers (Irish: Críochnóirí) of the five above walks in 2016, 30 were registered in 2017, and 44 were registered in 2018.[26]
On, 15 January 2017, Irish ultramarathon runner Susan Steele, became the first person to run all 5 paths of the Irish Pilgrim Journey, over a period of 5 consecutive days.[27]
^Nicola Anderson. "'Pilgrim Paths' Ireland's answer to Camino de Santiago". Irish Independent. The Heritage Council has now launched a national Pilgrim Paths Day which will take place on Easter Saturday, April 19 – with the initially modest aim that just 1,000 people will be out walking the trails that day.
^ abcdPól Ó Conghaile (13 August 2017). "Irish Camino: First fully guided pilgrim walk launched in Ireland". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2019. Walkers on Ireland's first fully-guided pilgrim journey can collect stamps in a 'Pilgrim Passport', similar to Spain's Camino de Santiago. "Now that you can do a Camino in Ireland, people are delighted," says John G. O'Dwyer of Pilgrim Paths Ireland, the association of community groups behind the walks.
^Nicola Anderson (18 April 2016). "New 'passport' to put pilgrim paths of Ireland on a par with the Camino". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2016. A Celtic Camino: A series of ancient Irish pilgrim paths has the potential to become the 'pedestrian' version of the Wild Atlantic Way if it gets the backing of a proper tourism marketing campaign, organisers have said. A new 'passport', like those given to pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, has now been issued by the Heritage Council - in the hope that it will revitalise routes not widely used since medieval times.
^Maria Moynihan (2017-06-21). "Guardian of the Sea". The Southern Star (County Cork). Retrieved 2018-04-04. Though if that was not challenging enough, in recent years, she has also become an accomplished endurance athlete, running her first marathon when her youngest son was five months old after reading The Non Runner's Marathon Guide and going on to complete the 200k Kerry Way Ultra and Killarney Hardman, as well as becoming the first person to complete the 125km Pilgrim Path challenge covering five routes in five days in memory of her mother in January.
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