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THOUSANDS OF PILGRIMS are expected to make the journey to Ireland’s holiest mountain, Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo, tomorrow morning in an annual celebration of St. Patrick.
Reek Sunday, also known by some as Garland Sunday or Bilberry Sunday, was originally a pagan festival before it was a Christian one. In honour of St. Patrick, pilgrims will scale the mountain tomorrow, many of whom will be barefoot. Pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick has been undertaken for over 1,500 years.
They will pray for special intentions or as an act of penance on the climb. Circuits of certain sites on the mountain will be performed, and the climb culminates in a mass at the summit of the mountain in a modern, purpose-built church.
Masses will be conducted hourly on the summit, from 8:00am to 2:00pm – and confessions will be heard from 7:30am to 2:00pm.
Pope Francis has designated 2024 as a Year of Prayer, and the theme for this year’s pilgrimage is: “To pray for and honour grandparents and the elderly”.
The Catholic Communications Office has warned that it is a “physically demanding pilgrimage”. Pilgrims should make themselves aware in advance of health and safety information about the mountain, it said, which can be viewed here. Pilgrims should also heed the instructions of stewards, the mountain rescue teams, Order of Malta, and gardaí.
“While it is a custom for some to make the climb barefoot,” it said, “pilgrims should come prepared for changeable weather conditions, and are advised to bring suitable warm/waterproof clothing, good footwear, walking stick/staff and water, and to be mindful of the safety of themselves and others.”
This year, a new pathway running from the base to the summit of the mountain has been officially completed after a three year project. The project, which had been completed by hand, involved the removal of thousands of tonnes of rock and soil to make the area more accessible. Four kilometres long, the two metre wide path may mitigate issues over safety that have taken precedence over the years.
Mayo Mountain Rescue Team (MMRT) have been heavily involved with the pilgrimage previously. Speaking to The Journal, spokesman for MMRT Colm Byrne said that while the purpose of the path is not specifically safety based, it may help those making the pilgrimage.
“We do hope that [the steps] will cut down on accidents, and time will tell,” he said, “though their purpose is to reduce erosion damage to the mountain.”
A virtual tour and additional information on Croagh Patrick can be viewed here.
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People, not parties,, are elected to Dáil Éireann.
Depriving TDs speaking time because of internal party matters is an affront to democracy.
Kevin, all TD’s have the right to speak, but there is an order placed upon that right so that the larger parties are afforded the opportunity first, representative of their greater respresentative clout.
This system is required for the efficient and orderly debate of particular issues.
If you want to priorotise certain TD’s based on electoral clout then give the TD with the most votes priority. Not the party with most members.
If they can’t speak get the system changed or get rid of them with no pension or perks
The purpose of the meeting today is to secure speaking rights for the affected group, made up of former FGs.
I may be reading it wrong but it seems to me these TDs had speaking rights as FG members which they lost when they lost the Party whip.
They now want to obtain speaking rights as in their own right.
Democracy in action preventing some from speaking in the Dail because they disagreed about party policy. So much for Enda’s claim to be reforming how government works.
FG are really trying to punish & humiliate those ‘rebel’ TD’s
very petty & vindictive
Irish democracy is being revealed for the joke that it is.
It would appear that Enda and Hulk Hogan have succeeded in bringing us the transparent government they promised.
Who could disagree with that comment.
Methinks Kehoe has activated the YFGbots.
This system has been in place long before the FG/Lab government came to power and is represented across the chambers of nearly all other western democracies.
Show me a democracy that does not operate in this way.
This shure we de worst in the world rubbish is physically sickening. Grow a pair of balls ffs and instead of imagining that the world is laughing at you, or that Ireland is the only country with problems, get off your butts and do something.
doesnt mean it works
This government just keeps digging a deeper political grave for itself with every negative announcement they make.
They have their speaking rights at mass on Sundays
Not that I want to listen to a word from idiot Creighton or fool Timmons …but ain’t it slightly off the wall that elected TDs aren’t allowed to speak…..democracy haw are you !
“the coalition has no plans to amend Dáil standing orders”.
So where is the open and accountable Government we were promised?
Serves them right
Democratically elected Tds not allowed to speak in the national parliament.
That’s a bad thing, see?
Democracy = a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. Leaves me to ask, what do you call the present system of government?
Ireland operates a Whipocracy …. NOT a Democracy.
Whipped TDs vote for vested interests not the interests of those who voted for them.
Local Property Tax … case in point.
Revenue voted power by Whipped TDs to get the Anglo Tax from your pay, pension or bank account.
Hostile action by Government against the electorate … not in Syria …. in Ireland.
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FB/LocalPropertyTax
I found this out today and it made my blood boil!!! Eammon Gilmore is on €152,000 a year, plus €48,000 ‘expenses’ and he has FIVE advisers on a combined total of €670,000 !! Just him alone is costing nearly 1million. Ffs like.
his ‘expenses’ are almost twice my salary
He also has unvouched allowances
for example €5000 per year dry cleaning…. !!!!
This is the Taoiseach whose political reform instincts we’re trusting if we abolish the Seanad; he *might* reform the Dáil, but all indications are that he won’t.
yer wan from the Vincent Browne show has nice legs !
Who is yer wan….???
Vincent?
The wan in the background talking to petey forer banker Matthews ; she’s wearing high heels and she does be on the telly so she does .
The new Labour Party watch this space .
There is nothing to stop these TDs joining the existing technical group in the Dail or forming another technical group with someone like Mattie McGrath. Under the rules of the Dail they only need a minimum of 7 TDs for form such a group in order to gain more speaking rights.
The reason this isn’t happening is nothing to do with standing orders, but because it would effect the income “entitlements” of those TDs. This is while Healy Rae & McGrath chose not to be in the first technical group. The earn more money by being out of it.
There are 166 TDs in the Dail. If they each were allowed 5 mins a day speaking time then that would be 13 hours and 50 minutes each day excluding votes, debate and questions. Doesn’t seem workable.
you are assuming that they all turn up to the Dail every day
have your say