Overview
Mám Éan means ‘pass of the birds’, and the walk up to it is the point: a rough climb from the trailhead to a tiny stone chapel and a bronze St Patrick set on the saddle of the Maumturk Mountains, Connemara. The pass is the old crossing between the Maam Valley and the Inagh Valley, and it has been a gathering place for far longer than the chapel suggests. Most people do it as a there-and-back walk to the shrine; the path over the top is also a leg of the Western Way.
One thing to be clear about before you set out: this short pilgrim walk is not the same as the mountain routes that share the name. The summit routes beyond the shrine are separate mountain outings, including a part-off-trail loop over the ridge for experienced hill-walkers only. The walk to the chapel and back is the one most visitors want.
Before you go, check Sport Ireland’s Western Way notice, which lists short repair works at Mám Éan.
History and the pilgrimage
The site is pre-Christian. It began as a Lughnasa gathering place tied to the harvest god Crom Dubh, its high saddle catching both the Atlantic and the inland valleys – good ground for a seasonal festival. Christian tradition later folded that in: St Patrick is said to have blessed Connemara from here, resting on a flat stone still called Leaba Phádraig, St Patrick’s Bed, and leaving a holy well behind. Visit Galway describes the tradition that Patrick rested here, and the use of the pass for pilgrimage. During the Penal era, when Catholic worship was outlawed, mass was said in the open at a rock known as Carraig an Aifrinn, a mass rock out of the authorities’ sight.
The modern shrine is the work of Fr Micheál Mac Gréil, who revived the pilgrimage in the 1980s, built the small oratory Cillín Phádraig, and commissioned the 1.5-tonne bronze of St Patrick as a shepherd with a lamb at his feet – flown to the summit by helicopter in 1986. Inside the chapel is a Connemara-marble altar and little else. Pilgrims still leave coins and medals on it.
What to see
- The chapel and statue – the oratory and the bronze St Patrick are the focus, set on rocky, boggy ground with the Stations of the Cross and the holy well scattered around them.
- The views – on a clear day the Twelve Bens rise across the Inagh Valley, with Benbaun on the skyline; bogland and the coast stretch away to the west.
- The geology underfoot – the pass is a designated County Geological Site of folded quartzite, marble and schist, and the slopes were once trial-worked for wolframite, the ore of tungsten. It sits within the Twelve Bens/Garraun conservation area and features on the Connemara Sheep and Wool Trail.
Pilgrimage days
This is a working shrine and a place of pilgrimage, and it is busier, and more moving, when pilgrims gather. Pilgrimages are held here at set times of the year, but current dates and arrangements could not be confirmed, so check them locally before you travel. For solitude, come early or late on any ordinary day.
Getting there and practical tips
The trailhead is signed ‘Mám Éan’ on the Inagh side. Use the signed trailhead and follow the marked route to the shrine and back. Check locally for current parking arrangements. Starting from the Maam side adds a long stretch of track and tarmac, and Sport Ireland also lists a separate 2 km boardwalk closure near Lackavrea on the Western Way until further notice. Check the latest notices and follow directions on the ground, especially if planning to walk through from Maam.
The path is broken rock and loose scree, slippery after rain, and exposed. Wear boots with grip, not trainers, and check the forecast. There are no toilets, café or shelter on-site, and the weather in the Maumturks turns fast, so carry a windproof layer even in summer and do not push on in fog. Leave dogs at home: Sport Ireland lists no dogs on the Western Way here, and sheep graze the open hillside.
If you want more, the ridges north and south of the pass lead to the wider Maumturks, but those routes are for fit, well-equipped walkers only and are not part of the pilgrim walk.
For an easy finish, carry on towards Lough Inagh for the lakeside views.