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Garland Sunday, the last Sunday of the month of July, is celebrated by many thousands of people climbing Croagh Patrick (Cruach Phádraig), Ireland's holy mountain, in honour of Saint Patrick who, according to tradition, spent forty days fasting on the mountain in the mid-fifth century. In reality, the modern pilgrimage is a long-Christianised variation of a ritual that dates back to pre-Christian, pagan Celtic Ireland, celebrating the Festival of Lughnasadh.
