Decades later, the devoted took part in annual pilgrimages up the mountain, similar to those held on Reek Sunday on nearby Croagh Patrick.

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Croagh Patrick is just one of several places where St Patrick is famously claimed to have banished snakes from Ireland, chasing them into the sea during his mountaintop fast.

BBC: Who was the real St Patrick?

Those less trekking-inclined can contemplate Croagh Patrick aboard an idyllic cruise around the bay with companies such as Clewbay Cruises, whose 90-minute cruises also take in seal colonies and unspoilt sand dunes.

BBC: Who was the real St Patrick?