The Saint Kevin's Way () is a pilgrim path in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is long and begins in the village of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, crosses the Wicklow Gap, and ends at the remains of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

Glendalough Glendalough (; ) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead min ...

. An alternative spur route begins at

Valleymount Valleymount ( or ''An Chrois'') is a small village in western County Wicklow, Ireland. The name 'Valleymount' does not appear before 1839. Previously, the village was known as 'the Cross of Ballymore' or simply 'the Cross', with 'cross' referrin ...

and joins the main trail at Ballinagee Bridge. It is typically completed in one day. The trail follows in the footsteps of Caoimhín Naofa who crossed the

Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: '' Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. Where the mountai ...

and founded the monastery at Glendalough in the 6th century. The journey later became a route of pilgrimage for visitors to Glendalough. It is one of a series of medieval pilgrim paths developed as walking trails by the

Heritage Council The Heritage Council () is an organisation created by the Irish government to "engage, educate and advocate to develop a wider understanding of the vital contribution that our heritage makes to our social, environmental and economic well-being." ...

. In 2016 Saint Kevin's Way became part of the new National Pilgrim Passport for Ireland. The new passport offers an opportunity to walk 125 km of Ireland’s medieval pilgrim paths, with stamping points at the conclusion of each participating path. On completion of all five paths, participants are entitled to an Irish Pilgrim Paths completion certificate (Teastas Oilithreachta) from

Ballintubber Abbey Ballintubber Abbey is an abbey 2 kilometres northeast of Ballintubber, County Mayo in Ireland that was founded by King Cathal Crobdearg Ua Conchobair in 1216. History Despite being suppressed and damaged during the Protestant Reformation, the ...

, Co Mayo. The four routes currently in the Pilgrim Passport along with St Kevin’s Way are:

Tochar Phádraig Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed 'the Reek', is a mountain with a height of and an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Ireland. The mountain has a pyramid-shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, several kilo ...

, Mayo; Cosán na Naomh, Kerry; Cnoc na dTobar, Kerry; St. Finbarr's Pilgrim Path, Cork.

See also

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