Mount Melleray Pilgrim Paths - The Cross

The pilgrim walking trails of Mount Melleray (Cosáin Chnoc Mheilearaí) are steeped in tradition, collectively covering over 30km of track in the lower hills of the Knockmealdown Mountains. This beautiful area has been home to the Cistercian Monks since they arrived here in 1832, having come from Melleray in Brittany, France. The trails enabled the monks, the people of Melleray and others access the mountaineous areas to harvest turf, to herd sheep and to walk long distances across the mountain range. The monks were given 600 acres of mountain land by Sir Richard Keane in 1832 and cultivated the terrain with the support of many local parishes. Today’s pilgrim walking trails cross the same paths used by the monks since the 1800’s, with a wonderful mix of meandering boreens, forest trails and open mountain traverses. The overriding symbol of peace and hope in the hills is The Holy Year Cross and it is this iconic monument that is a powerful symbol of the Cosáin Chnoc Mheilearaí. Mount Melleray is now a leading spiritual centre in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world. The monks gather several times a day to pray and chant the psalms, they run a guesthouse and café and offer hospitality to walkers, pilgrims and penitents. The pilgrim trails allow us to step back into the past but also to imagine the future through the timeless beauty of this landscape.