Skerries in north Co Dublin is celebrating its unique history with Ireland’s patron saint by inviting the public to retrace St Patrick’s steps in the town 1,500 years ago.
One of the many stories in the legend of St Patrick tells how a goat was stolen from him by locals of the coastal town, prompting him to retaliate by leaving a permanent mark on the ground known today as ‘St Patrick’s Footprint’.
This year Skerries is claiming the unusually marked rock on the south side of Red Island as its own ‘Blarney Stone’, referring to the belief down through the generations that anyone who puts their foot into the footprint and makes a wish will see that wish come true.
And what’s more, St Patrick himself – or at least someone looking a lot like him – will be paying a return visit to Skerries by Irish Coast Guard helicopter to lead the town’s parade on 17 March, and perhaps reunite with his missing goat.
For more details see www.visitskerries.ie.
