An annual pilgrimage has seen 30,000 people take part in a journey to the top of Ireland's holiest mountain - a trip which has been undertaken for 1,500 years.

Thousands have climbed Croagh Patrick in County Mayo in commemoration of St Patrick's ascent to the summit.

The journey was by no means an easy task, with many falling foul of the conditions resulting in numerous sprained injuries, and one man was even airlifted off the mountain to hospital following what is a suspected heart attack.

The pilgrims were led by Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam, who led a huge service on the summit on Sunday.

During the journey, the Archbishop used the opportunity to promote a more peaceful way of life. He said: "The world in which we live has set an impossible pace. We are rushed from infancy to adolescence and then through those special years to an ill-timed adulthood.

"We live in the age of the instant, where there is no joy in the anticipation and no time to value the achievement."

The Archbishop urged pilgrims to "discover the need to reflect, to slow down the pace of life, to wonder at the beauty of the earth, and to really appreciate the value of our friends."

The pilgrimage has taken place on the last Sunday of July since 441 AD. It is believed that Saint Patrick fasted on the summit for 40 days and 40 nights, following the path laid down by Jesus Christ and Moses.