Climbing Slemish is one of the many pleasures of Saint Patrick’s Day.   The ascent can be slippery in places which gives it a frisson of excitement and adventure verging on danger.  Nevertheless, everyone from sturdy well-advanced toddlers to grannies and their dogs swarms up in large numbers to enjoy the glorious views,  traditional music and a picnic on top.  This year,2018, the threat of the imminent arrival of the ‘beast from the east, minor’ impacted substantially on the numbers. However, it was still a splendid experience.

Slemish Mountain (Sliabh Mis) is about 10 km (6 miles) from Ballymena and is the legendary first-known Irish home of Saint Patrick. The mountain rises about 1,500 feet (460 metres) above the surrounding plain, and it is the central core of an extinct volcano, commonly known as a volcanic plug. According to legend, following Patrick’s capture and being brought as a slave to Ireland, the young man worked as a shepherd at Slemish Mountain for about six years, from ages 16 through 22, for a man named Milchu (or Miluic).

During this time Patrick turned to frequent prayer in his loneliness. In a vision he was encouraged to escape and return home. He did, became a Christian priest and returned to Ireland, allegedly to convert his old master. The legend tells that his true conversion occurred when he was on Slemish out in all weathers, communing with nature and praying continuously. As Patrick was not the first Christian bishop to visit Ireland, his ministry was confined to the North. Here he established churches and an episcopal system. One such church is thought to have been founded at the nearby site of Skerry Churchyard.

Park in Bucna at the Presbyterian Church from where there is a regular shuttle bus service to the starting point. The 1.5-kilometre round walk to the summit and back takes approximately one hour in good weather. Excellent views can be had of the Antrim and Scottish coasts to the East. Ballymena town, Lough Neagh and the Sperrin Mountains are all normally visible to the West whilst the Bann Valley and the higher summits of the Antrim Hills can be seen to the North.  The 180-metre climb is not easy but the views from the summit make it all worthwhile.