Members of an African Pentecostal church want to "go tell it on the mountain" this month - on Bray Head in Co Wicklow. Congregants of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, which has 800 members in the Republic, plan to camp on the peak for three days and two nights, praying and fasting in an effort to get closer to God.
Bray Town Council will discuss the matter tomorrow night.
The pilgrimage's organiser, Rev Mother Agnes Aderanti, is seeking permission from the local authority to lead the event, which she compares to the Catholic pilgrimages to St Patrick's Purgatory, an island on Lough Derg in Co Donegal.
"It's just full concentration in prayer, exactly as Jesus did it for 40 days and 40 nights," said Rev Mother Aderanti, who has set up in the Republic her own Rock of Ages branch of the church, which is indigenous to Nigeria.
"We have a lot of mountains in Nigeria where we do it. Over there, we might be there for seven days but we want to start afresh with three in Ireland."
Services at the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Artane, Dublin, are lengthy and lively affairs, with fervent singing, dancing and music. Congregants dress in white garments, signifying purity, stomp their feet and sway their hips to the drum and percussion music.
Rev Mother Aderanti says she would like to re-create this atmosphere on the mountain-top holy camp, with generators to supply music and lights.
The worshippers intend to sleep on air beds under a canopy and break their daily fasts between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. by eating tinned food and gari, a carbohydrate-rich dish made from the root of the tropical cassava plant, which is eaten as a staple in parts of Africa.
The aim of the outing is to leave behind all earthly things. "We want to see the powerful hand of God, to put the Lord to the test that he is an able God," said Rev Mother Aderanti.
The worshippers will replace their usual flowing white garments with blue outfits, signifying mercy, she said. The pilgrims want to set off from the base of Bray Head at 3 p.m. on Friday May 30th and return from the peak on Sunday June 1st. The dates have been chosen as they are in between the Ascension Day on 29th May, when Jesus rose to heaven following his crucifixion and resurrection, and the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles 10 days later.
Elected members of Bray Town Council will consider the request at a meeting tomorrow night. Councillors are required to give permission for other public events such as sea-front musical performances.
While there is an annual Good Friday pilgrimage to Bray Head, this is the first request by pilgrims to camp on the hill, which would raise health and safety issues.