Croagh Patrick path to enter planning process

WORK IN PROGRESS The work on a path at the summit of Croagh Patrick has been heralded a success.

Áine Ryan

THE success of trial path works on the upper slopes of Croagh Patrick opens the way for the entire project to proceed. That is according to Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group, which has confirmed it will now make a Part 8 planning application in association with Mayo County Council,
The evaluation process, which tested the feasibility of a pathway made from materials on the mountainside, was led by Scottish expert Matt McConway of Upland Access Ltd.   
“The trial section of stone pitching is two metres wide, consisting of irregular steps and platforms, using only stone and material from the mountain. Work took place in two locations, along the traditional summit path and at a lower level near the access gate to the mountain,” a statement on behalf of the group has explained.
Its objective was ‘to establish if the proposed methodology for constructing the path would work using the small stone blocks found on the steep slope of the summit’ while adhering to Mountaineering Ireland’s ‘Guiding Principles for Upland Path Work’ entitled ‘Helping the Hills’.
The trial works included an assessment of ‘the quality of path work construction technique; landscape impact and environmental impact’, as well as examining ‘the value of progressing the implementation of the project with strong emphasis on training and voluntary inputs’.
“The result of the evaluation process is that the Stakeholder Group is confident to proceed with the proposed path solution together with a maintenance and management regime,” the statement continued.  

Careful preparations
Its chairman, Mayo County Council’s Martin Keating, said: “Rather than rush ahead with a quick-fix solution that we might later regret, we have been making careful preparations, taking advice from experienced upland path professionals and doing trial work where bespoke solutions are required.
“The recent trial works have confirmed that we have a viable solution to repairing the summit section of the mountain, and they have given the stakeholders confidence to move forward to the planning and implementation phases of the project.
“This approach also provides us with an opportunity to train people in the highly-skilled methods of upland path development and repair, which sets in motion the long-term relationship that we need to have with Croagh Patrick.”
The Stakeholder Group stated it wished ‘to acknowledge with gratitude the assistance of the mountain [commonage] shareholders; Murrisk Development Association; GMIT Mayo Campus; South West Mayo Development staff and RSS workers; Mountaineering Ireland; Mayo Mountain Rescue and all other volunteers who assisted with the physical creation of the path work’.