Reek record

SCENIC VIEW Thousands of pilgrims made their way up and down the shoulder of Ireland's holy mountain, Croagh Patrick, last Sunday. Pic: Michael McLaughlin

No major incidents as record numbers climb Reek

Neill O’Neill

WARM and sunny weather last Sunday morning brought record numbers to Croagh Patrick for the annual pilgrimage – with in excess of 50,000 people estimated to have completed the ascent of the holy mountain.
There were no reports of major injuries despite the heavy downpours that followed in the afternoon, with 300 volunteers from Mayo Mountain Rescue – assisted by sister oganisations, the Civil Defence and the Order of Malta – on standby all over the mountain.
The most serious incident of the weekend occurred on Friday evening when a search and rescue operation was launched after a woman went missing around 8pm. She was located and winched off the mountain by a Coastguard helicopter around 10pm, and was flown to Mayo General Hospital.
One of the biggest problems the increased number of pilgrims brought with them on Sunday was an unprecedented volume of traffic. An enormous number of vehicles snaked their way from the traffic lights at the bottom of James Street to the Ardmore Road beyond Westport Quay for three hours in the evening, while the situation on the West Road was just as chaotic. There were reports of tailbacks several miles long either side of Murrisk throughout the day, and many people travelling on regular business between Louisbugh and Westport opted to take the long way around – via Delphi. Others abandoned cars several miles from the mountain and walked to its base.
According to Superintendent Pat Doyle of Westport Garda Station, the crowds were the biggest he has witnessed in his decade in the town.
“Estimates of 20,000 to 30,000 people are way off the mark,” he said, “and the sheer volume caused the traffic problems. There is not much that could have been done about it and some incidents of bad parking caused delays and necessitated us calling in a tow truck to remove eight vehicles. We will think about what might be possible to do in the future to alleviate the problems caused by such massive crowds, though given the nature and location of the event the options are limited.”
The Order of Malta assessed 32 pilgrims – many of whom needed help for general medical conditions such as blood pressure and asthma – but there were four casualties on the day who were airlifted directly to hospital. Sixteen others were brought down by helicopter from the mountain to the medical base beside the Famine monument, where they were assessed by a volunteer doctor and Order of Malta staff. Seven of these were brought by ambulance to hospital.
According to Order of Malta Operations Manager, Eamonn Berry, the traffic meant that it was taking ambulances up to two-and-a-half hours to reach Mayo General Hospital when Garda motorcycle outriders were not providing an escort. Mr Berry added that he has never seen numbers on Croagh Patrick for the pilgrimage like those which were present on Sunday.
Pilgrims were on the mountainside from as early as 3am, and the summit was packed for most of the day – as could be seen during the 11am outdoor Mass.