Minister to lay stone to mark completion of Croagh Patrick pilgrim path

The Minister for Rural and Community Development will travel to Croagh Patrick this Monday where she will lay a stone on the new Croagh Patrick pathway.

The 4km pilgrim path from the statue of St Patrick to the chapel on top of the Reek was recently completely restored and rebuilt by hand after over two years of work by the five-man team of Matt McConway, Frank McMahon, Tullio Pereira de Jesus, Bernard Burke and David Doyle.

The work was completed earlier this month and Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys has been invited to place a stone within the path on Monday to mark the completion of the path.

The path was proposed in 2019 after many years of concern regarding the erosion of the existing path on Croagh Patrick due to an increase in people climbing the holy mountain.

The Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group was formed in November 2015 as a community response to concerns over the condition of the mountain, together with concerns around safety, liability of shareholders and landowners as well as the impact of growing numbers of recreational users on the natural environment, habitats and ecosystems of the area.

Earlier this month a gathering took place in the Murrisk Development Café to mark the culmination of the Croagh Patrick Sustainable Access and Habitat Restoration Project.

Representatives from Mountaineering Ireland, Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Committee, Murrisk Development Association, Mayo County Council, and Fr John Kenny, St Mary’s Church Parish Administrator, all turned out to pay tribute to the tenacity and dedication shown by the path restoration team over the past three-and-a-half years.

The sheer quality of their craftwork is unsurpassed and, in her tribute, Helen Lawless, acting CEO of Mountaineering Ireland, quoted Dr Caro-Lynne Ferris, an expert in mountain path restoration work, who informed her that the Reek path is unequalled in these islands and will be the benchmark for all future projects of this nature.

Minister Humphreys is expected to arrive at the foot of Croagh Patrick to lay the stone which will be situated above the St Patrick statue at 5.30pm on Monday and refreshments will be served afterwards in the Murrisk Development Café.