Minister praises Mayo community for development of Croagh Patrick pathway

The completion of the pilgrims pathway up Croagh Patrick will heal the scars on the holy mountain and will be an example to communities all over Ireland.

Minister for Community and Rural Development, Heather Humphreys travelled to Croagh Patrick where she laid the final stone to mark the completion of the Sustainable Access and Habitat Restoration Project.

The project which was eight years in the making has resulted in the completion of a 4km pilgrim path from the statue of St Patrick to the chapel on top of the Reek. It was recently completely restored and rebuilt by hand after over three years of work by the five-man team of Matt McConway, Frank McMahon, Tullio Pereira de Jesus, Bernard Burke and David Doyle.

The project was funded by the Department of Community and Rural Development when the then minister, Michael Ring set up a pilot scheme dedicated to providing money to create the path.

The path was proposed 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.

Minister Humphreys paid a special tribute to the Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group and its chairman Martin Keating for their 'commitment, drive and leadership' to deliver the project.

“The overall spirit of collaboration is an example to communities all over the country and what can be achieved. The work undertaken by the team will ensure that people can continue to enjoy climbing the Reek in a sustainable way that protects the habitat of the mountain whilst also protecting the safety of the users. The work has secured the future of this beautiful mountain by protecting the natural environment and it can be enjoyed by future generations.

“I want to say that what you have done here is an example to the rest of the country and I will certainly look favourably on any further requests for funding to keep the show on the road because you are doing a great job,” she said.

Martin Keating thanked the Minister and her Department for their continued support for the project and described the journey over the last eight years as epic. He said he was filled with delight and pride to gather and see the completion of the path.

“Today is principally a celebration of what we have achieved through collaboration and I feel a huge sense of pride and personal satisfaction that led us to this place. I also want to be the group responsible in ensuring the path infrastructure and management of it are secured for the future and we never have to witness a scarred and eroded and uncared for mountain again.

“I hope that through our example we have demonstrated how collaboration, motivation and team work can transform and protect the mountain that we all enjoy using. I hope learning from our project will inspire many other communities around the country to take action to manage recreational use in their upland areas sustainably.

“I take great pride on behalf of the stakeholders group and the Murrisk community that Croagh Patrick, the mountain that people have come to for healing for generations, is now in a good place to heal itself,” he said.

Mr Keating paid a special tribute to Michael Ring who he described as his 'ace up his sleeve' when thoughts were being raised about how to fund the project and that Deputy Ring had come through in the end with funding.

Frank McCarrick, the Chairman of the Murrisk Development Association said that before the path the rescue helicopter would be visiting Croagh Patrick once a week during the summer to take a casualty off the mountain.

“Now today we might see a rescue helicopter at least once a month and undoubtedly life and limb has been saved by the work done on this path. No matter what the cost you cannot put a cost on life and limb and that is the key success of what has been done here,” he commented.