Concern over damage to Ireland's highest mountain

CONCERNED LOCALS have erected warning signs advising people not to use the Devil’s Ladder, the famous “tourist” approach to Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s highest mountain.

The Ladder is a narrow and very steep gully that rises over 300 metres from the Hag’s Glen to the higher slopes of the 1,041m (3,415ft) mountain, which dominates the Macgillycuddy Reeks range in Co Kerry.

It has been part of the standard tourist route since Victorian times.

However, in more recent years, mountaineers and guides from the Co Kerry landmark have expressed concern about its safety and condition, as the number of climbers has greatly increased.

The decision to erect the signs was taken by the Beaufort Community Council on Thursday on the advice of the mountaineer and guide Con Moriarty. Earlier that morning Nathan Kingerlee, a guide, noticed that there had been a large landslide in the Devil’s Ladder. It was the second such incident in recent months.

The warning signs have been erected on the main approaches to the mountain and at the foot of the Devil’s Ladder. The sign advises walkers to use a nearby “switch-back” walking route.

The notice states that serious erosion has occurred on the Devil’s Ladder route and warns: “Tonnes of unstable rock and scree now present a high level of objective dangers and local guides are strongly advising people to avoid the route.”

Mr Moriarty said yesterday there was serious erosion on all approaches to the peak.

“There are 1,000 people a week on the mountain these days and on any given Sunday as many as 300 will be climbing the mountain.

“What we are seeing now is the most famous route on to our highest mountain washed away literally before our eyes. There were daisies growing on the Devil’s Ladder 30 years ago. Now all we have is a sluice of mud and scree,” he said.

The decision will revisit the debate about the need for remediation work on the Devil’s Ladder. The community council produced a plan to erect a rough stone footpath (as used on Snowdon in Wales and Ben Nevis in Scotland) using materials sourced on the mountain. The estimated cost is in the region of €250,000.

While the use of a “sacrificial track” is controversial with some mountaineers, Mr Moriarty said mitigation was now unarguable.