Mayo County Council is to debate a repair and conservation plan for Croagh Patrick today amid safety concerns caused by the erosion of the mountain.
It is two years since an expert report, commissioned by Mountaineering Ireland, concluded the mountain needed a major intervention, costing €1.5 million, to make it safe.
Croagh Patrick is in commonage and thus owned by a number of local farmers while the small oratory at the peak is owned by the Catholic Church.
Minister of State for Sport and Tourism Michael Ring recently met interested parties to discuss the issue and he said it was time someone took charge.
Damaged pathway
“Everybody has to stop saying they are not responsible for Croagh Patrick,” he said. “The Government, the Office of Public Works, the [Catholic] church, the local authority are all saying it is not their responsibility. I know we live in a litigious culture but something must be done urgently to repair and conserve the badly eroded pathway.”
Mr Ring, a TD for Mayo, said it was time to heed the expert report on Croagh Patrick “which states that the upper section of the pathway is dangerous and has been totally eroded”.
“After all, Croagh Patrick is an integral part of our spiritual and cultural heritage and is very important for tourism.”
Up to 30,000 people were due to climb the 764m peak over the weekend for Reek Sunday but, due to bad weather, the pilgrimage was called off.
Retired parish priest Fr Tony King recently called for the mountain pathway to be closed to extreme sports athletes using it as "a sky track".
Mayo County Council's Martin Keating said the future of Croagh Patrick would be discussed at today's West Mayo Municipal District meeting.
He expected short-term actions would be prioritised. These were identified at a seminar held over two years ago, after the publication of the expert report, carried out by Elfyn Jones of the British Mountaineering Council.
In addition to proposing major restorative works, Mr Jones suggested more formalised management and monitoring of traffic on the mountain.
Short-term solutions
Among the many short-term actions are the development of an app for the mountain; guidelines for pilgrims and climbers; and an information board at the base advising on footwear, weather conditions and emergency procedures. There is also a proposal to use the revenue from the carpark for repair and conservation of the mountain.
Asked about a long-term repair plan, Mr Keating said it was “too early to speculate” on funding requirements which were dependent on the work to be undertaken. “Similarly, it is premature to comment on the necessity to close the pathways as there are many issues to be resolved before work could be undertaken.”