Demand for 15 million to fix holy mountain
MEMBERS of the West Mayo Municipal District have recommended the urgent implementation of a €1.5 million 10-point plan to address the deteriorating footpath conditions on Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s holy mountain.
The move comes a day after the annual Reek Sunday pilgrimage was cancelled for the first time due to health and safety concerns.
The report on the mountain’s erosion was produced two years ago by Elfyn Jones of the British Mountaineering Council, but none of his proposals have been carried out to date due to ownership and legal issues relating to responsibility.
Mr. Jones said it’s imperative that before any commitment to capital works or erosion control works are implemented, a full and sustained commitment to the future upkeep and maintenance of the work is required.
He stated: 'This is not said lightly and a path such as the pilgrims path could easily employ two people for six months of the year to carry out maintenance work on any constructed work.
'Path works are likely to be quite engineered and will be initially highly intrusive and difficult for many people to come to terms with.
'However the erosion created by walkers on this mountain is of such a scale and is so severe that only a large scale intervention could have any impact in it.'
He recommended the overall capital funds required to implement these proposals is likely to be in excess of €1.5 million and this would need to be spread over several years and include all the elements, not simply the path works but also the monitoring, identifying priorities, establishing a management group, establishing a stakeholder group, running forums and workshops, and creating an information portal for users.
Councillor Christy Hyland, cathaoirleach, West Mayo Municipal District, said the holy mountain had to be safeguarded at all costs in the interest of future generations.
'I am in favour of closing the pilgrimage path from Murrisk to allow the necessary works be carried out. Provision can be made to climb the Reek from the Lecanvey side until the necessary works are completed. We have no option but to do what needs to be done. It’s in everybody’s interest,' he added.