A handful of years past, on a Monday dawn in August, my journey led me to the car parking area at the foot of Croagh Patrick located in Murrisk, Co Mayo. It was somewhat past six in the morning and with my coffee, I was gazing at Patrick’s pyramid-shaped top, vaguely noticeable through a twisting mist of grey clouds. Closer to the bottom, there was no visibility issue; the clean white figure of St Patrick was in sharp contrast to the greenish-yellow tints of the 475-million-year-old serpentinite rocks visible at the commencement of the pilgrim path.
Prior to this, some months back, I had embarked on the mountain climb with my little ones. But, due to the crowdedness of the primary track – it was so crammed it felt akin to queueing to reach the peak – we on an impulse decided to use the fern-infested rear side of the mountain instead. The outcome of this was a thrilling ascent of 765m, offering breathtaking vistas of Clew Bay and Clare Island, all without any human in sight.
Regrettably, the mountain for a long duration has been facing neglect as one of Mayo’s most precious natural commodities. It serves as a location of profound beauty and faith, with a dense vein of high-grade gold nestled within its quartzite-formed ridges. In the late 1980s, the local inhabitants rallied together to stave off the aggression of two Ireland-based mineral extraction firms that had set their sights on the mountain for exploration. British environmental crusader and television personality David Bellamy lent his support during a trip to Mayo, exhorting the Irish folks to appreciate what an ‘exceptionally precious treasure it was and how integral tourism was to their future’.
What Bellamy had hoped for almost morphed into a disaster. Rather swiftly, Croagh Patrick emerged as a hotbed for tourism, yet within a couple of decades, it was beginning to deteriorate. Its crumbling was escalated by the constant footfall, particularly due to sponsored events and charity-driven challenges, which lured in thousands to practice ascending and descending the primary track. In 1990, the Irish Government had repelled gold mining, deciding that the possible repercussions were unbearable. However, the unchecked tourism in subsequent years was gradually ravaging the mountain.
The mountains in Ireland are in dire need of quick intervention to halt further damage. The task of eliminating rhododendrons may not be aesthetically pleasing, yet it is a requisite to rejuvenate nature. The Dodder has the potential of becoming one of the prime city rivers in Europe, demonstrating what can be accomplished with a thorough cleanup.
The Burren Programme serves as an exemplar in resource conservation strategies for EU nations. A pivotal moment in its history was the consensus among local stakeholders in 2015 to pool efforts towards countering further environmental and ecological harm. The initiative saw the Department of Rural and Community Development in collaboration with Mayo County Council dedicating €600,000 of public funds to foster a five-member unit for three years with the mandate to repair and rejuvenate the path. This was to be achieved through the utilisation of traditional manual methodologies and stones derived from the mountain.
The team I encountered one August day was headed by Matt McConway, a Scot. As we ascended the initial path segment, the magnitude of the issue became readily apparent. The pathway was originally spanning a width of 2m to 3m. It had been worn down so harshly that its width had dilated to a hefty 50m in certain areas, creating a sizable sinuous scar. The issue was so serious that water was proceeding along the gullies, thereby accelerating rock erosion. The dislodging of scree from the mountain’s sharp summit into streams was causing difficulties with the domestic water supply.
Mountains all over Ireland are bearing the brunt of an increasing number of visitors, a situation exacerbated since the pandemic and the climatic aftermath of severe weather episodes. Peaks like Wicklow’s Sugarloaf are in dire need of support following the damage from sudden storms and now require repair. This calls for the expertise of craftsmen like McConway on a large scale. There could perhaps be a strong argument for instituting a mountain and ecological conservation training facility where novitiates can acquire the skills and qualification to undertake similar upland projects.
The Croagh Patrick trail team begins every workday with a strenuous ascent. Their task is not an easy one. My experience alongside them on the mountaintop opened my eyes to their diligent effort to prevent further erosion of the trail. Their methods involved installing anchor bars to prevent the path’s material from sliding downhill and strategically positioning large stones to interlock using gravity and friction. To discourage hikers from straying off the fixed trail, they strategically placed sizable stones. In the process, they narrowed the path and gave some space back to the mountain.
Remarkably, their masterpiece lies at the cone’s summit, where they have crafted a spectacular handmade trail that leads trekkers to the top of the mountain.
Upcoming on the last Sunday in July, a day of annual pilgrimage, an approximate count of 30,000 individuals are slated to scale Croagh Patrick. To those who plan to be among that number, consider offering a toast at the apex in honour of the tireless group of five who played a considerable role in repairing this mountain and shaping a much more sustainable future for it.
The Croagh Patrick Path Project is actively seeking volunteers to participate in the protection of the mountain. For more details, kindly visit croaghpatrick.net.