THE path taken by thousands of pilgrims who climb Croagh Patrick each year will be preserved for the future thanks to a funding injection.
A sum of €90k has been allocated to a project designed to manage and maintain the path on the Co. Mayo mountain for the year ahead.
Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary confirmed this week that his department would give €42k to the initiative, under the Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors recreation strategy.
Mayo County Council will give a further €13k to the project, while the Croagh Patrick Stakeholder Forum will contribute €35k.
The path at Croagh Patrick was the focus of an extensive restoration project in 2024The path was the focus of an extensive restoration project in 2024 to address substantial erosion and scarring of the mountain and the significant damage to the path caused by the more than 50,000 visitors that use it every year.
That project used a training-based model, with four trainees working under the supervision of an expert in path repair from Scotland.
The repair works were completed in April 2024.
Funding allocated this week will cover the cost of maintaining the path for 2026.
“Croagh Patrick continues to draw thousands of pilgrims and tourists to it each year,” Minister Calleary said.
“The work undertaken on the path, completed in 2024, has addressed the impact of recreational use on the habitat of the mountain while also having an added benefit for those who walk the path.
“The restored path on Croagh Patrick took years of pain-staking work to complete, most of it done by hand, but that was just the first step,” he added.
“We now want to make sure that the benefit of that work is not lost. This maintenance work will continue to ensure that the path is managed in a sustainable way.”
Chair of the Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group, Martin Keating said they are “delighted” that the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and Mayo County Council, have agreed to support the maintenance work.
“This collaboration, together with the resources donated locally through the Friends of Croagh Patrick Initiative will ensure that the path remains robust and fit for purpose, the mountain continues to recover from erosion and a better and safer visitor experience will be availed of,” he said.
“I wish to thank Minister Calleary and the officials in the Department for their valued continued support for Croagh Patrick.”
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