A survey is to be conducted of the Croagh Patrick pathway following repeated concerns about the deterioration of the path to the summit of the Reek.
Fáilte Ireland West has announced that it has engaged the services of the British Mountaineering Council to conduct the study and that report will form the basis of a coordinated approach to the use of Croagh Patrick for sporting and fundraising events.
Thousands of tourists and pilgrims scale the holy mountain each year, culminating in the huge influx on Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July.
In recent years there has been an increase in the number of sporting and charity challenges, involving individuals and groups of people undertaking repeated climbs to the summit, in many cases to create records.
The pathway to the top of Croagh Patrick has been subject to erosion and this process has been accelerated by the increasing numbers of people undertaking the ascent for assorted motives.
Fáilte Ireland West client services manager, Brian Quinn said his organisation had agreed to fund the assessment after being approached by the Murrisk Development Association.
The Association’s chairman, Mr John Groden, said there is no question of people’s freedom to climb and enjoy the Reek, for whatever reason, being taken away.
He said the main objective of his group is to ensure that a number of different events will not take place on the same day and members of the public could log into a website to find out the suitability of climbing on a particular date.
“Because of the absence of a coordinated approach, a situation can arise whereby professional athletes and ordinary pilgrims are using the mountain at the same time and that’s not a suitable situation for either group,” he said.
“With a little bit of effort, these sort of clashes can be avoided and there is a strong feeling a proper plan must be put in place,” Mr Groden claimed.
Mr Groden added he did not think it would be feasible to construct a concrete pathway on the Reek to halt the level of deterioration of the path.
It is understood that a similar study was carried out last year at Carrauntoohill, Co. Kerry, and a subsequent action plan has been regarded as proving very successful.