Council confirms delayed reopening of Croagh Patrick car park

Mayo County Council, in consultation with Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group and Mayo Mountain Rescue, has made the decision to delay the reopening of the Croagh Patrick car park at Murrisk.

Although Ireland has entered phase one of the roadmap for reopening, the council has decided that opening the car park at such an iconic tourist attraction could encourage large numbers of people to travel outside of the 5km travel restriction, and potentially create a situation where social distancing would be difficult to adhere to.

Speaking of the decision, Mayo County Council Director of Services, Catherine McConnell, said: “After consultation with stakeholders from the local community and Mayo Mountain Rescue service we have decided not to reopen the facility at this time. 

"This decision was made with the health and safety of people in mind, and we do not want to place any additional pressures on first responders by them having to respond to potential incidents arising from increased usage of the mountain. 

"We will reopen the car park in due course with best advice from stakeholders in the decision-making process."