Westport Fine Gael Councillor John O’Malley has criticised the number of activity events which are taking place on the Reek claiming it is “destroying the mountain” with the amount of stones falling from the excessive use.
The Fine Gael councillor made his comments at the Westport electoral area meeting on Monday. Cllr O’Malley asked whether some bye-law could be put in place, however he was told by the director of services Joe Beirne that “the Reek is not ours and we have no responsibility for it.”
Senior executive officer Martin Keating said that the different festivals which are held in the town are being looked at by the council and perhaps groups could be advised on how to limit the impact on the mountain.
Cllr Peter Flynn said that festivals are “fantastic” for the town, however he hoped that all aspects of festivals would be discussed by councillors, in particular as to when events will be held.
Mr Flynn was told that Dermot Langan has taken a new active role in tourism and industrial promotion, with part of his remit co-ordinating festivals and looking at the time line of when festivals are held throughout the year.
