In 1989 a teenager had a serious fall on the north face of Croagh Patrick and ended up on a cliff ledge, where he spent the night, in very dangerous and cold conditions which could have cost him his life.  The Dublin/Wicklow MRT had to be flown across the country at first light to rescue the stranded teenager.

This was necessitated by the fact that there was no Mayo MRT.

At the 1990 AGM of Irish Mountain Rescue Association a Mayo group received approval to use the name ‘Mayo Mountain Rescue Team’.  Mayo was also to be  part of the Western Mountain Rescue Association.

1997 saw the dissolution of the Western Mountain Rescue Association and the birth of the stand alone Mayo MRT. 

The following years saw the team go from strength to strength.  Membership increased to the mid thirties and callouts to the mid twenties.  

In 2018, Mayo MRT has a membership of 32.  On average, they respond to  approximately 50 incidents a year, about 75% of them relating to Croagh Patrick.  The team also give support to local voluntary and statutory service providers, such as Westport Social Services with their Meals on Wheels, when requested during inclement weather conditions.

After many years of lobbying the local authorities by the team and with the assistance of Minister Michael Ring TD, in Nov 2015 the team reached a huge milestone with the procurement of a permanent headquarters in Westport from which to operate. It was officially opened by Minister Ring in January 2016.

With recommended increased governance standards, and after much background work by many team members, Mayo MRT was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on 12th April 2018.  This milestone will ensure Mayo MRT adheres to the highest standards of governance and so enables them continue to be a great team to belong to and continue to serve the people of Mayo in the uplands and mountainous areas.

Note: A more comprehensive history can be obtained from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..