Leitrim’s ‘stairway to heaven’ gets upgrade in bid to lure tourists

It was dubbed “a stairway to heaven” by the local parish priest but when the 350 steps leading to the top of O’Rourke’s Table in Co Leitrim started to rot, locals seized the opportunity to boost tourism by making the mountain more accessible.

Owned by the local parish, and already beloved by those familiar with its spectacular views of Lough Gill, Knocknarea and Sligo Bay, the peak has, according to Fr Paul Casey, been “one of the country’s best-kept secrets”. Because of the deterioration of the steps, the amenity had in recent years closed, but a new pathway to the top of O’Rourke’s Table has opened.

“We are hoping it will attract a lot of visitors‚” said Fr Casey, parish priest of Drumlease-Killargue in north Leitrim. “If this was in Kerry or Clare or Donegal they would not stop shouting about it,” he said.

“We wanted to celebrate the beauty of the place and share it with everybody.”

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Local farmer and chairman of the Irish Farmers’ Association national sheep committee Kevin Comiskey was among those who spearheaded the campaign to replace the steps and create a zig-zag pathway to the summit of the mountain which was part of the stronghold of local chieftain Tiernan O’Rourke.

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“We started fundraising two years ago and everyone thought I had seven heads when I said we would have a hooley on top when we got the new pathway,” said the farmer.

Because the plateau is in a special area of conservation, it was necessary to do environmental impact studies before devising the new access route. Local fundraising events were held and €159,750 was provided for the project under the Government’s Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.

“It has been a hidden gem but, with the growth of walking tourism, locals were passionate about opening up access,” said Mr Comiskey.

He is delighted that the first hooley has already been held with singer Nathan Carter among those providing the entertainment for those who made it to the top.

Meanwhile, an ancient tradition is being revived on another Co Leitrim mountain. Leitrim choreographer and documentary maker Edwina Guckian explained that for years she heard stories about gatherings on top of Sliabh an Iarainn (the Iron Mountain) where people from the neighbouring parishes gathered for sports, and to play music and dance on the last Sunday in July.

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The last get-together on a level plateau on top of the mountain, known as the Playbank, happened in 1917 but Guckian said that, 106 years on, it was time to revive the tradition. “As many as 2,000 people would assemble,“ she said.

“They made the ascent in the early afternoon and stayed on the mountain for several hours, the old and the young. There were fiddlers and flute players for the dancers, and sporting and courting and plenty of poitín too.”

She said the reason for the climb was to celebrate Lughnasa “and give the last salute to the summer”.

The wet weather has delayed plans to revive the tradition but Guckian has promised that as soon as there is a dry spell permitting safe access, there will be a party on Sliabh an Iarainn.

A programme of music, song, dance and sport is being sponsored by the Arts Council. People doing the 40-minute hike will be invited to bring suitable footwear, a picnic, a basket to collect bilberries as well as instruments and dancing shoes.

“The mountain is covered with bilberries so we hope people will bring baskets to collect them,” said Guckian who said the fruit, found where heather grows, was believed to have many medicinal qualities. She recently found a battered handmade bucket covered in heather on the Playbank and wondered if it was used for poitín “when they were all up there, enjoying themselves 106 years ago”.