Mayo Mountain Rescue Team
Mayo Mountain Rescue Team (MMRT) is a 100% Voluntary Organisation. The Team provide the Search and Rescue Emergency Service and pre hospital first aid for people in distress on the mountains of Mayo and are tasked by An Garda Síochána.
MMRT is comprised of hillwalkers and mountaineers living all over Mayo who have a common interest in the enjoyment of the outdoors. The Team responds to emergency callouts on all the mountains in Mayo including Mweelrea, the Sheffrys, the Nephin Beg Mountain range and Achill Island. Callouts are predominantly on Croagh Patrick with up to 80% of all annual callouts being focused on the pilgrimage mountain.
The team is made up of builders, farmers, medical professionals, electricians, teachers, engineers, outdoor instructors, self-employed and civil servants, in fact men and women from all walks of life. The volunteers range in age from 25 to 70 years of age and come from all over Mayo. Some members drive up to 50 miles for the pleasure of setting off on a rescue in the rain. All volunteers have a love of the mountains in common. Most don’t talk about the fact that they joined the team to help others, but on every callout the satisfaction of the team is palpable, evident in the good humour and willingness to help and in the compassion shown to our casualties so that we can evacuate them as quickly as possible to a warmer, safer environment.
Currently the team has approximately 35 members and obviously due to work or family commitments, it is just not possible to attend every callout, but in general about 12-15 members respond per callout. Physically and technically demanding, callouts generally take several hours, occasionally overnight or for several days in the rare case, there is a huge personal time commitment being involved with the Team.
where your money goes
Mayo Mountain Rescue are always grateful to receive donations, however small.
As the team is 100% voluntary, all donations to MMRT go directly into the team funds to assist the team in training, equipment and the general day to day running of the service.
history
In 1989 a teenager took 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 hiker.
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 decades saw the team go from strength to strength. In 2020, Mayo MRT has a membership of 30+. 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.
Unit 28B,
+353 (0) 93 52467
