Visitors can now ‘climb’ Croagh Patrick without leaving the ground

New visitor centre will create nine full time roles and has transformed a previously derelict, council-owned building into what is described as Ireland’s first all-season, all-weather, all-ability visitor attraction.

By Jack Good Published 3rd Aug 2026, 20:30 BST Pictured at the launch, from left: Abhinav Tuknait, Director of Creative Strategy and Partnerships with Sunovatech; Eleanor Ryder, Project Management with Mayo North East LEADER Partnership Company; Sue Monaghan, Project Management with Mayo North East LEADER Partnership Company; Minister Dara Calleary, Orlagh Denneny, Senior Project Manager with Mayo North East LEADER Partnership Company; Marian Robinson, Project Management with Mayo North East LEADER Partnership Company and Rishi Ahuja, Founder and Managing Director of Sunovatech. | Mayo News New visitor centre will create nine full time roles and has transformed a previously derelict, council-owned building into what is described as Ireland’s first all-season, all-weather, all-ability visitor attraction. Sign up to our Mayo Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Mayo Live within your account.

A new visitor attraction is now officially open at the Croagh Patrick Visitor Centre in Murrisk offering people of all ages and abilities the chance to reach the summit of the famous mountain without setting foot on it.

The Croagh Patrick Immersive Experience uses cutting-edge virtual reality technology to recreate a hyper-realistic digital twin of the mountain, allowing visitors to make the emotional journey to the top and take in the sweeping views over Clew Bay.

Rather than relying on handsets or gaming controllers, the experience tracks a visitor’s own body movements to guide the story, making it especially accessible for older visitors and those less familiar with technology.

‘I don't mind if people do or don't like’ painting of Croagh Patrick At the heart of the 13-minute experience is Saint Patrick himself, portrayed as a host and companion who leads visitors along the climb he is said to have made some 1,500 years ago, linking that ancient pilgrimage to each visitor’s own personal journey. There is also a hyperrealistic version which shows the mountain as it is today.

The attraction was officially launched on Friday afternoon by the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD. It has been developed by Mayo North East LEADER Partnership through its social enterprise, HeriTech Ventures CLG, working in partnership with immersive technology specialists Sunovatech.

The project represents a six-figure investment and has transformed a previously derelict, council-owned building into what is described as Ireland’s first all-season, all-weather, all-ability visitor attraction.

Award-winning writer and director Seamus O’Rourke contributed to the storytelling and creative interpretation behind the experience.

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So far the youngest visitor to try it has been just four years old, and the eldest 92, with organisers expecting up to 50,000 visitors annually. The project has also created nine full-time jobs, with further indirect benefits expected for local suppliers, tradespeople and tourism businesses in the area.

Speaking at the opening, Minister Calleary praised the inclusivity of the project, saying it gives people who could never complete the climb a chance to “share in that sense of wonder.” He also spoke of the wider ambition to make Mayo’s tourism offering weatherproof and year-round, suggesting the technology could in future be used to tell other local stories, including those of the Spanish Armada.

The Baton has been passed: Dermot Flanagan on Mayo's long-awaited Glory Orlagh Denneny, Senior Project Manager at Mayo North East LEADER, said the project began as a derelict building and has become somewhere that people who never thought they’d get the chance can now experience the mountain “in all its glory.”

She said she hopes Croagh Patrick can become one of the top attractions visitors think of when they arrive in Ireland, alongside the likes of Connemara and the Cliffs of Moher.

Justin Sammon of Mayo North East LEADER Partnership spoke about the project in the context of Ireland’s rural communities, describing a form of poverty rooted not in unemployment but in a loss of connection between people and their landscape, history and culture — a gap he believes projects like this can help to bridge.

The Immersive Experience is intended to complement rather than replace the physical climb, giving visitors a reason to spend more time in Murrisk, Westport and the wider Mayo region, whatever the weather.