Carrauntoohil cross restored in dawn mission

The cross on the summit of Ireland’s highest mountain has been re-erected a week after it was cut down. Gardaí are still investigating the criminal damage to the 38-year-old structure on Carrauntoohil, Co Kerry.

A group of around 30, made up of mountaineers, landowners and others made their way to the summit before dawn on Saturday, carrying welding gear, hoists, and other material to reinstate the five-meter steel cross on the privately-owned commonage.

It follows a decision by the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks Forum to erect the cross which was made by Liebherr Ireland in 1976 for the local community, before Christmas. It had replaced an earlier wooden structure erected in the 1950s.