True treasure of Wicklow Mountains is free access

“There’s gold in them there hills.” 

The 1790s was when the last great gold rush took place in the Wicklow Mountains. Today gold nuggets are as scarce as hen’s teeth. But if the recent High Court judgement for €40,000 compensation is anything to go by, it looks like prospectors in the legal profession have unearthed another rich litigation vein. I would appeal to the legal fraternity to resist the temptation to mine this particular seam. No matter how lucrative it might appear to be, I would ask you to recognise the real wealth in the Wicklow Mountains is in unfettered access with people taking responsibility for their safety.

Gerard Fitzgibbon