The Donegal Mountain Rescue Team is bracing itself for one of its busiest summers on records.
The team responded to four call-outs over the weekend.
And with the good weather beginning to kick-in, the volunteers from the service are on stand-by for one of their busiest periods.
Last year the team responded to 74 call-outs – the greatest number since the DMR was set-up in 1982.
Over the weekend the team had to assist a climber who became stuck on Muckish as well as the rescue of a person in the Slieve League area.
And with the recession, it now appears that people are hill-walking across Donegal and other counties more than ever before.
Seamus Bradley, chairman of Mountain Rescue Ireland, said “Our hills are busier than they’ve ever been, and that’s particularly apparent mid-week.
“A lot of le who are out of work r are working flexible hours have discovered hill-walking is a low cost activity. A few years ago there would barely be anyone on the hills midweek, but that has all changed since we went into recession.”
And despite the increase in numbers using Donegal’s hills and mountains, the DMR still receives no funding apart from a €7,000 donation from the coastguard.
Last year it cost the team more than €42,000 to keep the unit going with equipment, training, insurance and vehicles and the majority of that was raised through donations.
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