About Mayo ...

County Mayo boasts a stunningly beautiful unspoilt environment with a magical attraction for visitors. Cosmopolitan towns such as Westport positively burst with charm and personality, as welcoming as the Mayo people themselves. Unique attractions include Croagh Patrick, Ireland's holy mountain with the starkly beautiful National Famine Memorial at its foot and Knock Shrine, scene of a miraculous apparition in 1879. Mayo's long coastline with superb safe beaches - 13 of which are of EU Blue Flag standard - contrasts with all the drama of the highest sea cliffs in Europe at Ballycastle. Romantic islands include Clare Island, historical home to Grace O'Malley, the 16th century pirate queen, Inishturk and Achill Island, Ireland's largest island, joined to the mainland by a bridge. Croagh Patrick that iconic mountain, its stony pathway trodden by thousands upon thousands of pilgrims over the ages.

Inland a more serene beauty reigns with lakeland scenery and rolling mountains. Mayo has hundreds of beautiful lakes ranging from the world famous Great Western Lakes of Conn, Cullen and Corrib right down to tiny local lakes.

History comes alive at the world famous Céide Fields near Ballycastle in North Mayo, at The Foxford Woollen Mills, Hennigans Heritage Farm and the new National Museum of Ireland's Museum of Country Life. Sporting opportunities abound especially fishing of all sorts including the River Moy in Ballina where the salmon is king. There are water sports, hiking and walking, golf links and courses, horse riding and cycling... the list is endless – sandy beaches, clear waters and beautiful islands. Superb restaurants, pubs of character and of course the irresistable tumbling melodies of traditional Irish music spilling onto the streets.

Mayo is packed full of jostling pubs with traditional music, charming towns and villages, long deserted sandy beaches and magnificent cliffs. And of course, smiling faces with the gift of the gab. It's not a relic of the 1950's though; Mayo is as modern as you want it to be with the best of accommodation, eating choices and activities.

The three main towns of Mayo are Castlebar (the county town), Ballina and Westport each of which has an excellent accommodation base and plenty of entertainment options. Smaller towns and little villages are scattered throughout the county and almost all have small hotels or the traditional Bed & Breakfasts where visitors are welcomed into family homes.

Mayo has a wonderfully rich history, much of which is still visible in the landscape. There are hundreds of archaeological sites dotted all over the county, many open to the public free of charge. Discover 5,000 years of habitation at Céide Fields in North Mayo or choose some of the many local visitor centres...

5,000 years ago, Mayo basked in glorious sunshine as early settlers established themselves. Today, remains of those first colonists, the original tourists, are still visible. The area is rich in archaeological treasures and ancient monuments – standing stones, fulachta fiadh (Bronze Age cooking sites), ring forts and more. A rugged terrain and relative isolation leave many in better condition than in intensively farmed areas.

There are two internationally significant sites of pilgrimage within County Mayo. One is the Marian Shrine at Knock in the east of the county which is a Mecca for pilgrims from all over the world and was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1979. The other is Croagh Patrick, the holy mountain named for Irelands Patron Saint, located further south, just outside Westport. The Reek as it is known locally has been a pilgrimage destination for many thousands of years since before the dawn of Christianity. It is climbed regularly by pilgrims (some barefoot), especially on Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July when thousands of pilgrims attempt the steep ascent.

Ruined Abbeys, Friaries and Churches are dotted all over the county, indicating the significance of the area in early Christian days. North Mayo and Croagh Patrick in particular have strong associations with St. Patrick.