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County Mayo

Mayo - far Mayo - might have been a byword for remoteness and declining population in times past. But now it is thriving, with the recent six year Census showed a population increase of 5.3% (to 118,000). However, Mayo is so spacious that it still seems totally uncrowded. And they are a people who enjoy the present as much as savouring the past. No more so than at Westport on Clew Bay, near the famed Holy Mountain of Croagh Patrick. Westport is a neatly planned town which responds to loving care, a frequent winner of Gold Medals in the annual Tidy Towns awards in Ireland, and the Entente Florale in France.

Five kilometres east of Mayo’s bustling county town of Castlebar, the Museum of Country Life is at Turlough Park House. The first fully-fledged department of the National Museum to be located anywhere outside Dublin, it celebrates Irish country life as lived between 1850 and 1960 in an intriguing display of artefacts which were in regular everyday use, yet now seem almost exotic.

As often, indeed, does Mayo itself - for Mayo is magnificent. All Ireland's counties have their devotees, but enthusiasts for Mayo have a devotion which is pure passion. In their heart of hearts, they feel that this austerely majestic Atlantic-battered territory is somehow more truly Irish than anywhere else. And who could argue with them after experiencing the glories of scenery, sea and sky which this western rampart of Ireland puts on ever-changing display, particularly over Achill Island.

Yet among Mayo's many splendid mountain ranges we find substantial pockets of fertile land, through which there tumble fish-filled streams and rivers. And in the west of the county, the rolling hills of the drumlin country, which run in a virtually continuous band right across Ireland from Strangford Lough, meet the sea again in the island studded wonder of Clew Bay.

Along Mayo's rugged north coast, turf cutting at Ceide Fields near Ballycastle has revealed the oldest intact field and farm system in existence, preserved through being covered in blanket bog 5,000 years ago. An award-winning interpretive centre has been created at the site, and even the most jaded visitor will find fascination and inspiration in the clear view which it provides into Ireland's distant past. A few miles eastward, the charming village of Ballycastle is home to the internationally-respected Ballinglen Arts Foundation, creative home-from-home for artists worldwide.

Nearby, the lively town of Ballina is where the salmon-rich River Moy meets the sea in the broad sweep of Killala Bay. It takes a leap of the imagination to appreciate that the sheltered Moy Valley is in the same county as the spectacularly rugged cliffs of Achill Island. But leaps of the imagination is what Mayo inspires. 
 


Local Attractions and Information

Ballina Street Festival/Arts Week (July) 096 70905

Ballina Tourism Information 096 70848

Ballycastle Ballinglen Arts Foundation 096 43184/43366

Castlebar Linenhall Arts Centre 094 9023733

Castlebar Tourism Information 094 9021207

Castlebar Turlough House (see entry under Turlough) 094 9031589

Ceide Fields Interpretive Centre 096 43325

Clare Island Ferries 098 27685

Foxford Woollen Mills Visitor Centre 094 9256756

Inishkea Island Tours Belmullet 097 85741

Inishturk Island Ferries 098 45520/45541

Killasser(Swinford)Traditional Farm Heritage Centre 094 9252505

Kiltimagh Glore Mill Follain Arts Centre 094 82184

Knock Interational Airport 094 9367222

Moy Valley Holidays 096 70905

Turlough Turlough Park House. Museum of Country Life. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sundays 2pm to 5pm, closed Mondays 094 9031589

Westport Clew Bay Archaeological Trail 087 2935207

Westport Westport House & Children's Zoo 098 25430/27766

Westport Tourism Information 098 25711

Gardens

Ashford Castle - Cong County Mayo Ireland
Ashford Castle Hotel & Gardens
Cong, Co. Mayo
Ireland’s grandest castle hotel, with a history going back to the early 13th century, Ashford Castle is set in 350 acres of parkland, and anyone who loves beautiful surroundings will be thrilled to stay here - or even simply call in for a m ...

Golf

Westport Golf Club - Westport County Mayo Ireland
Westport Golf Club
Westport, Co. Mayo
Course Type: Parkland
Westport Golf Club, which played host to the 2002 Smurfit Irish P.G.A. Championship, is a magnificent 18 hole parkland course with breath taking views of Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay. A comfortable opening six holes allow the foundation of ...

Self Catering

Selfcatering
Rosturk Woods & Waterfall House
Mulranny, Co. Mayo
Rosturk Woods is located on the unspoiled west coast of Ireland, between the historic, attractive town of Westport (25km) and the renowned landscapes of Achill Island (17 km). We have two self catering houses situated on the clean, sandy tid ...

What's On

There is no featured What's On in this county

Tourist Attractions

National Museum of Ireland Country Life - Turlough Park Castlebar County Mayo Ireland
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life
Castlebar, Co. Mayo
First opened in 2001 The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life is home to the national collection of objects representing the traditional way of life in Ireland since 1850. The objects in the Irish Folklife Collections are the thing ...

Wedding Venues

Lisloughrey Lodge - Cong County Mayo Ireland
The Lodge at Ashford
Cong, Co. Mayo
Set in the grounds of Ashford Castle, The Lodge at Ashford enjoys one of the most beautiful locations in Ireland, with views down Lough Corrib and, adding interest in the foreground, Lisloughrey Quay with small boats in the harbour and its old st ...

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