Mayo (dark green)

County Mayo (Irish: Contae Mhaigh Eo, "Plain of the yew trees"), on the west coast of Ireland and the third largest county in Ireland, is often overlooked by tourists. While it may not have the dramatic scenery of Kerry, or the fame of Connemara or The Burren, it has it own special charm. It has wilderness in abundance; it's emptiness is indeed quite special. Perhaps one of the best reasons to come here is that few other people do.

Towns

• 1 Ballina (Béal an Átha, "mouth of the ford") – a small cultural town in the north.
• 2 Ballyhaunis (Béal Átha hAmhnais, "ford-mouth of strife") – a town in the south with many traditional areas and a rural community.
• 3 Castlebar (Caisleán an Bharraigh, "Barry's Castle") – county town, the largest town and market centre of the county.
• 4 Claremorris (Clár Chlainne Mhuiris) – gateway town between Mayo and Galway.
• 5 Charlestown (Baile Chathail).
• 6 Cong (Conga) is an attractive little village with a ruined abbey and plush hotel, but it's best known as the location for the 1952 film The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.
• 7 Foxford (Béal Easa, "mouth of the waterfall") – a famous fishing village on the River Moy and home of the "Foxford Goat Fair".
• 8 Killala (Cill Ala) – a little historic village in the north where the French landed in 1798 led by General Humbert – celebrates the French-Irish rebellion of 1798 each year.
• 9 Knock (Cnoc Mhuire, "Hill of (the Virgin) Mary") – the world famous Catholic Shrine of Our Lady and Ireland West Airport.
• 10 Mulranny (an Mhala Raithní, "the hill-brow of the ferns").
• 11 Newport (Baile Uí Fhiacháin).
• 12 Westport (Cathair na Mart, "stone fort of the beeves") – generations of Irish men and women have travelled to Westport to climb the local mountain "Croagh Patrick" or visit the local zoo in Westport. A small tourist town with many old homes and buildings dating back hundreds of years.

Other destinations

• 1 Achill Island (Acaill or Oileán Acla)
• 2 Clare Island at the entrance to Clew Bay was the abode of pirate queen Gráinne O'Malley. It's inhabited, and reached by ferry from Louisburg.
• 3 Mullet (or Erris) Peninsula is some 33 km long off the northwest coast, with two arms. At its south tip is Blacksod Lighthouse; its northern arm creates Broadhaven Bay. Eagle Island near its north tip has another much-battered lighthouse - and its twin has long succumbed to the Atlantic storms.
• 13 Leenane (An Líonán) is a village on the south shore of Killary fjord, so it's just across the boundary into County Galway. But it's the natural base for several attractions in southwest Mayo, such as Doo Lough, so those are described there.

Get in

By car

• The N5 is the main road to Dublin, it leaves the Castlebar eastbound to Swinford and joins the N4 to Dublin at Longford. The N5 also runs westbound to Westport.
• The N60 runs south-east from Castlebar to the Roscommon border
• The N84 runs south from Castlebar to Galway.

By bus

• Scheduled services by Bus Eireann run regularly between Castlebar, Westport and Ireland West Airport Knock with intercity services also available to Galway and Dublin.

By train

• Regular trains operate between Westport and Dublin calling at Castlebar, Claremorris and Ballyhaunis. A shuttle train or bus service is also available to the north of the county which connects to the intercity train at Manulla, near Castlebar.

By plane

• Ireland West Airport Knock (Knock Airport, NOC ^IATA) is located in the east of the county about 30 minutes drive from Castlebar. Regular scheduled services are provided by Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Lufthansa and Bmibaby to London Gatwick, London Stansted, London Luton, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Dusseldorf, Barcelona, Alicante, Faro, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Grand Canaria and Paris. Regular connecting buses run from the airport to Castlebar and Westport.

Get around

Other than public transport, car hire is readily available in Castlebar and at Knock Airport. Most sites of interest are located in the west of the county between Achill, Westport, Louisburgh and Castlebar.

See

Ballintubber Abbey

• Westport House is a fine Georgian mansion overlooking Clew Bay.
• Ballycroy National Park is a wilderness of blanket bog and mountain heathland. Access is from N59 between Bangor Erris and Mallaranny.
• Ballintubber Abbey is 10 km south of Castlebar, while Burrishoole Abbey is 10 km west - just beyond is Rockfleet Castle.
• Moore Hall another 5 km south of Ballintubber is derelict but the parkland round the ruin is scenic.
• Céide Fields, on the coast 25 km northwest of Ballina, are a field system dating to 3500 BC later carpetted by bog, with megalithic tombs.
• Clew Bay west of Castlebar is very scenic. It's dotted by island drumlins deposited by glaciers.
• Knock Shrine is in Knock village.
• Mullet Peninsula: see "Other destinations" above.
• Faulagh near the start of the isthmus to the Mullet has a bog with several megalithic tombs. Sruth Fada Conn is an attractive bay just north.
• The Museum of Country Life is in Gortnafolla, 5 km east of Castlebar.
• Tourmakeady, 20 km south of Castlebar, has an attractive waterfall and looks onto Lough Mask. It's backed by the Partry Mountains, which can also be accessed from N59 on their west side.

Do

• Go to the races at Ballinrobe Racecourse, 15 km south of Castlebar.
• Climb Croagh Patrick, a mountain pilgrimage site 10 km west of Westport, and Nephin (806 m) north of Castlebar towards Crossmolina.
• Events: see Castlebar and Westport listings.

Eat & Drink

County Mayo has some wonderful restaurants. The fresh water lakes of Lough Mask and Lough Conn provide the best in fresh fish, including brown trout, eels, pike and perch. The River Moy to the north near Ballina is renown for its salmon stock. The mountain ranges of Mayo provide some excellent lamb. Given the remoteness of some parts of the county, game is in abundance, including pheasant, snipe, partridge and wild duck. All of which make for the very best in ingredients for the many local and ethnic restaurants dotted all around the county.

Castlebar has the best selection of cheap and cheerful places.