Mayo is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, located in the province of Connaught. It was named after the village of Mayo known as Mayo Abbey. As per the census of 2006, population of this county was 123,839. Castle bar andBallina are the two main towns of the county which are located on the north-eastern side. Mayo has a rich ancient history behind in the form of archaeological remains in forms of ritual stone circles and megalithic tombs from the Neolithic period, which was up to 4,000 BC. From all these remains we can build a fair picture about the lives of people in Mayo during that period about some 6000 years ago.
Gaeltacht consists of 9 percent of the total population of County Mayo. It is the third largest Irish speaking region with more 12,000 inhabitants. Tourmakeady being the largest town in this area, Irish is used as the main language for instruction.
In Terms Of population Mayo is the 15th largest among the 32 countries of Ireland. There is a vast geological difference between the northern and southern part of the County, north largely consisting of poor sub soils and covered largely with extensive Atlantic bog and south is generally a limestone landscape and has 70% of Greenfields of Ireland in common. Therefore, the agricultural land in south is much more productive than in north.
Mayo is also famous for its natural beauty that is why it attracts a lot of tourist through out the year. If sightseeing or fishing is your hobby, Mayo is the place that can offer you a lot in form of fantastic rugged and long coastlines and some amazing sea cliffs in the northern part of the county. Apart from tourist attractions, caravan parks and visitors centers the weather is also fine, with proper planning you can have a memorable stay that that will remain with you forever.
At the Foxford Woolen Mills, the craft people still produce rugs, blankets and tweeds in the traditional way. The audio and video presentation of life and ways of people in 1850 held in the National Museum of Country Life is enough to make people go back in time, each and everything is covered from their clothing’s to the materials used in it and how they survived. There are many other museums still trying to preserve the ancient heritage of the county with different aspects. On St Patricks day the Achill Pipe Band keep the tradition of walking from one side of the island to the other, starting from early morning.
There are number of festivals held throughout the year. One of them is Ballina which is known for its Salmon festival that attracts a lot of street entertainment. June bank holiday in Castlebar brings its Blues festivals and there is also an annual arts festival for a week in October.
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Towns
| Westport Westport, situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, is a town in County Mayo. It has been awarded…read on |
| Castlebar Castlebar is a beautiful county town situated at the centre of the famous County Mayo in Ireland. In terms of populati…read on |
| Ballina Ballina is a beautiful town situated in the north County Mayo in Ireland and spread over a large area. It lies on the …read on |
Museums
| Knock Museum Situated in Knock Shrine Grounds of County Mayo, Knock Museum captures the distinctive tale of the Knock Apparition that…read on |
Golf
| Carne Golf Links Located in County Mayo, Carne Golf Links is undoubtedly the most popular and delightful places for playing golf in Irel…read on |
Equestrian-schoolsCastles
| Deel Castle Deel Castle also meaning the Castle of the River Deel was built by the Bourkes in 16th century. This marvelous castle …read on |
Beaches
| Elly Bay Beach Elly Bay, situated at a distance of 9 kilometers from Belmullet town along the coastline of County Mayo, is one of the f…read on |
| Bertra Beach Bertra beach is one of the several near the County Mayo coastline in Ireland which have been conferred a blue flag statu…read on |
Art-galleries
| The Waterfront Gallery Situated in the bustling town of Westport in County Mayo is a fine art gallery known as the Waterfront Gallery. The gall…read on |
| Custom House Studios Custom House Studios is located in Quay and was established with the aim to offer studio as well as exhibition space to …read on |
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