Holiday in County Mayo - Galway, West coast of Ireland

County Mayo

Mayo provides an unspoilt environment with both spiritual and temporal attractions for all ages. The town of Castlebar is the capital of Mayo, and is situated in its centre. This is a busy market town, which is one of the fastest growing in the country, with small businesses springing up on a daily basis, and a host of welcoming places to stay, eat and drink.

Probably the most agreeable town in Mayo is on Clew Bay, and is called Westport. This is a 'planned town' designed by James Wyatt on the instructions of the local landowners, the Brownes, and has an elegant air, especially along the tree-shaded Mall that runs alongside the River Carrowbeg, through the centre of town. Clew Bay is a sight in itself, having, reputedly 365 islands, and in the time when the Beatles had more money than sense, John Lennon bought one, Dorinish, and for a time it became a hangout for some particularly hardy hippies. There are some lovely sandy beaches on the south shore of the bay and at Mallaranny, on the north shore. There are plenty of opportunities to take to the water, either for sailing or for fishing, and boats are easy to hire. There are some lovely historic houses to rent in Westport, as well as pretty cottages by the sea where you can walk straight onto the sandy beaches from the doorstep. Some of the old wharfs on Westport's fashionable quayside have been converted into luxury holiday apartments overlooking the harbour if you want a contrast of holiday accommodation. Westport has some excellent restaurants, shops and pubs and is a popular place for a holiday in Ireland. The other towns around Clew Bay also have some excellent self-catering holiday cottages - Mulrany, Newport, Louisburgh are very popular destinations in Mayo and the views over the bay are magnificent.

Also on the north shore is Rockfleet Castle, the late medieval tower house of Grace O'Malley, the pirate queen. She acquired the castle from her second husband, 'Iron Dick' Burke, whom she had married on the understanding that after one year either could divorce the other. She duly did this and kicked him out of Rockfleet, and the rest of his property on the west coast. She then set up her own army and had a fleet of privateers, with which she harried the coastal trade from her island, and extracted pilotage fees and cargo levies from all the passing shipping until she had a virtual monopoly on the sea trade of the west coast of Ireland. So fearless was she that when she was shut out of Howth Castle because his Lordship was having dinner, she kidnapped his son, only restoring him to his family when she was assured that the doors would always be kept open at mealtimes, a custom maintained to this day.

Out on the western edge of Westport is Westport House, the home of the Browne family for nearly 400 years. The first Mr Browne came to Ireland in 1580, and through a succession of profitable marriages built up a substantial portfolio of properties, including ironworks at Foxford and Heagh, and the estate that today is the site of the house and town of Westport. Originally an O'Malley castle, which had been knocked down in 1588, the new building was constructed around the core of the old fortified house. Work was started in 1732 under the direction of Richard Cassels, a German architect, who designed the east fa硤e, the house bridge, the sables, and the protestant church. By 1771 it was decided that the original town of Westport was a bit too close to the house and so Mr. Brown, now the Earl of Altamount, moved it to its present location, and at the same time introduced the production of linen, the basis for the town's prosperity over the following years. The house and the town continued to be extended, and work finally stopped in 1818. The house has a fine collection of Georgian furniture, made from mahogany from the family estates in Jamaica, silver, and glassware, and you can explore the dungeons that reportedly have ghosts from the house's previous incarnation.

To the south of Westport is the cone-shaped peak of Croagh Patrick, the destination for tens of thousands of pilgrims every year. The legend goes that St Patrick arrived in this part of the country just before lent in 441 AD and to convert the local pagans, who were in awe of the mountain, climbed to the summit and stayed there, fasting, for 40 days and 40 nights, and in his discussions with God cleared Ireland of all its poisonous beasts by repeatedly ringing his black bell. Well, the locals were suitably impressed and immediately converted to Christianity. Since then, especially on the last Sunday in July, pilgrims have been coming to follow in his footsteps, some of them completing the journey barefoot. In 1988 gold was discovered on the mountain, and when a mining licence was applied for there was such a hue and cry from all around the world that the scheme was hurriedly dropped. If you want to have a go at the walk, then you must register at Ballintober Abbey, and the journey will take you about two days.

The northwest of Mayo is one of the least visited parts of the country, and is about as rugged, lonely, and beautiful as you can imagine. It is an area of mountains and bogs, islands, cliffs, bays, beaches, and more mountains and bogs. Achil Island is the largest of Ireland's off-islands, and has two mountains over 2,000ft, the towering Cliffs of Minaun, sandy beaches on Keel Bay, one of Grace O'Malley's castles at Kildaunet, and on the slopes of Sleivemore, a complete village depopulated during the famine. You can walk the streets and look in the roofless houses, wondering at the simplicity of life in this harsh habitat. In the very north, near Ballycastle, is the astonishing archeological site of Ceide Fields, the world's oldest known example of field system farming. The visitor centre explains how the bogs covered the Stone Age farmers' fields, walls, houses, and tombs, and preserved them for 5,000 years.

The other pilgrimage site in the county is the Marian Shrine at Knock. On the 21st of August 1879 fifteen people witnessed the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Joseph, and St John the Evangelist in the parish church at Knock. A shrine was subsequently set up, and in 1979 it received Vatican approval when Pope John Paul II visited, and now up to half a million pilgrims converge on the site each year.

The largest town in County Mayo sits at the mouth of the River Moy, and is a world-renowned mecca for salmon fishermen. This is Ballina, and its reputation is well earned as several thousand salmon are caught on the river each year, and the most successful place to land one of these beautiful fish is the Ridge Pool, bang in the middle of town. If your interests do not include fish, then there are the ruins of Moynes Abbey and Rosserk Friary, and if you are staying in a holiday cottage in Ballina in July hosts a music festival. It is not just music on offer, but has theatre, dance, art, and impromptu street performers, all free, and the partying continues well after dark, and you can experience Mayo hospitality at its best.

Irish tourist information

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