Co. Mayo Area Guide

County Mayo is situated in the west of Ireland in the province of Connaught and is a county with a varied landscape, scenic panoramas and natural amenities. The county stretches from Lough Corrib and the long narrow fjord of Killary Harbour in the south to the barony of Erris and Killala Bay in the north. The county is home to Ireland's highest cliffs at Croaghaun, Achill Island and is also home one of Europe's best known places of Pilgrimage, Croagh Patrick.

County Mayo has the longest coastline in Ireland and the beaches give unrivalled opportunities for peace and tranquility. In total, County Mayo has 13 Blue Flag beaches which include, Achill Island, Broadhaven Bay, Mullaghmore in the north west of the county and gems such as Old Head, Carrowmore, Carrowniskey and Mulranny to the south. Clew Bay is a famous spot which comprises of 365 islands, Clare Island being the largest.

Ballina which lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay is the county town of Mayo. Ballina is a busy thriving town and is internationally known and recognised as an angler’s paradise. One of the town’s most striking architectural features is St. Muredachs Cathedral. Along with Ballina, there are many large and well established towns in County Mayo such as; Castlebar, Ballinrobe, Newport, Ballyhaunis, Swinford and the heritage town of Westport. There are also many Gaeltacht regions in County Mayo these include the areas of Erris, Achill and Tourmakeady.

There are many national roads routes that the run through County Mayo. The main routes are the N17 which runs through County Mayo connecting Galway City and Sligo Town and the N5 which runs from Westport and eventually links with the N4 to Dublin. County Mayo has a number of railway stations that link both Westport and Ballina to Dublin and Belfast. County Mayo also has an airport located at Knock and serves may scheduled and charter destinations across Ireland, the UK and Europe.