"Western frontier" Top 5 Page for this destination County Mayo by Ruai

County Mayo Travel Guide: 213 reviews and 372 photos

Magnificent Mayo

Mayo, in the west of Ireland, is one of the wildest, most beautiful, varied and peaceful parts of the country. In West Mayo, the barony of Erris has the distinction of being one of the few areas in Ireland where the population is static or still in decline. Once Mayo was heavily populated. If you look at the hills and mountains of the area and see the cultivation ridges, you won't believe that people ever bothered to try to use them for farming. As recently as a hundred years ago parts of Mayo come under the the Congested districts board, whose job was to ease the chronic conditions of the rural poor in overpopulated parts of the country.

However, all thats past and now Mayo is one of the last almost undiscovered parts of Ireland. While Westport on the west coast is very popular with tourists and Achill Island has become a favoured location for Dubliners second homes, much of the rest of the county is as peaceful as you could ask for, with beautiful scenery, pretty villages, and many archaeological remains. Oh, and did I mention some of the best beaches in the country :-) River fishermen and golfers will find plenty to attract them and there are plenty of cosy hotels and B&B's to stay in.

Top picks (for me and in no particular order)

Ceide fields and the Cliffs nearby (higher than the better known cliffs of Moher :)

Foxford Woollen Mills

Pontoon

Achill Island and the coast drive from Westport to get there

Belmullet (if you really want to get away from it all!)

Westport (a lively spot ;-)

The ruins of Murrisk Abbey

Croagh Patrick (for the history associated with it and the magnificent views if you get lucky with the weather)

Ballintubber Abbey

The road from Louiseburgh to Leenane (Awesome)

Cong (Have a separate page because I like it so much!)

One of these days I'll get around to putting up tips for all of these but for now . . . heres a few to be going on with!

Last visit to County Mayo: Aug 2006
Intro Updated Aug 25, 2006
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Reviews (13)

Almost deserted beach in the height of Summer - County Mayo

Beaches! Things to Do (8)

Some of the best beaches in Ireland are to be found in Mayo. When the weather is good, you can find long golden sand... more travel advice

Admiral Brown Monument, Foxford - County Mayo

Admiral Brown Monument, Foxford Things to Do (8)

The great man is flanked by cannon donated by the Argentinian navy more travel advice

Augustinian Abbey, Ballina - County Mayo

Augustinian Abbey, Ballina Things to Do (8)

The remains of the Abbey date from the 14th century, but theres not much left except for the door! more travel advice

Belleck Forest Park, Ballina - County Mayo

Belleck Forest Park, Ballina Things to Do (8)

A pleasant place to go for a ramble, within a short walk of the town of Ballina. Belleck Castle and grounds were laid... more travel advice

Transportation (1)
Getting to Foxford on public transport
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Comments (3)

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alexklein5 Sep 6, 2007 at 4:09 PM

Any suggestions about what to do in county mayo in January? I know a lot of things are closed then...
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RickinDutch Oct 23, 2006 at 5:30 PM

Have yet to make it the County Mayo. Those beaches look marvelous - when the weather is balmy.
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BeatChick Sep 17, 2006 at 9:21 AM

Beautiful Augustinian Abbey arch photo!