- Mayo’s Clew Bay is said to have 365 islands, one for each day of the year, with Clare Island being the largest.
- The county’s Croagh Patrick, a 764-metre mountain, is climbed barefoot by thousands annually in honour of Saint Patrick’s 40-day fast.
- Ballintubber Abbey, founded in 1216, is Ireland’s only church still in use that was established by an Irish king, Cathal O’Connor.
- Mayo’s Achill Island, Ireland’s largest island, is connected to the mainland by a bridge and has cliffs rising over 600 metres.
- The Ceide Fields near Ballycastle, dating back to 3500 BC, is one of the world’s oldest known field systems, preserved under bogland.
- Mayo’s Turlough Round Tower, built in the 9th century, stands beside a rare disappearing lake that drains into underground caves.
- The county’s Foxford Woollen Mills, established in 1892, produces blankets used by the Irish diaspora, including in the White House.
- Castlebar’s Museum of Country Life houses a collection of 19th-century eel spears used in Mayo’s traditional fishing practices.
- Mayo’s Knock Shrine became famous after 15 people reported seeing an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1879.
- The county’s Mullet Peninsula has a rare machair ecosystem, a coastal grassland supporting unique wildflowers and birdlife.
Random facts
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
County Mayo:
Ireland’s county Mayo offers dramatic scenery and ancient heritage, with the Cliffs of Moher’s rugged beauty and Croagh Patrick’s pilgrimage trail providing stunning vistas. The town of Westport features Georgian architecture and access to Clew Bay’s islands, while the Ceide Fields showcase a prehistoric farming landscape. Other attractions include the celebrity beaches of Achill Island. Mayo is Ireland’s third largest county by size (5,398 square km) and 18th largest by population (137,970). Population peaked at 388,887 in 1841 and reached its lowest point, 109,525 in 1971. In terms of hospitality, Mayo is Ireland’s tenth most visited tourist county with around 218,000 international visitors per year.
Introduction – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Camping – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Gardens – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted – Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells – Hotels – Hotels top 8 – Hunting & shooting – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury – MICE – Movies – Music – Name – New – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Sacred Places – Saints – Songs – Spas – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers – 1837 – 1846 – 1852 – 1909 – 1955 – 1980 –
