Mayo Hotels

County Mayo is located in the West of Ireland, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by counties Sligo, Galway and Roscommon. Mayo has a dramatic landscape of rigged coastlines, majestic mountains, rivers and lakes, as well as bustling and attractive towns, such as Westport, Newport and Ballina and mystical islands including Achill Island, Clare Island, Inishturk and Inishbofin.

One of Mayo’s best-known town’s is Westport, a popular tourist spot overlooking Clew Bay. It is one of the few planned towns in Ireland and was laid out in the Georgian style in the late 18th century at the behest of Lord Sligo. As well as it’s pretty streets and Mall area and the many bridges over the River Carrow Beg, which runs through the town, Westport is also well known for its vibrant nightlife with great restaurants and pubs, many of which have traditional Irish music sessions.

Just a few miles from Westport and looking out over Clew Bay is the majestic Croagh Patrick or Holy Mountain. The mountain has been an area for pilgrimages for over 5,000 years and is now best known for its association with Saint Patrick. Another famous religious site is Knock with Our Lady’s Shrine, which is visited, by thousands of pilgrims each year.

Mayo is a county rich in historical and archaeological attractions such as the Ceide Fields in Ballycastle, one of the largest stone age monuments in the world and has megalithic tombs dating back 5,000 years. Other attractions worth visiting include Ballintubber Abbey, the Enniscoe Museum in Enniscoe House, an elegant Georgian House overlooking Lough Conn. Or visit the Quiet Man Cottage Museum, which was used in the 1951 John Ford film with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and is based in Cong. The Foxford Woollen Mills Visitor Centre, which includes a tour of the mill, art exhibition, restaurant and shop. Turlough House is located in Turlough Village, not far from Castlebar. The house is home to the National Folklife collection and is part of the National Museum of Country Life, which is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland, the museum charts Irish country life from the late 19th century to the 1950’s. Westport House, designed by Richard Cassels and James Wyatt in the 18th century, is home to the Browne family, descendants of Grace O’Malley – the Pirate Queen of Connaught. In addition to the architectural treasures of the house and the fine gardens, there is also a Pirate Adventure Park on the grounds for family enjoyment.

County Mayo offers a wide array of outdoor activities, with great fishing on the many lakes and rivers, such as the River Moy, Lough Conn – well known salmon fishery, Loughs Carra and Mask for Brown Trout or sea angling at Belmullet and Killala. Walkers can enjoy a variety of walking trails and events and in varied landscape, for example there are many loop walks to enjoy, such as the Erris Head Loop Walk, Clare Island, Inishturk Island, Castlebar Loop Walks and Belleek Woods, to name just a few. Thee are also linear long-distance walks and way marked ways, such as the Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail. There are also a number of walking festivals in Mayo such as the Achill Walks Festival.

Mayo is a popular spot for waterspouts, with Achill Island being a popular spot for surfing and sea kayaking or canoeing off Clew Bay, windsurfing off Westport or try sailing on Collanmore Island, one of the hundreds of islands off Clew Bay, at the Glenans Irish Sailing Club.

For the real outdoor enthusiast there is Gael Force West, Geal Force 6 is held in August each year and is a form of Adventure Racing for novices, which included running / cycling / climbing / kayaking over a 65 km course.

There are also a number of equestrian centres to enjoy the scenic outdoors in Mayo on horseback and plenty of fine Golf courses to choose from, such as the Ashford Castle Golf Club in Cong.

Irelandhotels.com features 35 hotels and guesthouses in County Mayo use the Accommodation Search box on this page to select a hotel or guesthouse in Mayo. Or check our Value Breaks for some great value hotel breaks Mayo.