Mayo

County Mayo Contae Mhaigh Eo
Location
Statistics
Province:	Connacht
County seat:	Castlebar
Code:	MO
Area:	5,397 km2 (2,084 sq mi)
Population (2009 estimate)	126,000
Website: www.mayococo.ie

County Mayo (Irish: Contae Mhaigh Eo) is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Connacht. It was named after the village of Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo).

Geography

The highest point in Mayo and Connacht is Mweelrea (814 m/2,670 ft). The river Moy in the northeast of the county is renowned for its salmon fishing. Ireland's largest island, Achill, lies off Mayo's west coast.

Towns and villages

Castlebar and Ballina are by far the two most populous towns in the county, with 10,729 and 10,146 residents respectively according to the 2006 census; with Ballina being much larger by land area. These are followed by Westport, a popular tourist town, which has 5,140 residents. The fourth largest town is Claremorris, a market town, with a population of 3,170.

• Achill Island
• Balla, Ballina, Ballinrobe, Ballintober, Ballycastle, Ballyhaunis, Ballyglass, Ballyvary, Bangor, Belmullet, Bohola, Boytown
• Castlebar, Charlestown, Claremorris, Cong, Crossmolina
• Derrew
• Foxford
• Geesala
• Islandeady
• Keel, Kilkelly, Killala, Kilmaine, Kiltimagh, Knock, Knockmore
• Louisburgh
• Mayo, Mulrany
• Newport
• Shrule, Swinford
• Tourmakeady
• Westport

Demographics

The county has experienced perhaps the highest emigration out of Ireland. In the 1840s-1880s, waves of emigrants left the rural townlands of the county. Initially triggered by the Great Famine and then in search of work in the newly industrialising England, Scotland and the United States, the population fell considerably. This can still be seen today with communities in Manchester, Preston, Birmingham, North London, Nottingham, Huddersfield and Middlesbrough openly proud of their Mayo roots, reflected in songs and the use of Gaelic football shirts.

Places of interest

Cliffs along the Atlantic coastline of County Mayo, near Ballycastle

The Knock Shrine is in Mayo, close to the border with County Roscommon. Mayo is also home to Croagh Patrick, a mountain where St Patrick is said to have fasted for forty days and nights, although worship connected with the mountain is believed to have preceded the arrival of Christianity.

• Achill Island (Acaill)
• Ashford Castle
• Ballintubber Abbey
• Ceide Fields
• Clare Island
• Clew Bay
• Croagh Patrick
• Ireland West Airport Knock
• Lough Mask (Loch Measca)
• Mullet Peninsula
• Nephin Beg Mountains
• Partry Mountains
• Rockfleet Castle
• Westport House

Famous People from Mayo

• Michael Davitt, founder of the Land League, was born in Mayo. The bridge to Achill is named after him as well as Castlebar's local secondary school (Davitt College).
• Patrick Browne (1720–1790), Doctor and botanist of Jamaica.
• Admiral William Brown (1777 to 1857), Born in Foxford, founder of the Argentine Navy
• Enda Kenny has been leader of Fine Gael since 2002
• Seán Flanagan (1922– 1993) was a senior Fianna Fáil politician and Gaelic footballer in Ireland. He served under Taoiseach Jack Lynch as Minister for Health (1966-1969) and Minister for Lands (1969-1973).
• William O'Dwyer, mayor of New York City from 1946-1950.
• Grace O'Malley, the pirate queen and chieftain of the clan O’Malley.
• Ciarán McDonald, Gaelic football player.
• John McDonnell (born July 2, 1938), coach. He has won more national championships (42) than any coach in any sport in the history of American collegiate athletics.
• Mary Robinson, First Female President of the Irish Republic (1990-1997), born in Ballina in 1944. Robinson became the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 12 September 12, 1997, resigning the Presidency a few weeks early with the approval of Irish political parties in order to take up the post.
• Louis Walsh (born 5 August, 1952), music mogul.
• Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (born in Carnacon in 1983), won the 2005 Rose of Tralee contest. She is the 47th Rose and the first from County Mayo.

Sport

Mayo is also noted for its Gaelic football team, and their struggle to capture the All-Ireland Football Title in recent years. They last won the Sam Maguire Cup in 1951, when the team was captained by Seán Flanagan. Mayo's most recent All-Ireland final losses have been in 1989, 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2006. They defeated a hotly tipped Dublin team in the 2006 All Ireland Semi Final; In what match commentators said was one of the best games ever in Croke Park, Mayo won by one point.

Energy resources controversy

Since 2005 in Erris in the northwest of the county, the Shell to Sea campaign has organised protests at the decision of the Royal Dutch Shell oil company (they represent 45% of the investments to the project)to refine raw gas from the Corrib Gas Field onshore. This would entail piping the gas through inhabited areas at high pressure and without the chemical that allows people to smell the gas when there is a leak. Five men were jailed in 2005 for refusing to allow the pipeline through their lands. Opinion is divided on the project locally. On the one hand, the project has been seen as a source of much-needed jobs, on the other, many are opposed to the environmental degradation they believe will result. They are also unhappy with the Garda Síochána tactics surrounding the protests, which have resulted Gardaí in Mayo having a higher per capita rate of complaints against them than in any other part of the state, despite the county having one of the lowest crime levels. ^[2]

See also

• Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, Viceroy of India 1869-72
• Castlebar transmitter
• Connacht Irish
• Earl of Mayo
• List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Mayo)
• Marquess of Sligo
• Mayo College
• Mayo County Council
• Westport House

External links

• Mayo.ie
• Mayo County Council's website
• Connaught Telegraph
• Western People

v • d • e Counties of Ireland Connacht Galway (Galway City) · Leitrim · Mayo · Roscommon · Sligo Munster Clare · Cork (Cork City) · Kerry · Limerick (Limerick City) · Tipperary (North Tipperary • South Tipperary) · Waterford (Waterford City) Leinster Carlow · Dublin (Dublin City • Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown • Fingal • South Dublin) · Kildare · Kilkenny · Laois · Longford · Louth · Meath · Offaly · Westmeath · Wexford · Wicklow Ulster Cavan · Donegal · Monaghan · Antrim · Armagh · Down · Fermanagh · Londonderry · Tyrone Italics denote non-administrative counties. Parentheses () denote eponymous cities or non-traditional counties.

Coordinates: 53°54′N 9°15′W / 53.9°N 9.25°W / 53.9; -9.25