Mayo Tours

About Mayo

County Mayo is the wild heart of Ireland's west coast — the third-largest county, with the longest coastline on the Wild Atlantic Way and some of the most dramatic landscape in the country. Westport, the Georgian town at the head of Clew Bay, is the natural base for exploring a county that stretches from holy mountains to sea cliffs to 5,000-year-old farmland. Croagh Patrick, Ireland's holy mountain, rises 764 metres above Westport and Clew Bay. The 7-kilometre round-trip climb is one of the most iconic hikes in Ireland, rewarding those who reach the summit with views of Clew Bay and its reputed 365 islands. The final section is loose scree and genuinely challenging, but lower viewpoints offer spectacular panoramas for those who prefer a shorter walk. Reek Sunday (the last Sunday in July) draws up to 30,000 pilgrims. Achill Island — Ireland's largest offshore island, connected to the mainland by a bridge — sits an hour west of Westport. Keem Bay, at the island's western tip, is a Blue Flag beach reached by a dramatic cliff-edge road. The beach appeared in the 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin. The Atlantic Drive loops the southern coast with views of sea cliffs, and the deserted village on the slopes of Slievemore mountain is one of the most evocative famine-era ruins in the country. The Great Western Greenway — a 42-kilometre off-road cycling and walking trail — connects Westport to Achill Island through countryside, coastal views, and the village of Newport. Bike hire is available at both ends. In North Mayo, the Céide Fields near Ballycastle are the world's oldest known stone-walled field system, dating back over 5,000 years. Preserved under blanket bog, the Neolithic farmland is interpreted through a visitor centre perched on the cliff edge with dramatic Atlantic views. Downpatrick Head, nearby, has the sea stack Dún Briste — a massive column of rock separated from the mainland by Atlantic storms.