WONDERING WHAT ELSE THE AREA
AROUND CASTLEBAR HAS TO OFFER?
WHY NOT SPEND A DAY…
or visiting
There is no better way to explore sweeping shorelines, mountain paths and rolling green pastures of County Mayo than on horseback!
There are guides available to advise the visitor and suggest suitable routes.
EQUESTRIAN CENTRES IN MAYO:
Turlough Equitation Centre, Castlebar.
(094) 26646
Barnfield Stables, Knockmore.
(094) 58175
Mulranny Riding School, Newport.
(098) 36126
Ashford Equestrian Centre, Cong.
(092) 46024
Knappa Beg Stables, Westport.
086-8898833
Drummindoo Stud, Westport.
(098) 25616
Barley Hills Stables, Bohola.
(094) 84262
Ard Aoibhinn Stables, Tourmakeady.
(092) 44009
Claremorris Equitation Centre, Claremorris.
(094) 62292
Unwind with a game of golf on one of Mayo’s numerous, high quality courses whilst relishing the dramatic beauty of your surroundings.
18 HOLE GOLF COURSES IN MAYO:
Castlebar
(094) 21649
Par:71 5698 metres
Westport (098) 28262
Par:73 6355 metres
Ballina (096) 21050
Par:71 6103 metres
Ballinrobe (092) 41118
Par:73 6234 metres
Carne (Belmullet) (097) 82292
Par:72 6042 metres
9 HOLE GOLF COURSES IN MAYO:
Three Oaks (094) 23056
Ashford Castle (092) 46003
Swinford (094) 51378
Ballyhaunis (0907)30014
Achill (098) 43456
Balla (Par-3) (094) 65470
Clew Bay (098) 41739
Claremorris (094) 71527
Mulranny (098) 36262
Mayo is renown for being one of Europe’s premier game and sea angling destinations.
GAME ANGLING.
Salmon anglers come to the bountiful river Moy in their hundreds every year - and its little wonder- the annual average of over seven thousand salmon to the rod over the past five years is a very enticing figure! There are also other rivers that provide salmon fishing. Apart from the Moy, other rivers worth fishing in are the Erriff and the Delphi.
The lakes of Lough Conn, Lough Cullen, Lough Carra and Lough Mask offers the angler some of the finest free trout fishing in Europe.
Game angling operators include:
Game Angling Ireland West, Castlebar (094) 25006
mayo_nat@anu.ieMoy Valley Resources, Ballina. (096) 70905
School of Fly Fishing, Pontoon. (094) 56120
N.W.R.F.B, Ballina (096) 22788
SEA ANGLING.
Whether its deep sea or shore angling you’re interested in you’ve come to the right county! Achill offers shark fishing, while Newport, Westport, Killala, Belmullet (with over thirty species of fish recorded a few years ago) are the main centres for deep sea angling.
Chartering a boat for a full day costs between £100 and £150, whilst for shorter periods of time the price is usually around £20 per person (min 4 people)
For further information contact:
North Western Regional Fisheries Board.
Tel: (096) 22788
Fax (096) 70543
The Western Regional Fisheries Board.
Tel: (091) 563118
Fax (091) 566335
E-mail:
Literature available:
1. Angler’s Maps of the Great Western Lakes (Lough Corrib, Mask and Carra). Price £2.50.
2. "An Angler’s Guide to Game Fishing for the Western Region". Price £4.50
3. Coarse Angling Maps and Brochures.
COARSE ANGLING
.Coarse angling is possible on numerous small lakes in the county, the most popular being Irishtown (which also has a good stock of bream and roach), Lakehill Pond near Knock (which has a good stock of tench), Levalley Lake and Derryhick Lake (which are both in Pontoon) have good stocks of pike; other centres include Claremorris and Kiltimagh.
Coarse Angling Operators:
N.W.R.F.B, Ballina. Tel: (096) 22788
Belmont Hotel, Knock. (094) 88122
W.R.F.B, Galway. (091) 563118
Mayo is very proud of the fact that it has more blue flag beaches than any other county in Ireland. A blue flag beach is a beach that has met all international criteria for safe access, clean water, pollution-free shores and water, sanitary facilities, lifeguards on duty, information centres and wheelchair access.
Here is a list of all the Blue Flag beaches in the county:
Situated In:
Achill
Murrisk
Clare Island
Mulranny
Belmullet
Louisburg
KillalaBeach Name:
Keem, Golden Strand, Dugort, Keel, Dooega
Bertra
Clare Island
Millenary
Mullaghore, Elly Bay
Old Head, Carrowmore
Ross
If you would like to learn the age old art of gold panning, whilst enjoying the beauty of West Mayo then Geotreks Tours Ltd. Will be able to help you!
A day trip includes mini-bus transfers, fully guided gold panning, picnic lunch, tour literature, maps as well as panning equipment.
For a completely different day out contact (098) 28702 or E-mail:
geotreks@jazzybee.ie for further information.
If you really want to ‘get away from it all’ then pay a visit to the isle of Inishturk! It floats like a jewel in the Atlantic, and there isn’t a better way to pass a few hours than by taking a leisurely stroll along Tranaun Strand, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Twelve Bens.
The island is located seven miles off the coast, and can be reached by ferry from Roonagh Quay (in Louisburg) and from Clare Island. It is also possible to charter a new sea angling boat that can pick up anglers from several mainland piers as well as from Cloghmore in Achill.
Contact (098) 45641 for further information.
Foxford Woollen Mills-Visitor Centre
Opened in 1992, The Foxford Woollen Mills Visitor Centre gives the guest an informative and spirited tour through the development and success of this world famous woollen mill.
You can spend an afternoon learning about Mother Arsenius who developed the mills in a desperate attempt to reduce the mass emigration of the time. The tour explains how the town of Foxford grew up around the mill that became an amazing success!
There is also an opportunity to watch the world famous rugs, tweed and blanks being skilfully produced by talented craftspeople. On the first floor there is a jewellery workshop where you can also see intricate pieces of silver and gold being crafted.
The centre is open from 10.00am to 6.00pm from Monday to Saturday and from 12 midday to 6.00pm on Sundays. For additional information contact (094) 56756. Worth a visit!
Located off the N16 between Swinford and Foxford lies this unique Heritage Farm. Come and marvel at how, for over two hundred years, the Hennigan family has survived on this ten acres of poor land.
Today the centre consists of a tea-room, an authentic farmhouse, a comprehensive collection of trade and agricultural implements, an original thatched cottage and plenty of friendly fowl and farm animals that roam freely in the original farmyard. In addition you can learn about the meitheal and barter systems used for survival by the local people. The visitor can also coarse fish or boat on the lake (boats are available for hire).
Overall, an interesting way to spend a day!
This new interpretative centre is located in Ballintubber, 6 miles from Castlebar on the N 84.
The Celtic Furrow traces the routes of our culture from the early Christian period to 80 years ago. The tour lasts approximately 1hour.
Contact (094) 30709 or 30934.
"The Abbey that refused to die"
Tour/Interpretative Centre from 10am
Tel: (094) 30934
Fax: (094) 30018