County Mayo

County Mayo (Contae Mhaigh Eo, lit. the plain of the s) is a in the province of, located on the west coast of. The county town of Mayo is. Mayo is bordered to the south by, to the east by , and to the north-east by. and 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 Castlebar being much larger by land area. These are followed by, a popular tourist town, which has 5,140 residents. The fourth largest town is with a population of 3,170. Other towns include, , and.

The of  is in Mayo, close to the border with. Mayo is also home to, a mountain where is said to have fasted for forty days and nights, although worship connected with the mountain is believed to have preceded the arrival of.

The highest point in Mayo and Connacht is (814 metres). The river in the northeast of the county is renowned for its. Ireland's largest island,, lies off Mayo's west coast.

Mayo is also noted for its team, and their struggle to capture the All-Ireland Football Title in recent years. They last won the Cup in 1951, when the team was captained by. 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.

, founder of the, was born in Mayo, the bridge to is named after him. Also born in Mayo was (1720–1790), Doctor and botanist of.

For over two years in in the northwest of the county, the  campaign has organised protests at the decision of the  oil company to refine raw  from the  onshore. This would entail piping the gas through inhabited areas at an abnormally high pressure and without the chemical that allows people to smell the gas when there is a leak. This has never been tried before anywhere, as gas has always been processed offshore. were jailed in 2005 for refusing to allow the pipeline through their lands, and protests at the refinery site continue daily.

Other places in County Mayo



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 * (Loch Measca)