Location Overview, Castlebar

Mayo is the 3rd largest county in Ireland and Castlebar is the county town and also the administrative seat for the county. It is a busy bustling Market Town and is one of the fastest growing towns in the country. Castlebar was originally a garrison town and derives its name from a settlement around the de Barra Castle in the 11th century. A town steeped in history with one of the oldest buildings being Christchurch whose foundation stones were laid in 1739. Since then it has featured in the battles of 1798 and has been the birthplace of many a famous son.
Present day Castlebar is a town with a good infrastructure and with businesses covering a vast spectrum of products and services. The County Library is in Castlebar and we have excellent educational facilities at every level and the Arts, Sports and Leisure are also well catered for with numerous facilities, exhibitions, competitions and festivals which include the world famous International Four Days Walks. We also have great accommodation facilities including B&B's, hotels and hostels. Most importantly of all is that they pride themselves in the Welcome they give to all our visitors whether here on business, visiting relatives or just here on holidays.

Access
The town is well serviced with good roads including the N5 to the East and North and the N60 to the South.Iarnrod Eireann provide thrice daily railway services both to and from Dublin. We are also linked by regular Bus services to every part of the country. There is a privately owned airstrip within 1Km of the town and we are only 32km from Knock International Airport.

Tourism
Castlebar has numerous attractions for the visitor. It has received international recognition for both walking and angling. It is also centrally located for the touring of the county including Ballintuber Abbey, The Ceide Fields, Croagh Patrick, Foxford Woollen Mills, Moore Hall, Pontoon and the Turlough Round Tower. Annual festivals include the International Four Days Walks, The Blues Festival and The Heritage Day. The range of facilities in Castlebar include, swimming, bowling, golf, pubs, cafes, horse riding tennis and many more.

Arts, Sport & Leisure
Castlebar has a vibrant arts community with amateur drama groups, pantomime groups, choral societies, dancing schools, exhibition centres and display outlets. There are currently very good sports facilities in the town both for outdoor and indoor use. There are also many natural amenities in the area suited to outdoor recreation.

Leisure
Whether you desire an action packed, fun-filled holiday or a relaxing break inclined to more gentle pursuits and activities, Mayo is a wise choice of holiday destination! There is something for everyone offering satisfaction and enjoyment to all levels of participation from the professional to the 'first time' adventurer.
According to many tourists and travelers the best and most exciting way of getting to know any town is to walk around it. The usual guided historical walking tours of the towns of Castlebar and Newport continue throughout the months of July and August.