Contemporary yet historic, with incredible natural, archaeological, built, cultural and maritime heritage – as well as three Gaeltacht areas – there is an abundance of cultural inspiration in this haven of creativity. Home to Ireland’s most spectacular coastal scenery, rivers and lakes, a unique bog land along with a fine built heritage, the county’s history stretches back thousands of years to Ireland oldest field system, the Ceide Fields.
It is this wealth and diversity of heritage, natural, built and cultural that gives the county its unique identity and character. Mayo’s culture and creativity is inspired by, and reflected in, the material heritage and cultural landscape of the county. Conversely our material culture helps to define our county’s identity, sense of place and character. But our greatest resource is our people. Mayo boasts a thriving creative sector that includes writers, artists, performers and people who are active in their community in arts, creative activities and culture.
And our community extends far beyond our borders. As an outward looking county, that has always been engaged with the wider world through our maritime history and diaspora, we are delighted to welcome and embrace people choosing to make this county their home, a place to invest in, or a place to visit and enjoy. There are so many examples of what makes Mayo unique – from our maritime history haunted by the ghost of Granuaile, to our bogs and ancient Ceide Fields, to our dramatic landscape that has inspired artists and authors alike. Our musical tradition has attracted global audiences in the shape of Riverdance which was born as part of the Mayo 5000 celebrations while our literary heritage stretches from Raifteiri and George Moore to our young prizewinning authors of today – Mike McCormack, Sally Rooney, Elizabeth Reapy, Eimear MacBride and many more
