View source for County Mayo

{{Short description|County in Ireland}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                   = County Mayo
|native_name            = {{native name|ga|Contae Mhaigh Eo}}
|settlement_type        = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
|image_shield           = COA of County Mayo.png
|shield_size            = 100px
|image_flag             = 
|nickname               = The Maritime County, The Yew County <small>([[List of Irish county nicknames|Others]])</small>
| motto = {{force singular}} ''{{lang|ga|Dia is Muire Linn}}''{{spaces|2}}<small>([[Irish language|Irish]])</small><br />"God and [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]] be with us"
|image_map              = Island of Ireland location map Mayo.svg
|area_footnotes         = <ref name=WDC>{{cite web | title = County Profiles – Mayo | url = https://westerndevelopment.ie/policy/our-region/mayo-county-analysis/ | publisher = Western Development Commission | access-date = 2 June 2021 | archive-date = 2 June 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210602225539/https://westerndevelopment.ie/policy/our-region/mayo-county-analysis/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
|area_total_km2         = 5588
|area_rank              = [[List of Irish counties by area|3rd]]
|seat_type              = [[County town]]
|seat                   = [[File:Castlebar Coat of Arms.png|30px]][[Castlebar]]
|blank_name_sec1        = [[Vehicle registration plates of the Republic of Ireland|Vehicle index<br />mark code]]
|blank_info_sec1        = MO
|population_total       = 137,231
|population_density_km2 = auto
|population_footnotes   = <ref name=cso2022>{{cite web |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpr/censusofpopulation2022-preliminaryresults/geographicchanges/ |title=Census of Population 2022 - Preliminary Results |date=23 June 2022 |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] |access-date=22 May 2023}}</ref>
|population_rank        = [[List of Irish counties by population|18th]]
|population_as_of       = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
|leader_title1          = [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|Local authority]]
|leader_name1           = [[Mayo County Council]]
|leader_title2          = [[Dáil constituencies]]
|leader_name2           = {{ubl|[[Mayo (Dáil constituency)|Mayo]]|[[Galway West (Dáil constituency)|Galway West]]}}
|leader_title3          = [[European Parliament constituencies in the Republic of Ireland|EP constituency]]
|leader_name3           = [[Midlands–North-West (European Parliament constituency)|Midlands–North-West]]
|subdivision_type       = [[Sovereign state|Country]]
|subdivision_name       = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Connacht]]
|subdivision_type2      = [[NUTS statistical regions of Ireland|Region]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[Northern and Western Region|Northern and Western]]
|website                = {{official website}}
|timezone               = [[Western European Time|WET]]
|utc_offset             = ±0
|timezone_DST           = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]]
|utc_offset_DST         = +1
|established_title      = Established
|established_date       = {{circa|1570}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/about-mayo/history/short-introduction-of-county-mayo.html|title=A short history County Mayo in the West of Ireland - mayo-ireland.ie|website=www.mayo-ireland.ie|access-date=19 June 2019|archive-date=19 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619195756/http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/about-mayo/history/short-introduction-of-county-mayo.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|area_code_type         = [[Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland|Telephone area codes]]
|area_code              = 093–098 <small>(primarily)</small>
|postal_code_type       = [[Eircode]] routing keys
|postal_code            = F12, F23, F26, F28, F31, F35 <small>(primarily)</small>
|module                 = {{infobox mapframe|zoom=7}}
|iso_code               = IE-MO
}}
'''County Mayo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|eɪ|oʊ|}};<ref>{{cite web |title=Mayo |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/mayo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206000600/https://www.lexico.com/definition/mayo |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2021 |website=Lexico.com |access-date=6 December 2021}}</ref> {{Irish derived place name|Maigh Eo, Contae Mhaigh Eo|Plain of the [[Taxus baccata|yew trees]]}}) is a [[Counties of Ireland|county]] in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. In the [[West Region, Ireland|West of Ireland]], in the [[Provinces of Ireland|province]] of [[Connacht]], it is named after the village of [[Mayo, County Mayo|Mayo]], now generally known as Mayo Abbey. [[Mayo County Council]] is the [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|local authority]]. The population was 137,231 at the [[2022 census of Ireland|2022 census]].<ref name=cso2022/> The boundaries of the county, which was formed in 1585, reflect the [[Mac William Íochtar]] lordship at that time.

==Geography==
{{See also|List of islands of County Mayo|List of loughs of County Mayo|List of mountains and hills of County Mayo}}
It is bounded on the north and west by the [[Atlantic Ocean]]; on the south by [[County Galway]]; on the east by [[County Roscommon]]; and on the northeast by [[County Sligo]]. Mayo is the third-largest of Ireland's 32 counties in area and 18th largest in terms of population.<ref>{{cite book |first=Eoghan |last=Corry |title=The GAA Book of Lists |publisher=Hodder Headline Ireland |year=2005 |pages=186–191}}</ref> It is the second-largest of [[Connacht]]'s five counties in both size and population. Mayo has {{convert|1168|km|mi|abbr=on}} of coastline, or approximately 21% of the total coastline of the State.<ref name=i2>{{cite web |url= https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/irish_coastal_habitats_impacts_conservation_areas_1998_2mb.pdf |title= Irish Coastal Habitats: A Study of Impacts on Designated Conservation Areas |website= heritagecouncil.ie |publisher= Heritage Council |access-date= 6 May 2020 |archive-date= 3 December 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201203160047/https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/irish_coastal_habitats_impacts_conservation_areas_1998_2mb.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=i3>{{cite web |url= http://www.mayococo.ie/en/media/Media,32613,en.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728231511/http://www.mayococo.ie/en/media/Media,32613,en.pdf |archive-date=2020-07-28 |url-status=live |title= Mayo County Council Climate Adaptation Strategy |website= mayococo.ie |publisher= Mayo County Council |access-date= 9 May 2020}}</ref> It is one of three counties which claims to have the [[List of Irish counties by coastline|longest coastline]] in Ireland, alongside [[County Cork|Cork]] and [[County Donegal|Donegal]]. There is a distinct geological difference between the west and the east of the county. The west consists largely of poor [[subsoil]]s and is covered with large areas of extensive Atlantic [[blanket bog]], whereas the east is largely a [[limestone]] landscape. Agricultural land is therefore more productive in the east than in the west. [[Clew Bay]] lies on the west coast of the county.

*The highest point in Mayo (and Connacht) is [[Mweelrea]], at {{convert|814|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*The [[River Moy]] in the northeast of the county is renowned for its [[salmon]] [[fishing]]
*Ireland's largest island, [[Achill Island]], lies off Mayo's west coast
*Mayo has Ireland's highest cliffs at [[Croaghaun]], Achill Island,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geograph.ie/photo/148102|title=Geograph:: Croaghaun, Ireland's highest cliffs (C) Mike Simms|website=www.geograph.ie|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620075818/https://www.geograph.ie/photo/148102|archive-date=20 June 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> while the [[Benwee Head]] cliffs in [[Kilcommon]] [[Erris]] drop almost perpendicularly {{convert|900|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} into the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref>[[Ordnance Survey Ireland]], 2012</ref>
*The northwest areas of County Mayo have some of the best renewable energy resources in Europe, if not the world, in terms of wind resources, ocean wave, tidal and hydroelectric resources<ref name="Analysis of the Potential Economic Benefits of Developing Ocean Energy in Ireland">{{cite web |url=http://www.seai.ie/Renewables/Ocean_Energy/Ocean_Energy_Information_Research/Ocean_Energy_Publications/Bacon_Ocean_Energy_Report.pdf |title=Analysis of the Potential Economic Benefits of Developing Ocean Energy in Ireland |date=August 2004 |publisher=Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland |access-date=26 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222060121/http://www.seai.ie/Renewables/Ocean_Energy/Ocean_Energy_Information_Research/Ocean_Energy_Publications/Bacon_Ocean_Energy_Report.pdf |archive-date=22 December 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seai.ie/Renewables/Ocean_Energy/Belmullet_Wave_Energy_Test_Site/ |title=Belmullet Wave Energy Test Site |access-date=26 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620181344/http://www.seai.ie/Renewables/Ocean_Energy/Belmullet_Wave_Energy_Test_Site/ |archive-date=20 June 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Ocean Energy Roadmap to 2050">{{cite web |url=http://www.seai.ie/Renewables/Ocean_Energy/Ocean_Energy_Information_Research/Ocean_Energy_Publications/Ocean_Energy_Roadmap_to_2050.pdf |title=Ocean Energy Roadmap to 2050 |date=October 2010 |publisher=Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland |access-date=26 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415140639/http://www.seai.ie/Renewables/Ocean_Energy/Ocean_Energy_Information_Research/Ocean_Energy_Publications/Ocean_Energy_Roadmap_to_2050.pdf |archive-date=15 April 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Gallery
| title        = Geography of County Mayo
| align        = center
| footer       =
| style        =
| state        =
| height       =
| width        =
| captionstyle =
| File:Glengad Stone circle overlooking Broadhaven Bay Kilcommon, Erris North Mayo.jpg
 | alt1=
 | [[Glengad]] [[stone circle]], [[Kilcommon]], [[Erris]]
| File:Croagh Patrick Irland@20160531 05.jpg
 | alt2=
 | [[Croagh Patrick]]
| File:County Mayo - Burrishoole Bridge - 20170520204559.jpg
 | alt3=
 | Burrishoole Bridge
| File:Nephin mountain.JPG
 | alt4=
 | [[Nephin]], found in central Mayo, is the largest freestanding mountain on the island of Ireland
| File:Croaghaun cliff.jpg
 | alt5=
 | The Cliffs at [[Croaghaun]] on [[Achill Island]] are the third highest in Europe
}}

There are nine historic [[Barony (Ireland)|baronies]], four in the northern area and five in the south of the county:

'''North Mayo'''
*[[Erris]] (north-west, containing [[Belmullet]], [[Gweesalia]], [[Bangor Erris]], [[Kilcommon]], [[Ballycroy, County Mayo|Ballycroy]] etc.)
*[[Burrishoole]] (west, containing [[Achill Island|Achill]], [[Mulranny]] and [[Newport, County Mayo]])
*[[Gallen (barony)|Gallen]] (east, containing [[Bonniconlon, County Mayo|Bonniconlon]], [[Foxford]])
*[[Tyrawley]] (north-east, containing [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]], [[Ballycastle, County Mayo|Ballycastle]], [[Killala]], [[Moygownagh]])

'''South Mayo'''
*[[Clanmorris]], (south-east, containing [[Claremorris]] and [[Balla, County Mayo|Balla]])
*[[Barony of Costello|Costello]] (east-south-east, containing [[Kilkelly]] [[Ballyhaunis]] etc.) 
*[[Murrisk]] (south-west, containing [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]], [[Louisburgh, County Mayo|Louisburgh]], [[Croagh Patrick]] etc.)
*[[Kilmaine]] (south, containing [[Ballinrobe]], [[Cong, County Mayo|Cong]] etc.)
*[[Carra, County Mayo|Carra]] (south, containing [[Castlebar]], [[Partry]] etc.)

===Largest towns by population===
{{See also|List of towns and villages in County Mayo}}
According to the 2022 census:<ref>{{cite web | title = Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movement – F1015 - Population | url = https://data.cso.ie/table/F1015 | work = [[2022 census of Ireland|Census 2022]] | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] | access-date = 29 June 2023}}</ref>
#[[Castlebar]] 13,054
#[[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]] 10,556
#[[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]] 6,872
#[[Claremorris]] 3,857
#[[Ballinrobe]] 3,148
#[[Ballyhaunis]] 2,773
#[[Swinford]] 1,459
#[[Foxford]] 1,452
#[[Kiltimagh]] 1,232
#[[Charlestown, County Mayo|Charlestown]]* 1,172 <small>(includes Bellaghy, County Sligo)</small>

===Flora and fauna===
A survey of the terrestrial and freshwater algae of Clare Island was made between 1990 and 2005 and published in 2007. A record of ''[[Gunnera]] tinctoria'' is also noted.<ref>Guiry, M. D., John, D. M., Rindi, F. and McCarthy, T. K., eds. (2007) ''New Survey of Clare Island. Volume 6: The Freshwater and Terrestrial Algae.'' Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. {{ISBN|978-1-904890-31-7}}</ref>

Consultants working for the [[Corrib gas project]] have carried out extensive surveys of wildlife [[flora]] and [[fauna]] in [[Kilcommon]] Parish, [[Erris]] between 2002 and 2009. This information is published in the Corrib Gas Proposal [[Environmental impact statement]]s 2009 and 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corribgaspipelineabpapplication.ie/.|title=From the latest E.I.S. submitted in June 2010 click 'Further Information'. then select 'Volume 2 of 3 Appendices Books 1-6' then select 'Volume 2 Book 3 of 6' where will be found eleven extensive tomes dealing with the wildlife, marine, freshwater and terrestrial flora and fauna of a small area of Kilcommon parish.|access-date=13 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721123227/http://www.corribgaspipelineabpapplication.ie/|archive-date=21 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==

===Prehistory===
[[File:Ceide Fields Visitor Centre.jpg|left|thumb|[[Céide Fields]]]]
There is evidence of human occupation of what is now County Mayo going far back into prehistory.<ref name="Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo Archaeology Overview">{{cite web |url=http://www.mayococo.ie/en/Services/Archaeology/Glossary/ |title=Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo Archaeological Overview |access-date=2013-04-26 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720000420/http://www.mayococo.ie/en/Services/Archaeology/Glossary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At [[Belderrig (archaeological site)|Belderrig]] on the north Mayo coast, there is evidence for [[Mesolithic]] (Middle Stone Age) communities around 4500 BC.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Warren|first1=Graeme|editor1-last=Finlay|editor1-first=Nyree|editor2-last=Sinéad|editor2-first=McCartan|editor3-last=Milner|editor3-first=Nicky|editor4-last=Wickham-Jones|editor4-first=Caroline|title=From Bann Flakes to Bushmills|date=2009|publisher=Oxbow|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1-84217-355-8|chapter=Belderrig: a 'New' Later Mesolithic and Neolithic Landscape in Northwest Ireland}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Driscoll|first1=Killian|title=Understanding quartz technology in early prehistoric Ireland|date=2010|url=http://www.lithicsireland.ie/phd_quartz_lithic_technology_chap_9.html|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409110818/http://www.lithicsireland.ie/phd_quartz_lithic_technology_chap_9.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while throughout the county there is a wealth of archaeological remains from the [[Neolithic]] (New Stone Age) period (ca. 4,000 BC to 2,500 BC), particularly in terms of megalithic tombs and ritual stone circles.

The first people who came to Ireland – mainly to coastal areas as the interior was heavily forested – arrived during the Middle Stone Age, as far back as eleven thousand years ago.<ref name="Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo Archaeology Overview" /> Artefacts of [[mesolithic|hunter/gatherers]] are sometimes found in [[midden]]s, rubbish pits around [[hearth]]s where people would have rested and cooked over large open fires. Once cliffs erode, midden remains become exposed as blackened areas containing charred stones, bones, and shells. They are usually found a metre below the surface. Mesolithic people did not have major rituals associated with burial, unlike those of the Neolithic (New Stone Age) period.<ref name="The Neolithic, or New Stone Age">{{cite web |url=http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/pre_norman_history/neolithic_age.html |title=Travel with us through the history of Ireland! |access-date=2013-04-26 |archive-date=28 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328062406/http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/pre_norman_history/neolithic_age.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Neolithic period followed the Mesolithic around 6,000 years ago. People began to farm the land, domesticate animals for food and milk, and settle in one place for longer periods. These people had skills such as making pottery, building houses from wood, weaving, and knapping (stone tool working). The first farmers cleared forestry to graze livestock and grow crops. In North Mayo, where the ground cover was fragile, thin soils washed away and [[blanket bog]] covered the land farmed by the Neolithic people.

Extensive pre-bog field systems have been discovered under the blanket bog, particularly along the North Mayo coastline in [[Erris]] and north [[Tyrawley]] at sites such as the [[Céide Fields]], centred on the northeast coast.

The Neolithic people developed rituals associated with burying their dead; this is why they built huge, elaborate, galleried stone tombs for their dead leaders, known nowadays as megalithic tombs. There are over 160 recorded megaliths in County Mayo, such as [[Faulagh]].

[[File:Greystone011-6may08 004.JPG|thumb|Megalithic tomb at [[Faulagh]], [[Erris]]]]

===Megalithic tombs===
There are four distinct types of [[Irish megalithic tombs]]—[[court cairn|court tomb]]s, [[Dolmen|portal tomb]]s, [[passage grave|passage tomb]]s and [[wedge-shaped gallery grave|wedge tomb]]s—examples of all of which can be found in County Mayo.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Heritage |title=Heritage - Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government |access-date=5 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607072658/http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Heritage/ |archive-date=7 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Areas particularly rich in megalithic tombs include [[Achill Island|Achill]], [[Kilcommon]], [[Ballyhaunis]], [[Moygownagh]], [[Killala]] and the Behy/Glenurla area around the [[Céide Fields]].

===Bronze Age (ca. 2,500 BC to 500 BC)===
Megalithic tomb building continued into the [[Bronze Age]] when metal began to be used for tools alongside the stone tools. The Bronze Age lasted approximately from 4,500 years ago to 2,500 years ago (2,500 BC to 500 BC). Archaeological remains from this period include [[stone row|stone alignments]], [[stone circle]]s and [[Fulacht fiadh|fulachta fiadh]] (early cooking sites). They continued to bury their chieftains in megalithic tombs which changed design during this period, more being of the [[wedge-shaped gallery grave|wedge tomb]] type and [[cist]] burials.

===Iron Age (ca. 500 BC to AD 325)===
Around 2,500 years ago the [[Iron Age]] took over from the Bronze Age as more and more metalworking took place. This is thought to have coincided with the arrival of [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] speaking peoples and the introduction of the ancestor of the [[Irish language]]. Towards the end of this period, the Roman Empire was at its height in Britain but it is not thought that the Roman Empire extended into Ireland. Remains from this period, which lasted until the [[Early Christianity|Early Christian]] period began about AD 325 (with the arrival of [[Saint Patrick]] into Ireland, as a slave) include [[crannóg]]s (Lake dwellings), [[promontory fort]]s, [[ringfort]]s and [[souterrain]]s of which there are numerous examples across the county. The [[Iron Age]] was a time of tribal warfare and kingships, each fighting neighbouring kings, vying for control of territories and taking slaves. Territories were marked by tall stone markers, [[Ogham]] stones, using the first written down words using the [[Ogham inscription|Ogham alphabet]]. The Iron Age is the time period in which the mythological tales of the [[Ulster Cycle]] and sagas took place, as well as that of the [[Táin Bó Flidhais]], whose narrative is set in mainly in [[Erris]].

===Early Christian period (ca. AD 325 to AD 800)===
[[File:Aghagower St Patrick Statue 2007 08 12.jpg|upright|thumb|left|150px|Statue of St. Patrick Aghagower]]
Christianity came to Ireland around the start of the 5th century. It brought many changes including the introduction of the [[Latin alphabet]]. The tribal '[[tuatha]]' and new Christian religious settlements existed side by side. Sometimes it suited the chieftains to become part of the early Churches, other times they remained as separate entities. St. Patrick (4th century) may have spent time in County Mayo and it is believed that he spent forty days and forty nights on [[Croagh Patrick]] praying for the people of Ireland. From the middle of the 6th-century hundreds of small monastic settlements were established around the county.<ref name="County Mayo: An Outline History">{{cite web |url=http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/Mayo/History/FullHist.htm |title=County Mayo: An Outline History by Bernard O'Hara and Nollaig Ó'Muraíle |access-date=2013-04-26 |archive-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601224053/http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/Mayo/History/FullHist.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Some examples of well-known early monastic sites in Mayo include [[School of Mayo|Mayo Abbey]], [[Aughagower]], [[Ballintubber]], [[Errew Abbey]], [[Cong Abbey]], [[Killala]], Turlough on the outskirts of Castlebar, and island settlements off the [[Mullet Peninsula]] like the [[Inishkea Islands]], [[Inishglora]] and [[Duvillaun]].

Beginning in 795, [[Viking]]s came from [[Scandinavia]] to raid the monasteries as they were places of wealth with precious metal working taking place in them. Some of the larger ecclesiastical settlements erected [[Irish round tower|round tower]]s to prevent their precious items from being plundered and also to show their status and strength against these pagan raiders from the north. There are round towers at [[Aughagower]], [[Balla, County Mayo|Balla]], [[Killala]], Turlough and Meelick. The Vikings established settlements that later developed into towns (Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Waterford etc.) but none were in County Mayo. Between the reigns of [[Kings of Connacht]] [[Cathal mac Conchobar mac Taidg]] (973–1010) and [[Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair]] (1106–1156), various tribal territories were incorporated into the kingdom of Connacht and ruled by the Siol Muirdaig dynasty, based initially at [[Rathcroghan]] in [[County Roscommon]], and from {{circa}} 1050 at [[Tuam]]. The families of [[O'Malley (surname)|O'Malley]] and [[O'Dowd]] of Mayo served as [[admiral]]s of the [[Naval fleet|fleet]] of [[Connacht]], while families such as O'Lachtnan, [[Mac Fhirbhisigh]], and O'Cleary were ecclesiastical and bardic clans.

===Anglo-Normans (12th to 16th centuries)===
In AD 1169 when one of the warring kings in the east of Ireland, [[Dermot MacMurrough]], appealed to the King of England for help in his fight with a neighbouring king, the response resulted in the Anglo-Norman colonisation of Ireland.
County Mayo came under Norman control in AD 1235. Norman control meant the eclipse of many Gaelic lords and chieftains, chiefly the O'Connors of Connacht.<ref name="County Mayo: An Outline History" /> During the 1230s, the [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo-Norman]]s and [[Wales|Welsh]] under [[Richard Mór de Burgh]] (c. 1194 – 1242) invaded and settled in the county, introducing new families such as [[House of Burke|Burke]], [[Gibbons (surname)|Gibbons]], [[Staunton (surname)|Staunton]], [[Prendergast (surname)|Prendergast]], [[Morris (surname)|Morris]], [[Joyce (name)|Joyce]], [[Walsh (surname)|Walsh]], [[Barrett (surname)|Barrett]], [[Lynott (disambiguation)|Lynott]], [[Costello (surname)|Costello]], [[Padden]] and [[Price (surname)|Price]], Norman names are still common in County Mayo. Following the collapse of the lordship in the 1330s, all these families became estranged from the [[Anglo-Irish]] administration based in [[Dublin]] and assimilated with the Gaelic-Irish, adopting their language, religion, dress, laws, customs and culture and marrying into Irish families. They became "[[more Irish than the Irish themselves]]".

The most powerful clan to emerge during this era were the Mac William Burkes, also known as the [[Mac William Iochtar]] (see [[Burke Civil War]] 1333–1338), descended from Sir [[William Liath de Burgh]], who defeated the Gaelic-Irish at the [[Second Battle of Athenry]] in August 1316. They were frequently at war with their cousins, [[Clanricarde]] of [[Galway]], and in alliance with or against various factions of the O'Conor's of Siol Muiredaig and [[Kelly (surname)|O'Kelly]]'s of [[Uí Maine]]. The [[O'Donnell dynasty|O'Donnell]]'s of [[Tyrconnell]] regularly invaded in an attempt to secure their right to rule.

[[File:Grace O'Malley00.jpg|right|thumb|[[Grace O'Malley]] meeting Queen Elizabeth I]]
The Anglo-Normans encouraged and established many religious orders from continental Europe to settle in Ireland. Mendicant orders—[[Augustinians]], [[Carmelites]], [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]] and [[Franciscans]] began new settlements across Ireland and built large churches, many under the patronage of prominent [[Gaels|Gaelic]] families. Some of these sites include [[Cong, County Mayo|Cong]], [[Strade]], [[Ballintubber]], [[Errew Abbey]], [[Burrishoole Friary|Burrishoole Abbey]] and [[School of Mayo|Mayo Abbey]].<ref name="Anglo-Norman">{{cite web|url=http://www.uni-due.de/LI/Anglo_Norman.htm|title=Universität Duisburg-Essen: Language in Ireland|access-date=2013-04-26|archive-date=25 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425004208/http://www.uni-due.de/LI/Anglo_Norman.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> During the 15th and 16th centuries, despite regular conflicts between them as England chopped and changed between religious beliefs, the Irish usually regarded the King of England as their King. When [[Elizabeth I]] came to the throne in the mid-16th century, the English people, as was customary at that time, followed the religious practices of the reigning monarch and became Protestant. Many Irish people such as [[Grace O'Malley]], the famous pirate queen, had close relationships with the English monarchy, and the English kings and queens were welcome visitors to Irish shores. The Irish however, generally held onto their Catholic religious practices and beliefs. The early plantations of settlers in Ireland began during the reign of Queen Mary in the mid-16th century and continued throughout the long reign of [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] until 1603. By then the term ''County Mayo'' had come into use. In the summer of 1588, the galleons of the [[Spanish Armada]] were wrecked by storms along the west coast of Ireland. Some of the hapless Spaniards came ashore in Mayo, only to be robbed and imprisoned, and in many cases slaughtered.

Almost all the religious foundations set up by the Anglo-Normans were suppressed in the wake of the [[Reformation]] in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/history/15411598.html|title=History of Ireland 1541 - 1598: Protestant Reformation and the Offaly & Munster Plantations|website=www.wesleyjohnston.com|access-date=5 July 2010|archive-date=14 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414041550/http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/history/15411598.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Protestantism|Protestant]] settlers from [[Scotland]], [[England]], and elsewhere in Ireland, settled in the County in the early 17th century. Many would be killed or forced to flee because of the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641|1641 Rebellion]], during which a number of massacres were committed by the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Gaels|Gaelic]] Irish, most notably at [[Shrule]] in 1642. A third of the overall population was reported to have perished due to warfare, famine and plague between 1641 and 1653, with several areas remaining disturbed and frequented by [[Whiteboys|Reparees]] into the 1670s.

===17th and 18th centuries===
[[File:Guillermo Brown 1865.jpg|thumb|right|[[William Brown (admiral)|William Brown]] is considered to be a founding father and national hero in [[Argentina]] thanks to his efforts during the [[Argentine War of Independence]] and subsequent wars to defend the newfound nation]]
Pirate Queen [[Grace O'Malley]] is probably the best-known person from County Mayo between the mid-16th century and the turn of the 17th century.<ref>{{cite web | last = Chambers | first = Anne | title = Grace O'Malley - Time Line | url = http://www.graceomalley.com/timeline.php | access-date = 18 August 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131026061513/http://www.graceomalley.com/timeline.php | archive-date = 26 October 2013}}</ref> In the 1640s, when Oliver Cromwell overthrew the English monarchy and set up a parliamentarian government, Ireland suffered severely. With a stern regime in absolute control needing to pay its armies and allies, the need to pay them with grants of land in Ireland led to the '[[to hell or to Connaught]]' policies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.libraryireland.com/IrishIndependence/22.php|title="Hell or Connacht," 1653-1654|website=www.libraryireland.com|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620075816/https://www.libraryireland.com/IrishIndependence/22.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Displaced native Irish families from other (eastern and southern mostly) parts of the country were either forced to leave the country or were awarded grants of land 'west of the Shannon' and put off their own lands in the east. The land in the west was divided and sub-divided between more and more people as huge estates were granted on the best land in the east to those who best pleased the English.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irish-society.org/Hedgemaster%20Archives/Cromwell_2.htm |title=The Irish Cultural Society of the Garden City Area |access-date=2007-11-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011165306/http://www.irish-society.org/Hedgemaster%20Archives/Cromwell_2.htm |archive-date=11 October 2007}}</ref> Mayo does not seem to have been affected much during the [[Williamite War in Ireland]], though many natives were outlawed and exiled.

For the vast majority of people in County Mayo the 18th century was a period of unrelieved misery. Because of the [[Penal Laws against Irish Catholics|penal laws]], Catholics had no hope of social advancement while they remained in their native land. Some, like [[William Brown (admiral)|William Brown]] (1777–1857), left Foxford with his family at the age of nine and thirty years later was an admiral in the fledgeling Argentine Navy. Today he is a national hero in that country.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.con-telegraph.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=326:illustrious-and-amazing-career-of-admiral-william-brown&catid=52:mayo-history&Itemid=89 |title=Illustrious and amazing career of Admiral William Brown |access-date=5 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718052150/http://www.con-telegraph.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=326:illustrious-and-amazing-career-of-admiral-william-brown&catid=52:mayo-history&Itemid=89 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The general unrest in Ireland was felt just as keenly across Mayo, and as the 19th century approached and news reached Ireland about the [[American War of Independence]] and the [[French Revolution]], the downtrodden Irish, constantly suppressed by Government policies and decisions from Dublin and London, began to rally themselves for their own stand against British rule in their country. 1798 saw Mayo become a central part of the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|United Irishmen Rebellion]] when [[Jean Joseph Amable Humbert|General Humbert]] from France landed in [[Killala]] with over 1,000 soldiers playing to support the main uprising.  They marched across the county towards the administrative centre of Castlebar, leading to the [[Battle of Castlebar]]. Taking the garrison by surprise Humbert's army was victorious. He established a [[Irish Republic (1798)|' Republic of Connacht']] with [[John Moore (Irish politician)|John Moore]] of the Moore family from [[Moore Hall, County Mayo|Moore Hall]] near Partry as its head. Humbert's army marched on towards Sligo, Leitrim and Longford where they were suddenly faced with a massive British army and were forced to surrender in less than half an hour. The French soldiers were treated honourably, but for the Irish the surrender meant slaughter. Many died on the scaffold in towns like Castlebar and Claremorris, where the high sheriff for County Mayo, the Honourable [[Denis Browne (politician)|Denis Browne]], M.P., brother of Lord Altamont, wreaked a terrible vengeance – thus earning for himself the nickname which has survived in folk memory to the present day, 'Donnchadh an Rópa' (Denis of the Rope).

In the 18th century and early 19th century, sectarian tensions arose as evangelical Protestant missionaries sought to 'redeem the Irish poor from the errors of Popery'. One of the best known was the [[Edward Nangle|Rev. Edward Nangle]]'s mission at Dugort in [[Achill Island|Achill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mayococo.ie/en/Services/Environment/LeisureAmenities/Beaches/Doogort/|title=Mayo County Council - County Mayo, Ireland -- Doogort|website=www.mayococo.ie|access-date=6 July 2010|archive-date=17 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017111506/http://www.mayococo.ie/en/Services/Environment/LeisureAmenities/Beaches/Doogort/|url-status=live}}</ref> These too were the years of the campaign for [[Catholic emancipation]] and, later, for the abolition of the tithes, which a predominately Catholic population was forced to pay for the upkeep of the clergy of the Established (Protestant) Church.

===19th and 20th centuries===
[[File:Michael davitt.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Michael Davitt]] spearheaded rural agrarian agitation as a leading figure in the [[Land League]]]]
During the early years of the 19th&nbsp;century, famine was a common occurrence, particularly where population pressure was a problem. The population of Ireland grew to over eight million people prior to the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Irish Famine]] (or Great Famine) of 1845–47. The Irish people depended on the potato crop for their sustenance. Disaster struck in August 1845, when a killer fungus (later diagnosed as [[Phytophthora infestans]]) started to destroy the potato crop. When widespread famine struck, about a million people died and a further million left the country. People died in the fields of starvation and disease. The catastrophe was particularly bad in County Mayo, where nearly ninety per cent of the population depended on the potato as their staple food. By 1848, Mayo was a county of total misery and despair, with any attempts at alleviating measures in complete disarray.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.libraryireland.com/articles/FamineBelmulletFriends/index.php|title=Irish Famine Report from Belmullet, County Mayo (1847)|website=www.libraryireland.com|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620075818/https://www.libraryireland.com/articles/FamineBelmulletFriends/index.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are numerous reminders of the Great Famine to be seen on the Mayo landscape: workhouse sites, famine graves, sites of soup kitchens, deserted homes and villages and even traces of undug 'lazy-beds' in fields on the sides of hills. Many roads and lanes were built as famine relief measures. There were nine workhouses in the county: Ballina, Ballinrobe, Belmullet, Castlebar, Claremorris, Killala, Newport, Swinford and Westport.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mayohistory.com/H18to19.htm |title=County Mayo:An Outline History - Part 3 |access-date=5 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528145751/http://www.mayohistory.com/H18to19.htm |archive-date=28 May 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A small poverty-stricken place called [[Knock Shrine|Knock]], County Mayo, made headlines when it was announced that an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John had taken place there on 21 August 1879, witnessed by fifteen local people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.knockshrine.ie/history/witnesses-accounts/|title=Witnesses Accounts - Knock Museum Collection - Marian Shrine - Knock Shrine - Ireland's National Marian Shrine - Shrine Mayo|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524194404/https://www.knockshrine.ie/history/witnesses-accounts/|archive-date=24 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A national movement was initiated in County Mayo during 1879 by [[Michael Davitt]], [[James Daly (Irish Land League)|James Daly]], and others, which brought about a major social change in Ireland. Michael Davitt, a labourer whose family had moved to England joined forces with [[Charles Stewart Parnell]] to win back the land for the people from the landlords and stop evictions for non-payment of rents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishidentity.com/stories/parnelldav.htm|title=Parnell and Davitt|website=www.irishidentity.com|access-date=5 July 2010|archive-date=23 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923225910/http://irishidentity.com/stories/parnelldav.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The organisation became known as the [[Irish National Land League]], and its struggle to win rights for poor farmers in Ireland was known as the [[Land War]].

It was in this era of agrarian unrest that a new verb was introduced to the English language by Mayo – "to [[boycott]]". [[Charles Boycott]] was an English landlord deeply unpopular with his tenants. When Charles Steward Parnell made a speech in [[Ennis]], [[County Clare]], urging [[nonviolent resistance]] against landlords, his tactics were enthusiastically taken in Mayo against Boycott. The entire Catholic community around [[Lough Mask]] in South Mayo where Boycott had his estate became a campaign of total social ostracisation against Boycott, a tactic that would one day come to bear his name. The campaign against Boycott became a {{lang|fr|[[cause célèbre]]}} in the British press after he wrote a letter to ''[[The Times]]''. The British elite rallied to his cause and Fifty [[Orange Institution|Orangemen]] from [[County Cavan]] and [[County Monaghan]] travelled to his estate to harvest the crops, while a regiment of the [[19th Royal Hussars]] and more than 1,000 men of the [[Royal Irish Constabulary]] were deployed to protect the harvesters. However, the cost of doing this was completely uneconomic; it cost the British government somewhere in the region of £10,000 to simply harvest £500 worth of crops. Boycott sold off the estate and the British government's resolve to try to break boycotts in this completely dissolved, resulting in victory for the tenants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/looking-at-places/mayo/michael-davitt/captain-boycott/|title=Captain Boycott|website=www.askaboutireland.ie|access-date=5 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324033635/http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/looking-at-places/mayo/michael-davitt/captain-boycott/|archive-date=24 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{multiple image|perrow = 2|total_width=300
| align = right
| footer_align = center
| image1 = Mary Robinson (2014).jpg
| caption1 = 
| image2 = Enda Kenny 2009.jpg
| caption2 = 
| footer = Mayo figures such as [[Mary Robinson]] and [[Enda Kenny]] were influential both nationally and internationally in the modern era. 
}}
The "Land Question" was gradually resolved by a scheme of state-aided land purchase schemes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/irish-land-question|title=Irish Land Question - Encyclopedia.com|website=www.encyclopedia.com|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620075816/https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/irish-land-question|url-status=live}}</ref> The tenants became the owners of their lands under the newly set-up [[Irish Land Commission|Land Commission]].

A Mayo nun, Mother [[Agnes Bernard|Agnes Morrogh-Bernard]], set up the Foxford Woollen Mill in 1892. She made Foxford synonymous throughout the world with high-quality tweeds, rugs and blankets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ireland.com/en-us/what-is-available/|title=See & Do|website=Ireland.com|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620075816/https://www.ireland.com/en-us/what-is-available/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.museumsofmayo.com/foxford1.htm|title=The Woollen Mills Tour at Foxford Woollen Mills, Foxford,County Mayo, West of Ireland|website=www.museumsofmayo.com|access-date=5 July 2010|archive-date=23 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123040447/http://www.museumsofmayo.com/foxford1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mayo, as all parts of what became the [[Irish Free State]], was affected by the events of the [[Irish revolutionary period]], including the [[Irish War of Independence]] and the subsequent [[Irish Civil War]]. Major [[John MacBride]] of Westport was amongst those who took part in the 1916 [[Easter Rising]] and was subsequently executed by the British for his participation. His death served as a rallying call for Republicans in Mayo and led to Mayo men such as [[P. J. Ruttledge]], [[Ernie O'Malley]], [[Michael Kilroy]] and [[Thomas Derrig]] to rise up during the War of Independence. In the ensuing Civil War, many of these leading figures chose the [[Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)|Anti-treaty side]] and fought in bitter battles such as those in Ballina, which changed hands between pro and anti-treaty forces a number of times.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, there was a consolidation of many of those with anti-treaty feelings into the new political party [[Fianna Fáil]]. PJ Ruttledge and Thomas Derrig would become founding members of the party and served in [[Éamon de Valera]]'s first-ever Fianna Fáil government as ministers. Mayo politicians would continue to contribute to the national political scene over the decades. In 1990 [[Mary Robinson]], from County Mayo, became the first-ever female [[President of Ireland]], and is widely credited with revitalising the position with importance and focus it had never possessed before. During her tenure she unveiled Ireland's [[Murrisk Millennium Peace Park#National Famine Memorial|National Famine Memorial]] which is situated in the village of [[Murrisk]], County Mayo.

In 2011 [[Enda Kenny]] became the first politician from a Mayo constituency and the second Mayo native to serve as [[Taoiseach]], the head of government of Ireland. Kenny went on to become the longest-serving [[Fine Gael]] Taoiseach in Irish history.<ref name=RTE-LongestFG01a>{{cite web |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0420/868854-politics_fine_gael/ |title=Kenny becomes Fine Gael's longest-serving Taoiseach |publisher=RTE |date=20 April 2017 |access-date=21 April 2017 |quote=Enda Kenny has become Fine Gael's longest-serving Taoiseach, having equalled the record of John A Costello yesterday. Today is Mr Kenny's 2,234th day in office. |archive-date=21 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421032630/http://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0420/868854-politics_fine_gael/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Clans and families===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2010}}

In the early historic period, what is now County Mayo consisted of a number of large kingdoms, minor lordships and [[Faulagh|tribes of obscure origins]]. They included:

* [[Calraige]]            – pre-historic tribe found in the parishes of [[Attymass]], [[Kilgarvan]], [[Crossmolina]] and the [[River Moy]]
* [[Ciarraige]]           – settlers from [[Munster]] found in south-east Mayo around [[Kiltimagh]] and west [[County Roscommon]]
* [[Conmhaícne|Conmaicne]] – a people located in the [[barony (country subdivision)|barony]] of [[Kilmaine]], alleged descendants of [[Fergus mac Róich]]
* [[Fir Domnann]]         – branch of the [[Laigin]], originally from [[United Kingdom|Britain]], located in [[Erris]]
* [[Gamanraige]]          – pre-historic [[kings of Connacht]], famous for battle with [[Medb]] & [[Ailill mac Máta|Ailill]] of [[Rathcroghan|Cruachan]] in [[Táin Bó Flidhais]]. Based in [[Erris]], [[Carrowmore Lake]], [[Killala Bay]], [[Lough Conn]]
* [[Gailenga]]            – kingdom extending east from [[Castlebar]] to adjoining parts of Mayo
* [[Uí Fiachrach]] Muidhe – a sept of the [[Connachta]], based around [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]], some of whom were [[kings of Connacht]]
* [[Partraige]]           – a pre-[[Gaels|Gaelic]] people of [[Lough Mask]] and [[Lough Carra]], namesakes of [[Partry]]
* [[Umaill]]              – kingdom surrounding [[Clew Bay]], east towards [[Castlebar]], its rulers adopted the surname [[O'Malley (surname)|O'Malley]]

==Politics==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2022}}

===Local government and political subdivisions===
{{Main|Mayo County Council}}
[[Mayo County Council]] is the authority responsible for [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|local government]]. As a [[county council]], it is governed by the [[Local Government Act 2001]]. The county is divided into four municipal districts of Ballina, Castlebar, Claremorris and Westport–Belmullet, each with a population of roughly 32,000 to 34,000 people. The council is responsible for [[House|housing]] and community, roads and [[transport]]ation, [[urban planning]] and development, amenity and [[culture]], and [[natural environment|environment]].

County Mayo is divided into six [[local electoral area]]s (LEAs). Councillors are elected for a five-year term.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Local election areas set to be redrawn again |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/news/32237-local-election-areas-set-to-be-redrawn-again |work=Mayo News |access-date=18 April 2020 |archive-date=30 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130071857/http://www.mayonews.ie/news/32237-local-election-areas-set-to-be-redrawn-again |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Local electoral area
! Number of councillors
|-
| [[Castlebar]]
| 7
|-
| [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]]
| 6
|-
| [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]]
| 4
|-
| [[Belmullet]]
| 3
|-
| [[Claremorris]]
| 6
|-
| [[Swinford]]
| 4
|}

The [[county town]] is at ''Áras an Contae'' in [[Castlebar]], the main population centre located in the centre of the county.

===National politics===
{{Main|Mayo (Dáil constituency)}}
Since 2016, Mayo has been represented on a national political level by four [[Teachta Dála|TDs]] who represent the constituency of Mayo in [[Dáil Éireann]]. Previous to 2016 the constituency had five TDs but this was reduced based on the county's current population in line with [[proportional representation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/1999-cabinet-approves-reduction-from-5-to-4-tds-in-mayo |title=Cabinet approves reduction from 5 to 4 TDs in Mayo |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=25 July 2012 |website=midwestradio.ie |access-date=18 April 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The [[electoral division (Ireland)|electoral divisions]] of Cong, Dalgan, Houndswood, Kilmaine, Neale, Shrule, in the former Rural District of Ballinrobe, are in [[Galway West (Dáil constituency)|Galway West]].

====Voting patterns and political history====
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2022}} 
Historically, Mayo has tended to vote [[Fianna Fáil]], as Fianna Fáil managed to position themselves in the 20th century as the party best fit to represent farmers with small holdings, who were plentiful in Mayo. With so many of Mayo's electorate being small farmers, the county became a base for the emergence of [[Clann na Talmhan]], an agrarian party in the 1940s and 1950s. Clann an Talmhan's second leader, [[Joseph Blowick]] came from South Mayo and that is where his seat was. The party was not able to last in the long run though as it was unable to hold together its voting bloc of both small farmers in the west of Ireland and large farmers in the east.

Towards the start of the 21st century, the balance of power in Mayo began to shift towards Fine Gael, thanks in part to the emergence of [[Enda Kenny]] and [[Michael Ring]]. Kenny, who became [[Taoiseach]] in 2011, led Fine Gael to a historic victory in the [[2011 Irish general election]] which included securing four out of five available seats for his party in Mayo.

In 2020, Rose Conway-Walsh came within 200 votes of topping the poll and became the first Sinn Féin TD for Mayo since 1927, riding a nationwide surge for Sinn Féin that year.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Historic day as Conway-Walsh is elected |url=https://www.con-telegraph.ie/election2020/roundup/articles/2020/02/09/4185516-historic-day-as-conwaywalsh-is-elected/ |work=[[Connaught Telegraph]] |date=9 February 2020 |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=3 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303092012/https://www.con-telegraph.ie/election2020/roundup/articles/2020/02/09/4185516-historic-day-as-conwaywalsh-is-elected/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Despite being historically the third-largest party in Ireland, [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour]] has struggled to ever make inroads into Mayo. The party has only ever had one TD for Mayo, former party leader [[Thomas J. O'Connell]], who represented South Mayo between 1927 and 1932. While Labour has not proven itself electorally successful in Mayo, Mayo has provided important members to the Labour Party. Mary Robinson from Ballina became the first-ever female President of Ireland as a Labour candidate while [[Pat Rabbitte]], originally from Claremorris, served as [[Leader of the Labour Party (Ireland)|leader of the Labour Party]] from 2002 to 2007. Serving alongside Rabbitte was [[Emmet Stagg]], one of the longest-standing Labour TDs of the modern era, himself from [[Hollymount]] not far from Claremorris.

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
| state=collapsed
|1580|22080
|1585|23920
|1600|24950
|1610|25799
|1653|27211
|1659|29967
|1668|38991
|1672|55202
|1680|59886
|1690|63445
|1700|71224
|1710|78555
|1725|90557
|1781|123207
|1788|155768
|1790|195668
|1801|225799
|1811|231798
|1813|267668
|1816|251334
|1821|293112
|1831|366328
|1841|388887
|1851|274499
|1861|254796
|1871|246030
|1881|245212
|1891|219034
|1901|199166
|1911|192177
|1926|172690
|1936|161349
|1946|148120
|1951|141867
|1956|133052
|1961|123330
|1966|115547
|1971|109525
|1979|114019
|1981|114766
|1986|115184
|1991|110713
|1996|111524
|2002|117446
|2006|123839
|2011|130638
|2016|130507
|2022|137231
||footnote=<ref name=cso2022/><ref>For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865.</ref><ref>[http://www.cso.ie/census Census for post 1821 figures.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050309005718/http://www.cso.ie/census/ |date=9 March 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.histpop.org  |title=Histpop - The Online Historical Population Reports Website |date= |website=www.histpop.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507023856/http://www.histpop.org/ |archive-date=7 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census |title=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency - Census Home Page |access-date=2010-07-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217095720/http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census |archive-date=17 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book
| last=Lee|first=J. J.| author-link =J. J. Lee (historian)|editor-last=Goldstrom|editor-first=J. M.|editor2-last=Clarkson
| editor2-first=L. A.|title=Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell
| year=1981|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford, England
| chapter=On the accuracy of the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Pre-famine]] Irish censuses}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Mokyr | first1 = Joel
| author-link = Joel Mokyr | last2 = Ó Gráda | first2 = Cormac
| author2-link = Cormac Ó Gráda | title = New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850 | journal = The Economic History Review | volume = 37 | issue = 4
| pages = 473–488 |date=November 1984
| url = http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract | archive-url = https://archive.today/20121204160709/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2012-12-04 | doi = 10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x
| hdl = 10197/1406| hdl-access = free | url-access = subscription }}</ref><ref name=cso2016>{{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=CTY31&Geog_Code=2AE19629149313A3E055000000000001 | title = Census 2016 Sapmap Area: County Mayo | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] | access-date = 5 October 2018 | archive-date = 6 October 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181006035045/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=CTY31&Geog_Code=2AE19629149313A3E055000000000001 | url-status = live }}</ref>
}}
Irish history has been defined by waves of emigration due to push and pull factors. Mayo was one of the counties most depopulated by emigration in the ninetieth and twentieth century. Initially triggered by starvation during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]], the population fell from 388,887 to 274,830 between 1841 and 1851.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Emigration from Mayo |url=https://www.mayo.ie/library/local-history/historical-events/emigration |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=MayoCoCo |language=en}}</ref> Then in search of work in the newly industrialising United Kingdom and the United States, the population plummeted from 388,887 in 1841 to 199,166 in 1901. It reached a low of 109,525 in 1971. Emigration slowed dramatically as the Irish economy began to expand in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the population of Mayo increased from 110,713 in 1991 to 130,638 in 2011.{{Citation needed|reason=numbers referenced are not common knowledge nor are the trends implicated by this data|date=July 2024}}

===Religion===
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2022}}
In the 2006 National Census, the religious demographic breakdown for County Mayo was 114,215 Roman Catholics, 2,476 Church of Ireland, 733 Muslims, 409 other Christians, 280 Presbyterians, 250 Orthodox Christians, 204 Methodists, 853 other stated religions, 3,267 no religion and 1,152 no stated religion.

===Irish language===
[[File:Irishin1871.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The distribution of the [[Irish language]] in 1871. Mayo's relative remoteness meant that Irish was still widely spoken decades after the Great Famine and is still spoken today in the north-west of the county]]
9% of the population of County Mayo live in the [[Gaeltacht]]. The Gaeltacht Irish-speaking region in County Mayo is the third-largest in Ireland with 10,886 inhabitants. These Irish-speaking areas of Mayo contain 5,956 Irish speakers.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpp8/censusofpopulation2022profile8-theirishlanguageandeducation/irishlanguageandthegaeltacht/|title=Census of Population 2022 Profile 8 - The Irish Language and Education|access-date=22 September 2024|website=Central Statistics Office (Ireland)}}</ref> [[Tourmakeady]] is the largest village in this area. All schools in the area use Irish as the language of instruction. Mayo has four gaelscoileanna in its four major towns,{{which|date=March 2022}} providing primary education to students through Irish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/en/category/schools/primary/mayo/|title=Mayo : Gaelscoileanna – Irish Medium Education|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620075817/http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/en/category/schools/primary/mayo/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=March 2022}}

==Transport==
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2022}}
[[File:Mayo border sign.jpg|thumb|right|County border sign on the N60 road|280px]]

===Rail===
[[Westport railway station, Mayo|Westport railway station]] is the terminus station on the [[Dublin-Westport/Galway railway line|Dublin to Westport Rail service]]. Railway stations are also located at [[Ballyhaunis railway station|Ballyhaunis]], [[Claremorris railway station|Claremorris]], [[Castlebar railway station|Castlebar]], [[Manulla Junction railway station|Manulla]], [[Ballina railway station|Ballina]] and [[Foxford railway station|Foxford]]. All railway stations are located on the same railway line, with the exception of [[Ballina railway station|Ballina]] and [[Foxford railway station|Foxford]] which requires passengers to change at [[Manulla Junction railway station|Manulla Junction]]. There are currently four services each way every day on the line.

There are also proposals to reopen the currently disused [[Western Railway Corridor]] connecting [[Limerick]] with [[Sligo]].

===Road===
There are a number of [[national primary road]]s in the county including the [[N5 road (Ireland)|N5 road]] connecting [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]] with [[Dublin]], the [[N17 road (Ireland)|N17 road]] connecting the county with [[Galway]] and [[Sligo]] and the [[N26 road (Ireland)|N26 road]] connecting [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]] with [[Dublin]] via the N5. There are a number of [[national secondary road]]s in the county also including the [[N58 road (Ireland)|N58 road]], [[N59 road (Ireland)|N59 road]], [[N60 road (Ireland)|N60 road]], [[N83 road (Ireland)|N83 road]] & [[N84 road (Ireland)|N84 road]]. As of 2021, a new road running from northwest of Westport to east of Castlebar is under construction. The road is a dual carriageway with junctions at the N59, N84 and N60 and will open in late 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.regdesign.com/?page_id=493|title=► N5 Westport to Turlough Road Project – Mayo National Roads Design Office|website=www.regdesign.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-11-20|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201080742/http://www.regdesign.com/?page_id=493|url-status=live}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2021|reason=Source given does not document the dual carriageway discussed}}

===Air===
[[Ireland West Airport]] is an international airport located in the county. The name is derived from the nearby village of [[Knock, County Mayo|Knock]]. Recent years have seen the airport's passenger numbers grow to over 650,000 yearly with a number of UK and European destinations. August 2014 saw the airport have its busiest month on record with 102,774 passengers using the airport.

==Places of interest==
[[File:Cliffs CtyMayo IRE.jpg|thumb|upright|Cliffs along the Atlantic coastline of County Mayo, near [[Ballycastle, County Mayo|Ballycastle]]]]

{{div col|colwidth=28em}}
* [[Ashford Castle]]
* [[Ballintubber Abbey]]
* [[Blacksod Lighthouse]]
* [[Broadhaven Bay]]
* [[Burrishoole Friary|Burrishoole Abbey]]
* [[Céide Fields]]
* [[Clare Island]]
* [[Cong Abbey]]
* [[Croagh Patrick]]
* [[Eagle Island lighthouse]]
* [[Erris]]
* [[Granuaile's Castle]], Clare Island
* [[Great Western Greenway]]
* [[Joyce Country]]
* [[Killala Bay]]
* [[Knock Shrine]]
* [[List of roads of County Mayo#Designated scenic roads|List of designated Scenic Roads in County Mayo]] 
* [[Lough Mask]]
* [[Mayo Peace Park]]
* [[Moore Hall, County Mayo|Moore Hall]]
* [[Moygownagh]]
* [[Mullet Peninsula]]
* [[Murrisk Abbey]]
* [[Murrisk Millennium Peace Park]]
* [[National Museum of Ireland – Country Life]]
* [[Murrisk Millennium Peace Park#National Famine Memorial|National Famine Memorial]]
* [[Nephin]]
* [[Partry Mountains]]
* [[Rockfleet Castle]]
* [[Sruwaddacon Bay]]
* [[Tourmakeady]]
* [[Uggool Beach]]
* [[Westport House]]
* [[Wild Nephin National Park]]
{{div col end}}

==Media==
[[Image:Flag of County Mayo.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mayo GAA]] flag|250px]]
Newspapers in County Mayo include ''[[The Mayo News]]'', the ''[[Connaught Telegraph]]'', the ''[[Connacht Tribune]]'', ''[[Western People]]'', and ''Mayo Advertiser'', which is Mayo's only free newspaper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.advertiser.ie/index.php/mayo|title=Mayo News, Sport, Business, Classifieds - Mayo Advertiser|website=www.advertiser.ie|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620075817/https://www.advertiser.ie/index.php/mayo|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Mayo Now'' is a monthly entertainment and culture magazine for the towns of Ballina, Foxford, Killala, Crossmolina and surrounding areas  – this is out on the first Friday of each month.

Mayo has its own online TV channel ''Mayo TV'' which was launched in 2011. It covers news and events from around the county and regularly broadcasts live to a worldwide audience. Local radio stations include Erris FM, Community Radio Castlebar, Westport Community Radio, BCR FM (Ballina Community Radio) and M.W.R. ([[MidWest Radio|Mid West Radio]]).

The documentary ''Pipe Down'', which won best feature documentary at the 2009 Waterford Film Festival, was made in Mayo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/8668733|title=Pipe Down|website=Vimeo|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=30 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530152815/https://vimeo.com/8668733|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Energy==
[[File:Justice for the Rossport 5.jpg|thumb|'Justice' (for the [[Rossport Five]]) mowed in Ros Dumhach hay field]]

===Energy controversy===
{{Main|Corrib gas project|Corrib gas controversy}}
There is local resistance to [[Royal Dutch Shell|Shell]]'s decision to process raw [[natural gas|gas]] from the [[Corrib gas field]] at an onshore terminal. In 2005, five local men were jailed for [[contempt of court]] after refusing to follow an Irish court order. Subsequent protests against the project led to the [[Shell to Sea]] and related campaigns.

===Energy audit===
The Mayo Energy Audit 2009–2020 is an investigation into the implications of [[peak oil]] and subsequent [[fossil fuel|fossil fuel depletion]] for a [[rural area|rural]] county in west of Ireland. The study draws together many different strands to examine current [[energy supply]] and demand within the area of study, and assesses these demands in
the face of the challenges posed by the declining production of [[fossil fuels]] and expected disruptions to supply chains, and by long-term economic [[recession]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sustainability.ie/energyplan.html |title=Mayo Energy Audit - A preliminary assessment of a rural county's chances of surviving peak oil |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620011331/http://www.sustainability.ie/energyplan.html |archive-date=20 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.energybulletin.net/node/47704 |title=Mayo Energy Audit (Review) &#124; Energy Bulletin |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612024724/http://energybulletin.net/node/47704 |archive-date=12 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://zone5.org/why-do-my-dogs-paws-smell-like-popcorn/|title=Why Do My Dog's Paws Smell Like Popcorn?|date=17 August 2015|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107030814/http://zone5.org/why-do-my-dogs-paws-smell-like-popcorn/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Sport==
[[File:Croke Park from the Hill - 2004 All-Ireland Football Championship Final.jpg|thumb|[[Croke Park]] kitted out in the Mayo colours for the [[2004 All Ireland Senior Football Final|2004 All-Ireland Senior Football Final]]]]
The [[Mayo GAA]] senior team last won the [[Sam Maguire Cup]] in 1951, when the team was captained by [[Seán Flanagan]]. The team's third title followed victories in 1936 and the previous year, 1950. Since 1951, the team have made numerous [[List of All-Ireland Senior Football Championship finals|All-Ireland Final]] appearances (in 1989, twice in 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013, twice again in 2016 against Dublin, 2017, 2020, with their latest appearance being against Tyrone in the 2021 final), though the team have failed on all occasions to achieve victory over their opponents.

The team's unofficial supporters club are Mayo Club '51, named after the last team who won the Sam Maguire. The county colours of Mayo GAA are traditionally green and red.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/provinces-and-counties/about-county/county-colours/ |title=County Colours &#124; About County &#124; Provinces & Counties &#124; About the GAA &#124; GAA.ie |access-date=2014-07-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705195711/http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/provinces-and-counties/about-county/county-colours/ |archive-date=5 July 2014 }}</ref>

The county's most popular association football teams are [[Westport United F.C.|Westport United]] and [[Castlebar Celtic F.C.|Castlebar Celtic]].

Although [[Gaelic football]] and [[association football]] are the most popular sport in the county, other sports are popular in the county as well such as rugby, basketball, hurling, swimming, tennis, badminton, athletics, handball and racquetball.

==Notable people==
<!-- Please only add internationally known people who were either born in Mayo or are affiliated with the county. -->
{{main|List of people from County Mayo}}
{{See also|Category:People from County Mayo}}
[[File:Enda Kenny EPP 2014 (cropped).jpg|thumb|120px|right|[[Enda Kenny]]]]
* [[Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo]] (1822–1872) – [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy of India]] (1869–1872)
* [[Patrick Browne (physician)|Patrick Browne]] (1720–1790) – physician and botanist
* [[Michael Davitt]] (1846–1906) – [[Irish republicanism|Irish republican]], [[agrarianism|agrarian]] campaigner, [[Trades union|labour leader]], [[Irish Home Rule movement|Home Rule]] politician and Member of Parliament (MP) who founded the [[Irish National Land League]].
* [[Grace O'Malley]] (circa 1530 – circa 1603) – Lord of the [[Kings of Umhaill|O'Malley]] dynasty in the 16th century
* [[William Brown (admiral)|Admiral William Brown]] (1777–1857) – Founder of the [[Argentine Navy]]
* [[Charles Haughey]] (1925–2006) – [[Taoiseach]] of Ireland (1979–1982; 1987–1992)
* [[Enda Kenny]] (born 1951) – Politician, leader of [[Fine Gael]] (2002–2017), and [[Taoiseach]] of Ireland (2011–2017)
* [[John MacBride]] (1868–1916) – Republican and military leader, executed by the British for his participation in the 1916 [[Easter Rising]]
* [[William O'Dwyer]] (1890–1964) – 100th mayor of [[New York City]] (1946–1950)
* [[Michael Ring]] (born 1953) – Politician and [[Mayo (Dáil constituency)|Mayo]] TD, [[Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht|Minister for Rural and Community Development]] (2017–2020)<ref>{{cite news |last=Murtagh |first=Peter |date=28 February 2016 |title=Profile: Michael Ring (FG) |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/profile-michael-ring-fg-1.2552780 |work=[[The Irish Times]] |access-date=18 July 2024}}</ref>
* [[Mary Robinson]] (born 1944) – First female [[President of Ireland]] (1990–1997), and [[United Nations]] High Commissioner for [[Human rights]].
* [[Millie Robinson]] (1924–1994) – Cyclist: first winner of [[Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale|women's Tour de France]] (1955) and holder of women's world [[hour record]] (1958)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Belbin |first1=Giles |date=25 August 2022 |title=Millie and her bike were joined at the hip': Remembering Millie Robinson, Britain's forgotten champion |url=https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/millie-robinson-profile |access-date=14 February 2024 |work=Cyclist}}</ref>
* [[Sally Rooney]] (born 1991) – Author (''[[Conversations with Friends]]'', ''[[Normal People]]''), and screenwriter
* [[John Ruane]] (1936–2006) – American jockey, born County Mayo<ref>{{cite web |url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1958051402/drf1958051402_11_7 |title=Ruane to Get Award |work=Daily Racing Form Archives |publisher=[[University of Kentucky]] |date=14 May 1958 |access-date=10 March 2024}}</ref>
* [[Martin Sheridan]], [[Olympic Games]] gold medalist representing the United States
* [[Louis Walsh]] (born 1952) – Entertainment manager and judge on ''[[The X Factor]]'' (UK), and ''[[Ireland's Got Talent]]''

==See also==
* [[High Sheriff of Mayo]]
* [[List of monastic houses in Ireland#County Mayo|List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Mayo)]]
* [[List of loughs of County Mayo]]
* [[List of Mayo people]]
* [[List of mountains and hills of County Mayo]]
* [[List of rivers of County Mayo]]
* [[List of roads of County Mayo]]
* [[Lord Lieutenant of Mayo]]
* [[Mayo County Council]]
* [[River Robe (Ireland)|River Robe]]
* [[Táin Bó Flidhais]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage}}
{{EB1911 poster|Mayo}}
* [http://www.Con-telegraph.ie/ Connaught Telegraph]
* [http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/Mayo/History/FullHist.htm County Mayo: An Outline History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601224053/http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/Mayo/History/FullHist.htm |date=1 June 2013 }}
* [http://www.goldenlangan.com/ Family History in North County Mayo]
* [http://www.historicalballinrobe.com/index.aspx Historical Ballinrobe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729065442/http://www.historicalballinrobe.com/index.aspx |date=29 July 2012 }}
* [http://www.irishlanguageincountymayo.com/ Irish language in Mayo]
* [http://www.activeme.ie/guides/driving/wild-atlantic-way-co-mayo-route-map-and-guide-ireland/ Wild Atlantic Way Mayo Route Map and Guide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010072243/http://www.activeme.ie/guides/driving/wild-atlantic-way-co-mayo-route-map-and-guide-ireland/ |date=10 October 2016 }}
* [http://www.mayo.ie/ Mayo.ie]
* [http://www.mayococo.ie/ Mayo County Council's website]
* [http://www.mayonews.ie Mayo News]
* [http://www.mayopeacepark.ie The Mayo Peace Park and Garden of Remembrance]
* [http://www.westernpeople.ie/ Western People]

{{Geographic location
|North = [[Atlantic Ocean]]
|West = [[Atlantic Ocean]]
|Northeast = [[County Sligo]] [[File:Sligococo.png|30px]]
|Centre = County Mayo
|East = [[County Roscommon]] [[File:Logo-contea-Roscommon.png|30px]]
|South = [[County Galway]] [[File:Logogalwayco.png|30px]]
}}

{{Ireland counties}}
{{County Mayo}}{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|53|54|N|9|15|W|region:IE_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title}}

<!-- see [[WP:SUBCAT#Topic_article_rule]] -->

[[Category:County Mayo| ]]
[[Category:Connacht|Mayo]]
[[Category:Counties of the Republic of Ireland|Mayo]]
[[Category:Local government areas of the Republic of Ireland|Mayo]]