Cannon’s COUNTY
As we head towards free movement within the country at the end of the month, people are starting to plan for their long-overdue staycation. Ireland is spectacularly beautiful and holidaying at home means no need to worry about airports, flights, queues, security, health and stress.
We have everything from beaches to bars, food to friendliness, activities and antiquities right on our doorstep.
Here, TV presenter Lisa Cannon takes us through her favourite Mayo hotspots, what to see, where to stay and eat if you decide to venture to The Yew county this summer...
Why visit Mayo? My favourite place to holiday in Ireland has to be Co Mayo because my father grew up in Castlebar and I love it. I’ve always gone down there as a child and I’ve spent summers there with my grandparents and my dad visiting Achill and Westport. I have a great affiliation with the town, we had a family pub on Market Square called Cannons. It was very much a country pub with a relaxed atmosphere and full of jovial memories. Many people would have grown up with my grandfather’s pub – it used to be nicknamed the Academy because a lot of people would have learned a lot in the pub, my grandfather was a very learned man. The old Irish pub tradition is an important part of our culture and heritage. As well as the family connection, Mayo has lots of great walks,
Lisa Cannon lovely food, Guinness and oysters, seafood chowder and late nights in the traditional pubs, the landscape, and the sea. Where to stay? If it’s a special occasion you can splash out and stay in Ashford Castle, it’s a real treat with the friendliest of staff. But there really is something for everyone, from fabulous hotels to Airbnb, in Mayo. Things to do? I would encourage people to go down to Westport, it’s beautiful. You can go to Westport House, they have a zoo there and a museum, where you can spend ages looking around and learning. There are so many beautiful nature walks, you can climb Croagh Patrick. The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and
The Quiet Man
Westport House
Old family pub
Maureen O’hara, was shot in Cong and there is a museum to the classic film there. There are a variety of restaurants around Westport, lots of fun activities taking place, from ceilis to trad music. If you rent a car you can drive around the spectacular county, you can go camping, surfing and horse riding. What makes it unique? The mysticism of Mayo, the culture, the craic and the ceoil, the beauty, the landscape, the people and most importantly for me anyway, it’s the familiarity. When I touch base in Mayo I feel like I have come home. The hidden treasure? You can stop outside Cannons pub and take a photograph. It’s one of the most important establishments in Co Mayo. It’s closed now but it was in operation until nearly the 90s. I get lots of photographs from people I don’t know as well as friends, family, relations, sending me lovely Whatsapp pictures of themselves with a big thumbs up outside the pub. So, it really has that uniqueness, everybody knows the pub, generations have grown up there.