Mayo is the third largest county in Ireland comprising of 5586km2. Situated on the western edge of Europe, Mayo is greatly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. The coast alone boasts unique sandy beaches (for examples, Silver strand, Keel bay, Ross, Lacken strand), including internationally important sand dunes and machair habitats. There are also rocky shores (Mulranney) and sea cliffs (Achill, Downpatrick head) and islands large and small (Achill, Clare Island, Inisturk). The sea cliffs at Craoghaun on Achill island are amongst the highest in Europe. Unlike, other more famous sea cliffs they are not accessible by road but well worth a hike through steep alpine heath for the views alone. Mweelrea is the highest mountain in Mayo. It is situated just north of Killary Harbour, which is a natural fjord.
There are many ways to experience the nature of this wild and beautiful place. It seems that where ever you go your senses are assaulted by majestic scenery. The ever changing skies (for weather changes quickly in this part of the world, driven mainly by the Atlantic winds) only adds to the dramatic splendour. Locals often talk of experiencing four seasons in one day.
Ballycroy National Park is Ireland’s most recently established national park and lies in the North Western part of the county. The park comprises of 11,000 hectares of Atlantic blanket bog and wilderness dominated by the Nephin Beg mountain range. The park is rich in bogland flora including rare species such as Marsh saxifrage and Ivy-leaved bellflowers. It is also an important habitat for many protect bird species such as over-wintering Greenland White Fronted Geese.
Many of the county’s rivers are home to the Atlantic salmon along with a host of other wildlife including otters and kingfishes. Lakes such as Lough Conn, Corrib and Mask are famous for their wild brown trout. These limestone lakes support aquatic flora such as water crowfoot and fen pondweed, which are important food resources for over wintering wildfowl such as whooper swans and tufted duck.
There are also woodlands to explore. These are not the great expanses of woodland you’ll find in the UK or Europe but more remnants of what once was. Old oak trees covered in lichen, moss and ferns are like the trees in fairy tales (Oldhead and Brackloon).
Farming is an important occupation in County Mayo. Most of the farms are small. Livestock farming prevails; sheep farming concentrated on the west and north west coast, cattle or mixed livestock further inland. Farms are surrounds by a rich tapestry of hedgerows, particularly away from the coast, where stone walls or sod banks are more common. Hedgerows and walls are in themselves important wildlife habitats supporting hundreds of bird and insect species.
Another distinctive habitat found in County Mayo are Turloughs. These are temporary lakes. They are found mainly in the eastern half of the county were limestone dominates are bedrock. During wet weather the turloughs are full of water, but the water drains way through underground channels and they are often totally dry during the summer months.
Author & Photography
By Karina Dingerkus