The Father Peyton Memorial Centre is a place of respite, prayer and peace located in the village of Attymass, between the beautiful Attymass Lake and the scenic Ox Mountains.
Known as the Gateway to North, Ballina is situated on the banks of the River Moy, that lively and popular angling destination for enthusiasts. After Castlebar, Ballina is the next largest town in the county and is notable for being the birthplace of Ireland’s first woman president, Mary Robinson, a renowned champion of human rights, internationally.
Ballina has an annual Salmon Festival which incorporates music, food, crafts and
entertainment and of course, salmon. It is fast becoming one of the best festivals in the country. For one
week every July, the town is a hive of activity, appealing to young and old alike, with a host
of events, incorporating music, art and heritage, as well as a variety of cultural activities,
showcasing the best of Mayo.
History buffs are well-catered to in Ireland, with plenty written on the nation’s story by academics, writers and politicians alike. Less frequently does one find a repository of local history, which, carefully selected and curated, make up an impressive archive of the 20th century. The Jackie Clarke Collection is just that.
On 22nd of August 1798, the French General, Jean Joseph Amable Humbert led 1,000 men ashore after their ship sailed into Kilcummin, on the edge of Killala Bay. The French took over the home of Bishop Stock, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Killala, and turned it into their headquarters, before making their way towards Ballina and Castlebar. From here, they plotted their attack on the British in Castlebar.
On 22nd of August 1798, the French General, Jean Joseph Amable Humbert led 1,000 men ashore after their ship sailed into Kilcummin, on the edge of Killala Bay. The French took over the home of Bishop Stock, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Killala, and turned it into their headquarters, before making their way towards Ballina and Castlebar. From here, they plotted their attack on the British in Castlebar.
Killala Bay is formed out of the estuary of the River Moy and straddles counties Mayo and Sligo, forming part of the Wild Atlantic Way route. It has long been a place for famously good salmon fishing, a fact that became internationally known in part due to the second home of the Republic of Ireland’s football team manager, Jack Charlton.
Just outside Killala lies the ruins of Moyne Abbey, a Franciscan Friary, which is now a National Monument.
A beautiful beach in Killala Bay.
Located on the River Moy, in North Mayo, close to Moyne Abbey and between the towns of Killala and Ballina, Rosserk Friary is possibly the best preserved monastic site in Ireland. It was founded by the Joyce family in the middle of the 15th century for the benefit of the Franciscan Third Order Friars, an order which incorporated laymen into the order as well as female clerics, though Rosserk’s religious community was male only.
There is something profoundly literary about the life of a salmon. Born into the waters of a river, they head to the mouth of the river at a young age, fattening up and preparing for the changes in water salinity that they will experience as adults.
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