Click here for a selection of pictures showing you the beauty of the West of Ireland

Around the cottages

As the cottages stand on 3.5 acres of land with extensive lake-frontage, your access to the lake is easy. The lake is well known for Pike-fishing, but also has Roach, Eel and Perch. Also for people interested in the Flora & Fauna, you will find a wide range of plants, flowers, (including wild Orchid), bird, hare, fox, badgers and other animals. Take a walk on the bog-road and other small roads in the area. We can arrange hiring of bicycles and boats for you.

Angling

Mayo can offer the full range of excellent angling experiences. Sea-angling is possible from both shore or chartered boats and we can advise you on places to go and species to catch. For Pike-fishing see our separate page. The surrounding lakes (Lough Conn, Lough Cullen, Lough Mask) are all well know for fly-fishing on Trout & Salmon, so is also the Moy river, Owenmore river and many other. Coarse fishing, although less popular, can be done in many lakes and species include Bream, Rudd, Roach, Tench, Perch, Carp, Eel and others. We can help you organising permits, guillies, boathire and advise on places to fish and tackle-shops in the area. For full information on Sea Angling we advice you to visit: http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org

Arts and Culture,

Traditional music is being played in many pubs in the area. You will soon be listening to the tunes from fiddles, flutes, whistles, accordions, uilleann pipes and bodhrans. Visit also the many Arts festivals (see our events-page) and join in the Irish dances.

History and Heritage

The West has numerous attractions such as Round Towers, Churches, and many others which emphasise the rich Heritage of the area. In your cottage you will find a large selection of brochures on places to visit, below just a small summary:

Kylemore Abbey: This Neo-Gothic Castle and Church was build in the late 1800s and is partly open to the public, beautiful 6 acre Victorian walled garden, a coffee shop, craft shop, lake walk etc.

Croagh Patrick at Westport is Ireland's holiest mountain and has been a site of pilgrimage since the prehistory. Many thousand climb the mountain in the footsteps of St. Patrick. When you reach the top on a clear day the views over Clew bay are breathtaking.

Knock Shrine is Ireland's national Marian Shrine attracting a million and a half pilgrims annually. It all began with an apparition on 21-8-1879 when Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared at Knock Parish Church.

Ballintubber Abbey. Since 1216 this has been a place of worship and still is so today, although it now also is a tourist attraction not to be missed.

The Ceide Fields: A large area dating back to over 5000 years ago. It is the oldest know field system in the world. It also houses a visitors centre, a superb viewing platform and a café.

Turlough House. Museum of country live

Golf

As host of the Ryder cup 2006, Ireland has a wide range of golf courses, from championship courses to links to nine hole golf. We have documentation on many golf courses in the surrounding areas, including the famous links courses of Carne and Enniscrone, the scenic nine hole course at Mulranny, the courses in Claremorris and Westport, to name but a few.