Mayo Day returns with the largest Mayo Day flagship event to date! ‘Home to where the Heart is’ will see Castlebar transformed into a hive of Mayo Day celebration with something for all the family, on Saturday, April 30 from 11am till late.
Free family fun at Lough Lannagh includes taster canoeing, kayaking and monster Stand Up Paddle Boarding sessions with Mayo Adventure Experience between 11am and 5pm. While free of charge, booking is absolutely essential at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/mayo-day-tickets-312832950777.
Colourful, lively and always great fun, Little Gem Puppets will see even the littlest of visitors making new puppet friends: 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm. In between, artist and storyteller Wayne O’ Connor weaves stories to enthrall young and old: 1pm, 3pm and 5pm.
If you’ve ever wanted to run away to join a circus or learn the essential life skill of juggling, this is your chance! Join in the fun workshops to learn all the circus skills you’ll need with the impressive Ringmaster Dea Birkett and the incredible cast of Circus 250. Graham Sweeney will also entertain.
The artisan Mayo Food producers showcase in the Mayo Day Food Village alongside cookery demonstrations by noted Mayo Chefs, street food catering, and a day full of tips and discussion about getting the best out of the wonderful fare Mayo has to offer. Be sure to explore the special Mayo Day menus on offer in eateries throughout Castlebar!
In the historical setting of the Military Barracks, the Mayo County Library team presents wonderful exhibitions of times past from their collection, documenting the Famine in Mayo, In Humbert’s Footsteps, Michael Davitt, Old Castlebar, the War of Independence in Mayo and the incredibly special 20th anniversary revival of the 2002 Mayo in May photo event.
The creativity and skills of Mayo's craftspeople are key to Mayo Day. The organisers of Mayo Day are happy to once again present their work to you in the Mayo Craft Marquee, alongside demonstrations from Castlebar Men’s Shed. To harness young creativity, Creative Together provide their special Mayo Day Mural Workshop; suitable for all ages and free of charge.
To complement the surroundings of the Military Barracks, joining the event will be members of the Connacht Vintage and Veteran Motor Club, the Mayo Male Voice Choir, a Mayo Day favourite, Master Falconer Jason Deasy with his Birds of Prey, Kiltimagh Pet Farm and Westport Beekeepers. Mayo Fire Service will be there to give demonstrations and perhaps the chance for younger visitors to explore a fire engine!
Join in for a full day of free music and fun at The Big Stage on the Mall. The line-up leads out with the most energetic, raw, and hardworking group of drummers in Ireland, The Hit Machine Drummers. If that high-octane opening doesn’t get your toes tapping, Chantelle Padden, who follows, surely will! Billow Wood from Ballina are next, with their original fusion of folk, traditional Irish music and indie pop rock. If you fancy a twirl around the Mall, Stuart Moyles follows - sure to get everyone on their feet! Lisa Canny and Band are next. Their truly unique original music is high-energy, hard hitting and highly entertaining. After that, Atlantic Notes bring Mayo and the Wild Atlantic Way to life through a mix of music, song, dance and theatre, guaranteed to have you laughing, singing and dancing!
To end a truly spectacular Mayo Day, Jiggy bring you a mercurial line-up that mixes and melds Irish traditional music, world rhythms and cutting-edge dance grooves.
The organisers are also happy to team up with the great team at The Linenhall Theatre to offer an engaging mix of Mayo Day and Lá Mhaigh Eo theatre and film: Mumbro Top present the enthralling Gráinne Mhaol show between 11am and noon.
Loved at home and feared abroad for her command of the seven seas, find out (as Gaeilge ) what happens when one day Gráinne finally ‘crashes her boat’ on land and needs help to get back afloat. Free of charge but booking is essential at https://thelinenhall.ticketsolve.com/shows/873633737. Suitable for ages 8+, all children to be accompanied by an adult.
Between 2.30pm and 4.30pm, fresh from the hit Mayo International Film Festival, enjoy a special repeat showing of the Best of Mayo short films; free of charge but booking is essential at https://thelinenhall.ticketsolve.com/shows/873630723. As these are independent short films, no formal age rating is in place, please be advised that elements of the programme may not be suitable for younger audiences. Parental discretion is advised.
The Mayo Way, a specially commissioned interactive art sculpture installation by Bryan Gerard Duffy, features an array of imagery of the people and places that symbolise the identity of Mayo, both past and present - beside Áras an Chontae, The Mall.
Last, but by no means least, enjoy the Mayo Day 2022 Art Trail showing in the windows of Castlebar. Curated by acclaimed artist, Joanna Hopkins, it will celebrate artistic interpretations the People and Places of Mayo and the Mayo Day Busker Trail will provide the background music!
The Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Michael Smyth, welcomed the event programme, saying: "Mayo Day is a celebration of the 'Spirit of Mayo’ in communities worldwide, an acknowledgement of all that is great about our county and its people, a day in the year that Mayo people can claim for themselves.
"This flagship festival event is a fitting way to celebrate our achievements and success by showcasing the finest of art, craft, design, food, music, sport and more. After what has been a difficult two years, I invite families across the county, country and further afield, to enjoy what will be a superb event in Castlebar for Mayo Day 2022."
