Councils envious of Mayo Day success story
Members of the Lavelle family enjoying the sights and sounds of Mayo Day in Belmullet 2024
Mayo Day is the “envy” of every local authority in the county, a meeting heard.
A round-up of this year’s hugely successful Mayo Day events in Belmullet and Chicago was provided at a meeting of the Culture, Education, Heritage and Corporate Affairs Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) last week.
Mags Connell, of the council’s communications department, told the meeting that both events proved hugely popular. A one-way system had to be put in place in Belmullet to manage the large crowds that flocked to Erris.
“Thousands came to Belmullet on the day and it was fantastic,” said Ms Connell.
This year’s international flagship event was staged in Chicago Gaelic Park.
“Over 3,000 Mayo people and people with Mayo blood in them came through the gates to enjoy a showcase of music, sport, history, art, film, and Mayo business,” said Ms Connell.
She said the council’s links with the Mayo Association in Chicago have strengthened even further and thanked the association and the management of Gaelic Park for their support.
Mayo Day had an impressive online reach of an estimated 16 million. There were 35,600 interactions across all social media platforms and mentions in 40 countries.
Chair of the SPC, Cllr Michael Burke, said the annual Mayo Day event has surpassed expectations since its inception.
“Let’s be honest there was negativity towards it but it has turned out to be a great project.”
Cllr Donna Sheridan praised the event and called for it to be hosted in Castlebar again next year to celebrate twinning links with Hochstadt in Germany and Dixon in the US.
Director of Services with Mayo County Council, Catherine McConnell, praised the council’s communications team for turning the event “into something that is the envy of every other local authority".
“We have such a strong identity and working relationship with our overseas diaspora,” she added.
Ms McConnell said the event “transcends economics and is more about who we are as a people and what we stand for".
She said she cannot guarantee where next year’s event will take place but noted that staging it in smaller towns and villages is also vitally important.
