Festival fever grips Mayo towns this month

Mayo is abuzz with festival fever gripping the county this month.

Hot on the heels of the hugely successful, Ballina Salmon Festival, Siamsa Sraide lit up the streets of Swinford once more and a new kid on the block, the Castlebar Music Festival, was a major August Bank Holiday hit.

The Castlebar festival showcased the very best in live music. Local pubs hosted bands and performances throughout the weekend which culminated in a live music spectacular at Hoban's car park. 

Despite some inclement weather music fans were out in force for the day-long open air concert.

"It went as well as we could have hoped. We were delighted people came out and supported it. That's what made it," said Shane Cunningham of the Castlebar Music Festival's organising committee.

"The town had a sense of pride about it and that was great to see," he added.

The festival aims to be back again next year. Shane said they are looking to build on the success of this year and deliver a consistently excellent event in 2026 and beyond.

The annual Bonniconlon Show also saw off the elements with thousands flocking to the agricultural show last Monday.

"The weather didn't hamper us at all," said festival chair John O'Hara.

"Everything went fantastic," he added.

The show had a huge number of entries this year.

"The numbers were well up," said John.

Erris will be the place to be this week with the Belmullet and Geesala festivals now underway.

The annual festivals began at the weekend with a jam-packed programme on offer.

Thousands will descend on the barony for the festivities with the returning diaspora playing a major role in the success of both events.