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| Local
Activities |
| Golf |
Walks |
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There are a 8 golf courses to
choose from, within a 45 minutes (car drive)
radius of Foxford.Contact us for more information
on the local amenities.
Local golf courses include : Enniscrone, Ballina,
Castlebar and Westport.
Horse Riding
Horse riding and pony riding for children
are both available in the vicinity. |
The Foxford Way is a long distance
walk which complements the Western Way, Mayo's
longest walk, extending it south through the
Ox Mountains, from Foxford to Straide and
around Lough Cullin.
It is an innovative walk with a rich variety
of flora and fauna and an exceptional archaeological
and historical content. It is 86 kilometres
long and completes a circular tour of North
East Mayo. |
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The Ox Mountains
A strip of ancient rocks - gneiss, schist
and granite - form the bedrock of the Ox Mountains.
This wild area of uplands is covered largely
with blanket bog. Some parts are extensively
forested, whilst others have numerous outcroppings
of rock. To the north and south the land is
underlain by limestone and sandstone of Carboniferous
age, and is generally farmland.
There are two recommended walks in the Ox
Mountains : |
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1. Lough Talt
An easy, but long (17.6km), walk around Lough Talt
and bog-covered hills to its east, which follows
tracks, narrow tarred roads, and paths.
2. Lough Keola - Cappagh - Owenboy
A 10.3km walk of easy to moderate difficulty,
through young and mature conifer forestry, bogland
and farmland. A moderate to hard optional loop
to Lough Keola has spectacular views and geology.
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Local Attractions
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The Woollens
Mills
Foxford is recognised worldwide as a brand
of quality for blankets and rugs. The Foxford
Woolen Mills are still in production today
and going strong. Over a century ago, the
woollen mills were set up by the Sisters of
Charity to provide employment in an area that
was suffering great economic and social deprivation.
The story of these mills, famous for their
rugs and other woven products, is told in
audio-visual form in the visitor centre, the
Foxford Experience. The trials and tribulations
of post-famine Mayo form a dramatic introduction
to the tour of the mills, during which visitors
can see Foxford rugs and tweeds being made. |
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The Marian
Shrine – Knock.
Our Lady's Shrine Knock, is one of
the great Marian shrines of the world, attracting
over 1,500,000 visitors annually. It is an
oasis of peace, tranquility and deep spirituality
where many who come to see, remain to pray
and find reconciliation. Knock is the scene
of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
St. Joseph and St. John on 21 August 1879,
witnessed by fifteen local people. |
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The Davitt
Museum - Straide
The Michael Davitt Museum is housed
in the magnificently restored pre-penal church
in the village of Straide, County Mayo. Michael
Davitt was christened in this church in 1846
and is buried in the grounds of the 13th Century
Straide Abbey, beside the Museum. Michael
Davitt had a big impact in the history of
Ireland. He was born in Straide, about 4 miles
from Foxford. The museum in his honour and
the adjoining community centre were opened
inl 1984 to honour its native son, 'the father
of the Land League' and one of Ireland's greatest
patriots. Michael Davitt (1846-1906) was the
founder, chief organiser and inspiring genius
of the Land League, the biggest mass movement
in modern Irish history, which transformed
tenant-farmers into owner-occupiers by constitutional
means. |
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Hennigans Heritage
Farm - Swinford
See the history of a typical small
farm going back over 200 years.
An authentic experience of life and traditions
in rural Ireland. The centre incorporates
a traditional thatched house, tea rooms, an
original farmhouse and theme farm, where poultry
and other farm animals roam freely. Tom Hennigan
tells the story of life in County Mayo - he
uses plenty of anecdotes and tools/equipment/clothing
that would have been used. The visit finished
in Tom's family cottage which he left in 1970.
Ideal for adults and children.
Tel 094 - 52505 |
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Croagh Patrick
The tradition of pilgrimage to this
holy mountain stretches back over 5,000 years
from the Stone Age to the present day without
interruption. Croagh Patrick is renowned for
its Patrician Pilgrimage in honour of Saint
Patrick, Ireland's patron saint. It was on
the summit of the mountain that Saint Patrick
fasted for forty days in 441 AD and the custom
has been faithfully handed down from generation
to generation. The Black Bell of Saint Patrick
was a highly venerated relic on Croagh Patrick
for many years. |
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Céide
Fields
Situated in North Mayo, The Ceide
Fields Visitors Centre is the perfect place
to discover how our stone age ancestors lived.
The Ceide Fields network is over five and
a half thousand years old making it the oldest
known field system in the World. Beneath
the wild boglands of North Mayo lies Ceide
Fields, the most extensive Stone-Age monument
in the world; field systems, dwelling areas
and megalithic tombs of 5,000 years ago. In
addition, the wild flora of the bog is of
international importance and is bounded by
some of the most spectacular rock formations
and cliffs in Ireland. The Visitor Centre
houses displays and exhibitions in English
and Irish. Access for visitors with disabilities
to ground floor of centre and to tearooms.
Special parking may be arranged by prior arrangement.
As much of the tour is outdoors, visitors
are advised to wear weather protective clothing
and shoes suitable for walking over uneven
terrain. |
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National Museum
of Country Life
Here you can immerse yourself in
the lives of our rural ancestors from the
mid - 19th to the mid - 20th centuries. Lifestyles
which were established for several hundred
years came to an end well into living memory,
and here amidst furniture and fittings, the
tools they used to work the land and the clothes
and textiles they wore, you can reach out
and touch those vanished lives.
Turlough Park is the site of the first de
Burgo castle and the impressive High Victorian
Gothic style house was built in 1865 by the
Fitzgeralds, who farmed the surrounding land.
Today the museum offers guided tours, an audio
- visual exhibition, lectures, workshops,
special events, family days, a museum shop
& cafe |
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Fr. Peyton centre
- Attymass, Ballina
Fr Peyton was one of Ireland's most famous
priests and was internationally known as the 'Rosary
Priest'
Opened and dedicated in October 1998, the Centre
commemorates the life and apostolic work of Fr Peyton
CSC. The Centre is a place of respite, prayer and
peace. It is highly respected by pilgrims and is
a popular tourist attraction. |
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Killala Bay
Killala Bay, renowned fishing area where there are
over 30 different species of fish. The region around
Killala has a wide range of archaeological treasures:
megalithic tombs, an ogham-stone, friaries, ringforts
and other monuments. The earliest surviving ecclesiastical
monument in the town is its fine round tower, one
of the best preserved in the country. |
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River Moy
The moy is approximately one hundred kilometers
long and with its extensive tributaries, it drains
a catchment of over two thousand square kilometers.
The system includes great loughs such as Conn and
Cullin but also many small lakes and streams.The
Moy has long been famous as Ireland's premier salmon
river and it offers a wide variety of quality angling
to suit all tastes and budgets. Most of the main
Moy channel, and some of its larger tributaries
provide excellent spring salmon and grilse fishingwith
both fly and bait. Sea trout are also abundant in
the Moy and the dry fly fishing for brown trout
can also be excellent. |
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Pontoon
Pontoon is primarily recognised as a haven for fishermen
with select angling facilities on Loughs Conn and
Cullin and the nearby River Moy. |
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Quiet Man Cottage -
cong
In 1951 John Ford's greatest movie "The Quiet Man"
starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and Barry Fitzgerald
was made. It was set in the beautiful west of Ireland
with filming being centred in the village of Cong.
Quiet Man Cottage Museum is a novel concept which
will give the visitor a total Quiet Man experience
as if they were actually 'on-set'. Located by the
river at Circular Road, Cong, between actual locations
used for the filming, the ground floor of the cottage
has been designed as an exact replica of 'White-o-Mornin'
Cottage. |
