Mayo Day Is Ready To Turn Ten In Belmullet And Chicago
Date: 29-04-2024
There are just days to go until Mayo Day takes over Belmullet and Chicago Gaelic Park, on Saturday, May 4th for a celebration that will not be forgotten.
To celebrate Mayo Day turning ten, Mayo County Council are organising a series of Mayo Day events to mark the milestone, at home and abroad.
The Mayo Day flagship event will be taking place in the beautiful town of Belmullet to coincide with the Belmullet 200 celebrations that are taking place over the year.
Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Michael Loftus “Mayo Day is the ultimate celebration of all things Mayo and this year with Mayo Day turning ten it is going to be a celebration that will live long in the memories of everyone. Both Belmullet and Chicago have a stunning lineup of events has been put together showcasing what makes this county great. There is going to be something for everyone from music to food, to the arts and most importantly family fun events to be enjoyed by the next generation. Belmullet is one of the jewels in the crown of Mayo and I encourage everyone in Mayo to make their way there on Saturday and join in the festivities. And if you’re anywhere around the Chicago region try and get along to Mayo Day in Chicago Gaelic Park, where a little bit of home will be celebrated in the best Mayo style”
All the magic of Mayo Day and more will take over the scenic north Mayo outpost with music, art, food, culture, children’s fun, and games and more taking centre stage on the day.
The Mayo Day music stage will be taking up residence in the heart of Belmullet town centre in Carter Square with the first notes being struck from 12pm and will continue into the early evening with something for to everyone to get their toe tapping.
Taking to the stage to kick things off will be the Hit Machine Drummers, with Mayo Day favourites Boxing Banjo, Stuart Moyles, local act Trad Lib and Gerry Guthrie providing the entertainment throughout the day.
The dockside will transform into a food lover’s delight, with the ever-popular food village not only showcasing the best of locally produced food and drinks, but it will also play host to some of the finest chefs and cooks in the region who will be demonstrating their culinary skills to the audience.
While you’re indulging your tastebuds make sure to check out Puball na Gaelige – the Mayo Day Irish language and cultural hub and with Mayo Day taking place in the north Mayo Gaeltacht capital of Béal an Mhuirthead make sure you stop in and immerse yourself in the Irish language.
Make sure you stop by on Barrack Street and check out the fantastic offerings of the crafters of Mayo, with everything from knits to art works, it is the perfect place to bring home something to remember your Mayo Day experience by and support the wonderful local crafters of Mayo. If classic cars are more your thing, we’ll also have a fantastic display of classic and vintage motors on display.
Just a short walk from the middle of the town will bring you to Áras Inis Gluaire which is set to become a buzzing hub of art, family entertainment, food vans and the ever-popular displays from the Mayo Fire Service.
Mayo Day has something for everyone and this year in Belmullet it promises to be no different – so make sure to put Saturday, May 4TH firmly in your diary.
Martina Hughes, Head of Corporate Development and Communications at Mayo County Council outlined “ Mayo Day has grown year on year since its inception in 2015. The initiative highlights the unique people and place that is County Mayo. Mayo Day is all about connecting and engaging with Mayo people right across the world. One of the original and ongoing aims of Mayo Day is to promote Mayo nationally and internationally as a positive location for business and tourism and to further enhance the image of Mayo as a progressive County at the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way. The range of events taking place in Belmullet and in Chicago will do just that”.
The green and red of Mayo will be flying high alongside the stars and stripes on the same day when the International Mayo Day Flagship event takes place in Gaelic Park in Chicago.
Mayo is set to storm the Windy City with a day to be remembered with a stunning line up of music, food, Gaelic Games, crafts, history, heritage, education, business and more taking centre stage in Gaelic Park.
Things will get underway in Chicago on Friday evening, May 3rd with a Mayo Business event moderated by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, which will feature several Mayo and international business leaders showcasing Mayo as a world class place to do business.
On Saturday in Gaelic Park, a stellar line up of musical acts headlined by Eileen Ivers and Band, Matt Molloy of The Chieftains fame will entertain the crowds. The Destination Mayo hub will be showcasing some of the most innovative and exciting Mayo businesses together with tourism offerings. We are delighted to have both ATU and NUIG promoting the third level education sector in the region.
A sense of Mayo’s past will be brought to life with a number of exhibitions and talks on ‘The Famine in Mayo’, ‘The War of Independence in Mayo’ and Mayo GAA’s drive to their 1951 All Ireland win will all take centre stage.
The GAA theme continues with Mayo GAA superstar Cora Staunton joining in the celebrations, she will be holding coaching clinics with young up and coming footballers from Chicago on the day.
There is going to be something for everyone of Mayo heritage on show in Chicago and it’s not just a one-day event, with Mayo Day spreading out for a second day on Sunday, May 5TH with more events planned to take place in the City by the Lake to celebrate Mayo Day in style.
For all details on mayo day at home and away, check out www.mayoday.ie