Bustling tourism scene a must for 'Wild Mayo' as challenges lie ahead

THE much anticipated north Mayo tourism destination plan was launched in Ballycastle, a region christened Wild Mayo.

And it proved to be a comprehensive document that will serve as a major driver for future investment in the underdeveloped poor relation to Mayo’s bustling west.

An optimist's view is that this will be the shot in the arm for the forgotten north of the county.

Not everywhere can be Westport, but it's evident that numbers show visitors who make it as far as the Wild Atlantic Way, enjoy the surrounds of Clew Bay, then bisect across our county and on to Sligo.

North Mayo isn't getting its fair shake of the tourism bag of cash, an industry that is vitally important for the fact that money spent by tourists in local towns and villages stays local.

It's good news for the coastal towns along the route - Ballina, Ballycastle, Killala and Belmullet get their place in the sun, as does Foxford too.

But as we reach a critical point in rural Ireland, where the connection with the land will reduce at record levels as many part-time farmers will pack up working on the land, turf cutting machinery will be laid up and sold as less and less people will require unearthing peat when living in their heat pump homes, therefore, tourism becomes all the more vital.

North Mayo is bountiful in scenery, it’s hospitable and brimming with sights, and that's evident across the glossy pages of the Fáilte Ireland produced brochure.

Councillor Michael Loftus rightly called Fáilte Ireland out for the delay, but Luke Murray, manager of Wild Atlantic Ireland (Mayo/Sligo), explained that due to staff turnover, delays were unfortunately baked in.

But, most importantly, they wanted to get this right, and in my view, they did.

Each town and village gets a mention, and it will help local development companies and future tourism feasibility studies to build upon what Fáilte Ireland have produced.

Mayo is ideally poised, and Minister Dara Calleary, in his department with the Gaeltacht, and rural and community development, has the opportunity to preserve north Mayo and enhance its offerings further.

Minister of State Alan Dillon, who launched the plan, has tourism in his brief too. So, has a time ever been greater to see bullet points transition from text to reality?

I came across a striking image released by Copernicus, the EU satellite programme, showing Ireland on a rare cloud-free spring day.

You don't need to be out in space to explain the land quality to the north of this county, but it is a striking image nonetheless.

Bar areas around Lacken, Killala and deep into the Mullet peninsula, there's little to no green. It's an area of unique, untapped and wild vast wilderness.

GAA club underage amalgamations have spread across the north Mayo region as vigorously as rhododendron ponticum, and depopulation is reality, with school closures imminent across many parishes.

The lifeblood of rural north Mayo is still found within its communities, and this tourism plan aims to introduce new streams of income for an area of the county that has long survived on subsistence farming.

With the planned and managed reduction in farming over the coming years, a bustling tourism scene which would increase the typical length of stay is not a nice to have, it's a necessity if there is to be anyone left in north Mayo to show visitors around.

Much like the recent OECD report on rural Ireland, a major impediment is putting a roof over one's head.

An urgent need to increase tourism beds is a key finding, and derelict buildings in Bellacorrick, Killala and Bangor Erris are highlighted as opportunities to rejuvenate derelict sites across the county as 'hikers hostels and lodgings'.

Seeing as the Ballina postal region, which this report encompasses almost in its entirety, is Ireland's most derelict region, there is a quick and simple win.

The market economy should show people that there are avenues to utilise these eyesores of buildings that blight like dots along its breath-taking landscape.

Motorhome and camping facilities are also highlighted as areas in need of investment, with an emphasis on securing locations close to services in towns and villages.

Indeed, Nevin's in Tiernaur is an exemplar in this regard. A pub with the space around it would do well attracting campervans, a niche that has exploded since Covid, and the opportunities to corral a market into your pub and restaurant would be a no-brainer.

North Mayo is losing out massively, it has done for some time, despite in my humble opinion having much better scenic views and beaches than anywhere else in the county.

The biggest tourist town in the area is in Sligo, money is being lost, and with the tourism sector growing across the county, and the north American market growing year-on-year, it provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors to make a splash and attract people to the rugged coastlines and trails by offering culinary experiences, tours and by providing accommodation.

A major concern that should not be forgotten is the need for not just tourists, but local people to have planned trails throughout their area.

A much speculated plan to link the Wild Nephin National Park trail to the Oweninny visitor centre north to the planned Céide Coast walk would be ambitious, but certainly do-able.

As homes pivot toward solar and heat-pumps, there will, much sooner than you think, be less of our bogs in use, leaving behind a vast network of bog roads.

The bog may return to its natural state, but it is local people who will need that connection to the land more than ever, to be at one with nature and pooter from one townland to the next.

A tourist trail through the vast wilderness spine of Mayo is one thing, but connecting living, vibrant towns and villages would be spectacular.

Pontoon to Knockmore and Crossmolina to Enniscoe, alongside Ballina to Ennsicrone and extending fully towards Killala all present major avenues for growth in Mayo’s greenways.

Overall, the destination plan, which follows a similar plan that was conducted for the Clew Bay region by Fáilte Ireland, may just chart which towns and villages will survive the next generation in north Mayo.

The plan took almost three years to come to fruition but it will serve as a vital benchmark for future areas of growth within the forgotten northern coast for many more years to come.