Most of this list sits in the south of the county, along the Galway border, where the Partry Mountains and the Delphi Valley squeeze rivers into short, steep runs. Aasleagh Falls is the obvious stop: the River Erriff drops about four metres over pale rock steps just north of the border, half an hour of your day and free, though the lay-bys sit on a blind bend and crossing the road needs care. The Bundorragha, better known as the Delphi, runs only 1.5 km from Fin Lough to Killary Harbour and has 19 named pools. Inland from there, Ballinrobe sits on the River Robe two kilometres from Lough Mask, and Cong Canal runs dry across limestone in summer and floods in winter.
The other half of the page follows the Moy. The river runs 110 km from the Ox Mountains to Killala Bay through Ballina, where the Ridge Pool is one of the most productive salmon lies in Ireland; Foxford and Pontoon are the upstream bases, Pontoon on the strip of land between Lough Conn and Lough Cullin. Out west in Erris, Bellacragher Bay and Sruwaddacon Bay are tidal inlets rather than fishing water.
Two entries need no driving at all. The Carrowbeg runs through the middle of Westport, canalised in the 1780s and flanked by the Mall, and Lough Lannagh has a 1.9 km path on the western edge of Castlebar.
A four-metre drop on the River Erriff just north of the Galway border, framed by Ben Gorm, and free to visit in half an hour.
One of Mayo's oldest market towns, on the River Robe two kilometres from Lough Mask, with nine Harry Clarke windows free to see.
A quiet sea inlet ringed by the Erris mountains, where the Claggan Ferry cuts up to ten miles off the road to Achill.
Just 1.5 km of water between Fin Lough and Killary Harbour, with 19 named pools that make it one of Ireland's best salmon fisheries.
The small river through the centre of Westport, canalised in the 1780s and flanked by the Mall, with Georgian bridges on the short stretch towards Westport House.
24 of 24 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Near Leenane, mayo
The River Erriff drops about four metres over pale rock steps just north of the Galway-Mayo border, framed by Ben Gorm and the Devil's Mother. It is free, takes half an hour, and marks the start of the Western Way long-distance trail – but the lay-bys sit on a blind bend, so cross the road with real care.
Ballinrobe, mayo
Ballinrobe is one of County Mayo's oldest towns, a market town on the River Robe two kilometres from Lough Mask in Ireland's lake district. Its Catholic church holds nine stained-glass windows by Harry Clarke, free to see; the lake draws wet-fly trout anglers from around the world each August; and there's a scenic racecourse and an Eddie Hackett golf course on the edge of town.
Ballycroy, mayo
A quiet sea inlet ringed by the Erris mountains, where the water touches Achill, Ballycroy and Burrishoole. A boat club founded here in 2003 runs sailing courses and the Claggan Ferry, which cuts up to ten miles off the road to Achill for Great Western Greenway cyclists and walkers.
Delphi Valley, mayo
The Bundorragha, better known as the River Delphi, runs just 1.5 km from Fin Lough down to Killary Harbour through the remote Delphi Valley. Its 19 named pools make it one of Ireland's best-regarded salmon and sea-trout fisheries, and its clean water holds a rare population of freshwater pearl mussels. In winter, outside the fishing season, kayakers run its grade 2-3 drops.
Westport, mayo
The Carrowbeg is the small river that runs through Westport, canalised in the 1780s as part of James Wyatt's plan for the town and flanked by the tree-lined Mall. The riverside walk is free and always open; the highlight is the short stretch of Georgian bridges between the centre and Westport House.
Cong, mayo
Six kilometres were cut between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask during the Famine, but the canal never worked – the limestone bedrock swallowed the water as fast as it went in. In summer the channel is bone-dry and makes a flat, easy walk from Cong village; in winter, floodwater rushes through the upper sections. It was abandoned in 1854.
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The River Erriff falls off the Partry Mountains and runs about 33 km to Killary Harbour, Ireland's only fjord, dropping over Aasleagh Falls at the end. The falls played the climactic fight in Jim Sheridan's The Field, and the river is one of Ireland's premier salmon fisheries, fished as nine beats. The rest is a working farmed valley, best seen from the N59.
Foxford, mayo
Foxford grew around a woollen mill a nun founded in 1892 to stem emigration, and the mill still runs, still making the blankets and tweeds the town is known for. Beyond it, the town is a base for salmon fishing on the River Moy and walking the Foxford Way, and the birthplace of Admiral William Brown, founder of the Argentine Navy.
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Lough Carra is a shallow, calcium-rich marl lake in south Mayo, its clear water dotted with more than 70 islands and fringed by limestone and native woodland. It is known for wild brown trout, busy winter bird roosts, and the fire-gutted ruins of Moore Hall above the eastern shore.
Castlebar, mayo
On the western edge of Castlebar, Lough Lannagh has a 1.9km lakeside path that crosses the water on a low bridge, calm shallows for paddleboarding, and a holiday village with a café and campsite. The riverside greenway from here runs 10km to the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life at Turlough.
Partry, mayo
Partry is a village of about 500 people in south-west Mayo, set between Lough Carra and Lough Mask with the Partry Mountains rising behind it. Both lakes are free to fish for brown trout, and the range tops out at Maumtrasna (682 m). The 17th-century Partry House was built on the ruins of Cloonlagheen Castle, whose slit windows turned up during 1995 restoration work.
Pontoon, mayo
Pontoon is a bridge and a handful of buildings on the strip of land dividing Lough Conn from Lough Cullin, long a base for anglers after brown trout and salmon. Lough Conn drains into the River Moy, reckoned Ireland's most prolific salmon river. Come to fish, walk part of the Foxford Way, or drive the loughs.
Ballina, mayo
The Moy runs 110 km from the Ox Mountains to Killala Bay, through Ballina – the self-styled Salmon Capital of Ireland. Its Ridge Pool is one of the most productive salmon lies in the country, and the valley strings together a 14 km monastic greenway, well-preserved friary ruins and Victorian Ballina.
Sruwaddacon Bay, mayo
Sruwaddacon Bay is a greyhound-shaped tidal estuary in the Erris Gaeltacht of north Mayo, an EU-protected habitat for salmon, dolphins and breeding seabirds. Its name means 'stream of the long hound', the tide runs hard at its mouth, and an 18th-century drowning ballad, Liam Ó Raghallaigh, still ties the place to local memory.
Tourmakeady, mayo
Tourmakeady Waterfall drops in three stone tiers into a pool inside a Coillte millennium forest on the shore of Lough Mask. The walk in is easy and well waymarked, 2.2 km out and back from the car park or a 4 km loop from the village. It is free and open all year, but there are no toilets or café on site, so come prepared.
Achill Island, mayo
Islandeady, mayo
Louisburgh, mayo
Bangor Erris, mayo
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North County Mayo, mayo
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South County Mayo, mayo
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