Castlebar is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland.

A campus of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and the Country Life section of the National Museum of Ireland are two important local amenities. The town is linked by railway to Dublin, Westport and Ballina. The main route by road is the N5.

Culture

Castlebar is the location for important festivals and traditions, among which is the International Four Days’ Walk.^[9] A well-established blues music festival in venues across the town took place for many years on the weekend before the first Monday in June, but has not taken place since 2011. During the 1970s and 1980s the town hosted the International Castlebar Song Contest which was televised nationally on RTÉ. The Museum of Country Life is located on the outskirts of Castlebar, and is the only branch of the National Museum of Ireland located outside Dublin.

Castlebar is home to The Linenhall Arts Centre, which exhibits visual art throughout the year, as well as hosting live drama and music performances. The Linenhall also organises an annual children’s arts festival called Roola Boola (an anglicisation of the Irish phrase rí rá agus ruaile buaile which in this context means “boisterous fun”). The Royal Theatre and Event Centre, with a capacity of two thousand two hundred fully seated, four thousand standing, hosts larger-scale productions and popular music concerts.

There are Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland (Anglican), Elim Pentecostal, and evangelical (Calvary Church Castlebar) churches in the town. There are also several Spiritualist gatherings. There is a recently established Mayo male voice choir and Mayo Concert Orchestra. There is also a marching band in the town – one of the few surviving marching bands west of the Shannon. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Castlebar experienced significant immigration, growth and investment.

Entertainment

Castlebar has a selection of places to eat and drink. There is a broad range of types of food available: Italian, Indian, Chinese, Irish, Polish and fast food, as well as cafes.

A lot of the public houses closed during the building boom in the 1990s. In 1990, Castlebar had 54 licensed premises, although this number had fallen to fewer than 30 public houses by 2008. One of the oldest pubs in Castlebar is John McHale’s pub, located on New Line. The pub is known for its sale of a Meejum of Guinness, which is slightly less than a pint. It once had ‘the best pint of Guinness in Ireland’ according to a national tabloid.

Economy

Castlebar is traditionally a market town, and it is still a major destination for shoppers from all over the west of Ireland.

Castlebar is also home to Baxter Healthcare, Volex and Fort Wayne Metals