William O'Dwyer

County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552... according to the 2011 census. The county was formed in 1585, and its boundaries reflect the Mac William Íochtar lordship at that time. Mayo is the third largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 15th largest in terms of population. It is the second largest of Connacht’s five counties in both size and population. The main population centres are Castlebar and Ballina, located in the centre and in the north-east of the county respectively. There is a distinct geological difference between the north and the south of the county. The north consists largely of poor subsoils and is covered with large areas of extensive Atlantic blanket-bog, whereas the south is largely a limestone landscape. Agricultural land is therefore more productive in the south than in the north.
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