As part of a ten day tour of Ireland by car, we (my wife, four grown daughters and I)would like to spend a day touring County Mayo, start in Ballymote in the morning, ending in Newport in the evening. Any suggestions?

Depends what your interests are,, Mayo i a wide and very varied county. Ceide Fields, on the coast road to Ballina attracts many, and a wealth of beautiful old abbeys. Some are featured on my website. The coast along that road is rich in history; where Patrick banished the snakes etc and some spectacular scenery. But just one day?

With relatives from Ballina to Belmullet, I don't think one day is enough for Mayo! In the east there's the Moy river where more Salmon are caught on hook'n line than anywhere else in the world; and there's Knock Shrine, site of a Marian apparition, on the Mayo-Roscommon border. Further west there's Westport, Croagh Patrick, Cong (the 'Quiet Man' village).

ah, sweet memories of my time living in Mayo..

You can get interesting articles on many parts of Ireland in the tourist board magazine which comes out every second month. A lot of it is free at www.irelandofthewelcomes.com . In Mayo I enjoyed seeing Achill Island, much of the coast,Westport, Croagh Patrick mountain,the old mill at Foxford,Ceidi Fields exhibition, Country Life Museum (free)and the Moy river in Ballina.Most of all I enjoyed my stay in Ashford Castle Hotel in Cong (www.ashford.ie).