County Mayo is situated in the west of Ireland and it’s the second largest county by size and population in the province of Connacht. Extending to over two thousand square miles, Mayo’s diverse topography stretches from the barony of Erris and Killala Bay in the north to Lough Corrib and the long narrow fjord of Killary Harbour in the south and within these boundaries you’ll find lakes and quartzite peaks, rugged cliffs and tracts of blanket bog.

Mayo is one of five counties that are affiliated to the Golfing Union of Ireland through its Connacht Branch. The four Irish provinces take their turn to host the inter-club Cups and Shields week at the end of the season – when nearly 500 golfers in 20 teams win through to the semi- final and final stages – and Mayo’s Castlebar Golf Club was chosen to hold the event in 2010. The following year, the Claremorris team defeated Forest Little from Dublin by three points to two in the Jimmy Bruen Shield All-Ireland Final at Castlerock, a win that made up for the Mayo club losing in the same event to The Island nine years earlier in Galway.