Grants to be made available for Home to Mayo festival event organisers

The Home to Mayo festival is back this May and is aimed at supporting events which encourage natives of the county to travel home during the month.

Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Michael Loftus said “Home to Mayo is a wonderful initiative to encourage our diaspora from far and wide to come home during the month of May and by having a strong line up of events and festivals during May it will only serve to encourage them even more.”

Mayo Day will coincide with the festival and take place on Saturday, May 4. The day marks the annual celebration of all things Mayo, and this year sees its tenth birthday!

The flagship event will be hosted in Belmullet this year, as part of the Belmullet 200 Celebrations which are taking place across 2024. Following on from the success of Mayo Day in Ballina last year,  another fantastic day celebrating the very best Mayo has to offer is currently in the works.

To help community groups who may be planning to hold celebrations during Home to Mayo, Mayo County Council are opening a grants process that can aid those groups in bringing their event to life. The fund is limited, and all eligible applications will be evaluated against the criteria set out in the programme guidelines.

Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Michael Loftus is encouraging community groups around the county to get their applications for the funding in as soon as possible.

Cllr Loftus said “Having been involved in many community groups over the years, I know that funding events and festivals is one of the most difficult things to achieve.

He continued, “This funding can be the ignition switch that can turn a good festival into a great festival and one that will live long in the memory of those who do come ‘Home to Mayo’ and make sure that they come back again as soon as possible.”

Application forms and funding guidelines are available here.