Is Ballina worth an overnight stay or just a stop?
Stay, especially in fishing season or festival week. Ballina is a working town rather than a postcard, and that is its strength: the Moy runs through the middle of it, the pubs are local, and the Ridge Pool at dawn is worth sleeping beside. It is also the natural base for the north Mayo coast and for the links golf at Enniscrone and Carne. Book early for the Salmon Festival in July, when the town is at its busiest and beds go first. Who should stop only: coast drivers passing between Westport and Sligo, who will get the cathedral, the river and a good lunch, and miss the town at its best hours.
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