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Move over May Day, Mayo Day is set to take centre-stage this bank holiday weekend with even Niagra Falls turning red and green.
The international initiative, named in honour of the county, not the condiment, is intended to give those from the western county an excuse to proudly reflect on the quintessential quality of “Mayoness” on the first Saturday of May.
Football fans from other counties have quipped that an unfortunate run of All-Ireland defeats meant Mayo people had to manufacture another excuse for celebrations but organiser Martina Hughes insists that the idea was organic rather than contrived.
“About a year and a half ago at a meeting for the Mayo.ie website, myself, the county manager and some others said ‘wouldn’t it be great to have one day in the year to celebrate Mayo?’ and so the idea began.”
Businesses from Belmullet to Ballyhaunis are offering special one-off discounts on items and services, while others have endeavoured to include local produce on food menus.
Niagara Falls will be lit up for a period on Saturday evening was organised by Buffalo resident and Kiltimagh native Pádraic Walsh, who worked with members in upstate New York to make the display a reality.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be attending Mayo Live at The Royal Theatre in Castlebar, which will be broadcast on IrishTV.ie at 7.45pm on Saturday night.
It will be hosted by former Rose of Tralee Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, and the RTÉ presenter believes an acute sense of history and heritage among Mayo people around the globe will make the venture a success.
“It’s one of the gems of the west coast and it’s still very much a well-kept secret on the tourist trail,” she said.
"We're all very aware of our history in Mayo, going back to the famine times where you have horrible stories of people dying on the road from Westport to Connemara in search of food.
“I think Mayo is presenting a model that other counties could take, and having it on the May bank holiday weekend is an enviable date to have a county celebration.”