Mayo-Sligo Livestock Market

What to Expect

The Mayo-Sligo Co-op Mart in Ballina holds its weekly sale every Tuesday and describes itself as the only mart open in County Mayo on that day, giving it a wide catchment stretching into south Sligo as well as north Mayo. It is a large-capacity operation, able to accommodate up to 1,400 cattle on its busiest sale days, which makes it one of the bigger livestock markets in the west of Ireland rather than a small local yard. The Tuesday sale runs bullocks, bull weanlings, heifers and heifer weanlings from around 10:30am, with suckers, cows, springers and sheep following at 11am. As with most modern marts, sales are also run through the Marteye online bidding platform, so buyers who cannot be at the ringside can register in advance and bid remotely, with online viewing typically available between 9am and 10am before the ring opens. For farmers across the Ballina hinterland, this weekly Tuesday sale is a fixed point in the calendar, and the scale of the operation, with cattle penned across a large yard, gives a real sense of how central livestock farming still is to this part of Mayo’s economy.

Good to Know

• Date: every Tuesday, next 4 August 2026
• Time: bullocks and weanlings from 10:30am; cows, springers and sheep at 11am
• Venue: Mayo-Sligo Livestock Market, Ballina
• Online bidding: via Marteye, viewing typically 9am-10am
• Contact: 096 22555

Getting There

The mart is in Ballina, roughly 30km south of Sligo town on the N59/N4 corridor, with parking available on site for the mart yard. Ballina has its own railway station on the Dublin-Ballina line and is served by Bus Éireann routes from Castlebar and Sligo.

While You’re in Ballina

Ballina is Mayo’s largest town, known for salmon fishing on the River Moy, with the town centre a short drive from the mart. There is more to see in Ballina and across Co. Mayo.