Culture
Our Lady of Knock Pilgrimage
MayoThe Sunday closest to August 15 · 2027 dates to be announcedSince 1955, Mayo's shrine, a replica of the one at Knock in Ireland, has drawn a pilgrimage every summer around the Feast of the…
- Population
- 751 (2026)
- Area
- 76.22 km²
- Founded
- 1864 (Parish of St. Malachy); nom de Mayo en 1954
- Town hall
- 20, chemin McAlendin, Mayo (Québec) J8L 4J7 · 819 986-3199
Mayo is named after a county in Ireland, and that's no accident. Irish Catholics, along with French-Canadian and German settlers, cleared this valley in the 1800s. The municipality started in 1864 as the Parish of St. Malachy and became Mayo in 1954.
In 1949, Father Clement Braceland came back from a trip to his ancestors' country and had a replica of the Knock shrine built here. You can still visit it, and a summer pilgrimage brings people back every year.
It's quiet, rural and has no real commercial centre. People live here and often work elsewhere. What brings visitors is the Forêt-la-Blanche ecological reserve, one of the last old-growth forests in southern Québec.
Good to know
- Town hall: 20, chemin McAlendin.
- Route 315.
- Forêt-la-Blanche: about 12.5 km of rustic trails, trees over 400 years old, free entry.
- St. Malachy church and Our Lady of Knock shrine, open year-round.
- Lakes Burke, Daly, Dole, Flynn, Howard, Long, Murphy; Lac La Blanche on the Mulgrave-et-Derry line.
- No main street: errands mean Gatineau's Buckingham sector or a neighbouring village.
Events in Mayo
Places in Mayo
Where to stay 1
IllustrationLodging
Chalet Bleu
A four-season cottage on Lac Daly with a private dock, hot tub, kayak and pedal boat. Forêt-la-Blanche is minutes away.
Outdoors 1
IllustrationPark
Réserve écologique de la Forêt-la-Blanche
One of the last old-growth forests in southern Québec, with trees over 400 years old. Leave the dog at home: it's an ecological reserve and dogs…
Lakes, beaches & marinas 1
Culture & heritage 1
IllustrationHeritage
St. Malachy's Church and Our Lady of Knock Shrine
In 1955 Father Clément Braceland had a replica of the Knock shrine in Ireland built here. A pilgrimage has come back every summer since, on the…
Services 1
IllustrationService
Municipalité de Mayo
Municipal office on chemin McAlendin, open Tuesday to Friday. Closed Mondays.
Groups & organizations
Faith communities · Mayo
St. Malachy's Church and Our Lady of Knock Shrine
A parish with deep Irish roots: Father Braceland had a replica of the Knock shrine built here, blessed in 1955. The pilgrimage is held on the Sunday closest to August 15.
Annual pilgrimage on the Sunday closest to August 15
Sports & recreation · Mulgrave-et-Derry
Les Voyageurs des Collines et Ravins club
Trail club maintaining about 155 km of trails, from Lac La Blanche to Thurso and from Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette toward Montpellier and Duhamel. Featured on the Mulgrave-et-Derry town website.
Magazine
The 12 best hikes in La Petite-Nation
A lookout tower on Mont Grand-Pic, 400-year-old trees, a cable raft across the Preston River. Our 12 favourite trails, from easy family loops to the Sentier national.
Where to see fall colours in La Petite-Nation
A lookout tower above the maples, a free viewpoint over Lac Simon, Route 321 heading north in red and gold. Our favourite lookouts, drives and trails for fall.
Churches, presbyteries and old villages, La Petite-Nation's heritage
A replica Irish shrine in Mayo, Scottish churches in Lochaber, a century-old Casavant organ in Montebello and presbyteries turned into cafés. La Petite-Nation, steeple by steeple.
Nearby: Lochaber-Partie-Ouest · Thurso · Saint-Sixte · Mulgrave-et-Derry · Lochaber