Free Home Testing — Available to All Castlebar Residents
The HSE offers free at-home STI test kits through sh24.ie. Order online, test at home, post your sample, get results by text or phone. Available to everyone aged 17+ in Ireland. Plain packaging, posted to any Castlebar address.
Free HSE Sexual Health Clinic in Castlebar
The local HSE service is free of charge. No GP referral required.
Sexual Health Clinic — Mayo University Hospital
📍 Castlebar, Co. Mayo
📞 094 904 2000
Mayo's free HSE sexual health and GUM (genitourinary medicine) clinic, based at Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar. Provides full STI screening, HIV testing, hepatitis testing, treatment, and partner notification support. Phone the switchboard for current clinic times and how to book.
Serves Castlebar, Westport, Ballina, Claremorris, Ballinrobe and the wider Mayo region.
Other Options
SH:24 Free Home STI Testing
🌐 sh24.ie
Free HSE-partnered home testing kit. Tests for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis. For everyone 17+ in Ireland. Plain packaging, posted to any Castlebar or Mayo address.
Your GP in Castlebar
Any GP in Castlebar can arrange a full STI screen.
Cost is typically €50–€70, or free with a medical card or GP Visit Card. Ask for a "full STI screen". Find a GP →
Sexual Health Clinic — University Hospital Galway
If Castlebar clinic timings don't suit, Galway is the other regional option.
Sexual Health Clinic — Sligo University Hospital
North Mayo residents (Ballina area) sometimes find Sligo closer.
📞 071 917 4828 (SUH switchboard) — ask for the sexual health clinic.
Westport, Ballina and west Mayo
Castlebar's clinic is the primary free HSE option for Mayo. North Mayo residents around Ballina occasionally find Sligo University Hospital more convenient. West Mayo (Westport, Achill) is closest to Castlebar — about a 30-minute drive. Free home testing via sh24.ie remains the simplest option for anyone preferring not to attend a clinic in person.
What happens at a Castlebar STI clinic visit?
The visit is usually 20–30 minutes. A clinician asks a few questions about why you're there, takes the relevant samples (urine sample, swab, blood depending on what's being checked), and you leave. Results in 7–14 days by text or phone. The whole thing is confidential and free.
Common worries about visiting the Castlebar clinic
- Confidentiality: Your visit and results are not shared with your GP unless you ask. Not on your medical record outside the clinic.
- Medical card not required: HSE sexual health services are free regardless of medical card status or PPS number.
- Walk-in vs appointment: Most HSE clinics now run by appointment. Phone first to check before walking in.
- Symptoms or not: You don't need symptoms. "I just want to know" is a complete reason.
HSE Helpline & Clinic Finder
For up-to-date clinic times and booking, call the HSE Sexual Health Line free on 1800 700 700 (Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat 9am–5pm) or use the HSE clinic finder.
HSE Clinic Finder →Going to the Castlebar clinic — beyond the logistics
The clinic visit itself is the easy part — booking, samples, results, done in thirty minutes. What people actually worry about is the run-up to it (the anxiety, who finds out, what to say if a partner is involved) and the day after a result. These pillar pages cover that ground.
Not sure if you need a test? 30-second self-check →
Or zoom out: all free clinics in County Mayo · the full hub · how testing works · symptoms — or not? · all Ireland directory
Important: Nothing on STI.ie is medical advice. HSE Sexual Health Line: 1800 700 700.