Westport Cathair na Mart (Irish) | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Westport Location in Ireland Show map of Ireland Westport Westport (Europe) Show map of Europe | |
| Coordinates:53°48′00″N9°32′00″W / 53.8°N 9.5333°W /53.8; -9.5333 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County |  County Mayo |
| Elevation | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Urban | 6,872 |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST) |
| Eircode routing key | F28 |
| Telephone area code | +353(0)98 |
| Irish Grid Reference | M004841 |
Westport (Irish:Cathair na Mart, meaning 'the stone fort of the beeves', historicallyanglicised asCahernamart)[2] is a town inCounty Mayo inIreland.[3] It is at the south-east corner ofClew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland. Westport is a tourist destination and scores highly forquality of life.[4] It won theIrish Tidy Towns Competition three times in 2001, 2006 and 2008.[5] In 2012 it won the Best Place to Live in Ireland competition run byThe Irish Times.[6]
Westport is designated as a heritage town, and is one of only a few planned towns in Ireland. The town centre was laid-out in theGeorgian architectural style, and incorporates the Carrow Beg river into the design composition. This provides for tree lined promenades (known as The Mall) and several stone bridges.
The pilgrimage mountain ofCroagh Patrick, known locally as "the Reek", lies some 10 km west of the town near the villages ofMurrisk andLecanvey. The mountain forms the backdrop to the town.
Westport originates and gets its name in the Irish language from a 16th-century castle, Cathair na Mart (meaning "the stone fort of the beeves").[3] The castle and surrounding settlement belonged to the powerful local seafaringÓ Máilleclan, who controlled the Clew Bay area, then known asUmaill.
The original village of Cathair na Mart existed around what is now the front (east) lawn of Westport House. It had a high street, alleys down to the river and a population of around 700.[7] A small port also existed at the mouth of the Carrowbeg river. Roads led from the village to the west (West Road), the south (Sandy Hill Road) and the east (Old Paddock Road).
Westport's origins are tied to the Browne family. The Brownes were a noble family from Sussex, England, who arrived in Mayo in the 16th century and gradually acquired land around the county, particularly in the Westport area. Their position was strengthened in the later 17th century when Colonel John Browne, aJacobite who had fought at the1691 Siege of Limerick, married Maude Bourke, the great-great-granddaughter of regional soveignGrace O'Malley (Irish:Gráinne Ní Mháille), thereby inheriting rights to lands that had previously belonged to the Bourke and O’Malley families. Seeking to establish a grand residence that reflected their power, the Brownes constructed Westport House in the 18th century, initially built on the site of an Ó Máille castle at Cahernamart.[8] The earliest version of the house stood without a lake or dam, with the tide rising and falling against its walls.[9] From the 1730s onward, the estate was rebuilt and expanded, most notably under the direction of the German architectRichard Cassels, and laterThomas Ivory andJames Wyatt. The finished house was set within parkland, with landscaped gardens, terraces, and a lake, symbolically asserting the Brownes’ authority in Mayo and anchoring the planned Georgian town of Westport that grew around the estate.
John Browne, 1st Earl of Altamont intended to move the existing Cahernamart settlement to facilitate landscaping of parklands around Westport House; this intention was outlined toRichard Pococke when he visited Browne in 1752.[3]
The first clear evidence for the deliberate development of a new town is an advertisement inFaulkner's Dublin Journal on 17 March 1767, stating "a New Town is immediately to be built near the old town of Westport...according to Plans and Elevations already prepared". The focal point was to be a "large and elegant market house" situated in an octagonal market area enclosed by 12 "large well-finished slated Houses". There were to be "three avenues for streets of thirty slated Houses" and "several very large streets for great numbers of thatched Houses and cabbins, to be built separately" at a cost of 20–40 guineas each.[3][10] Workmen were to contact Peter Brown-Kelly, son of the Earl, or the architect William Leeson.[3][11]
In 1778Peter Browne, 2nd Earl of Altamont engagedJames Wyatt (1746–1813) to redesign parts of Westport House, including its dining room. This engagement fostered a lasting belief that Wyatt was the town's designer, but work on the town was already well advanced when Wyatt began work. If he had any design input into the town project it could only have been to later stages such as the Malls.[12][3]
Peter Browne, 2nd Earl of Altamont acquired slave plantations inJamaica by marriage. His grandson Howe Peter Browne (2nd Marquess of Sligo) was Governor of Jamaica when the slaves were freed. This connection to plantation slavery is documented in later historiography.[13]
The town's street plan follows medieval principles of urban design introduced by theNormans in the 13th century, with a particular emphasis on the incorporation of the river into the composition. Low stone walls contain the river for two blocks and produce, on each side, tree-lined promenades (The Mall) with several stone bridges over the river Carrow Beg. The Malls were constructed by the First Marquess of Sligo after 1800. William Bald's map of Mayo, surveyed between 1809 and 1817, and Henry Browne's map from the same period, show that the basic framework of Westport's streets, including the Malls, was present by the early 19th century.[3]
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Westport is designated as a heritage town and is unusual in Ireland in that it is one of only a few planned towns in the country.[14] The original architectonic plans for the town, however, are not available.
In 1916, Westport'sJohn MacBride became unexpectedly involved in theEaster Rising when, while visiting Dublin for his brother’s wedding, he encounteredThomas MacDonagh and offered his services. He was soon appointed second-in-command of theIrish Volunteers at Jacob’s Biscuit Factory, where he directed men in defending the position. After the surrender, he was court-martialled and executed by firing squad atKilmainham Gaol on 5 May 1916, refusing a blindfold and facing death defiantly. His execution sent shockwaves back to Westport and it helped to radicalise opinion in the town, with dozens of local Volunteers later arrested and interned in Britain during the revolutionary period.
After theEaster Rising of 1916, in Westport over 30Irish Volunteers andSinn Féin supporters were arrested by the RIC under theDefence of the Realm Act 1914 on the orders of resident magistrate John Charles Milling and the local District Inspector, Shore.[16] Those arrested includedJoe Ring,Tom Derrig andPJ Doris, editor of the Mayo News; they were sent toFrongoch internment camp in Wales. Joe Ring and others were released at Christmas 1916.[citation needed]
On 29 March 1919, Milling, resident magistrate to County Mayo since 1915, was killed by theIrish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) at his home on Newport Road, Westport.[15]
During theIrish War of Independence, on 26 March 1921, following the killing of a constable by the IRA four days earlier, the Westport RIC left their barracks to punish the town and surrounding area. Homes and businesses of IRA families were targeted. The home and business of Charles Hughes, chairman of the Urban District Council, was destroyed, as was the pub and shop of Thaddeus Walsh, chairman of the Rural District Council. Other houses in the town and houses in Carrowkennedy, Drummindoo and Carrowbawn were destroyed or burned.[15]
A company of theAuxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary were based in Westport from June 1921.[17]
Following theAnglo-Irish Treaty, theRoyal Irish Constabulary pulled out of their barracks for the last time on Monday 12 February 1922 and formally handed the barracks over the next day.[15]
Early in theIrish Civil War, Mayo, including Westport, was controlled by theAnti-Treaty side. On the evening of 1 April 1922, Joe Ring was arrested in Westport by the IRA and held in Castlebar jail on charges of recruiting for the new National Army; he went on hunger strike and was released on 13 April, receiving a hero's welcome in Westport.[15]
A cross-channel ferry, the SS Minerva, was kitted out as a troop carrier by theNational Army and left North Wall, Dublin on 22 July, sailing around Ireland and arriving inClew Bay on 24 July 1922. Col. Comdt. Christopher ('Kit') O'Malley from theDublin Guard was in command and accompanied by Brigadier-General Joe Ring.[18] The Minerva carried 400 troops and aRolls-Royce 1920-pattern armoured car, nicknamed the Big Fella, with aVickers machine gun and an 18-pounder artillery piece, as well as 600 rifles and 150 bicycles. It anchored offInishlyre. General Ring led a landing by sea. The Coastguard station at Rosmoney was captured by 40 National Army troops, freeing 90 pro-treaty prisoners who were held there. Ring then landed his men and armoured car at Westport Quay. Republicans, who had not expected their arrival, set fire to the barracks and withdrew from the town.[15] The pro-treaty forces were stationed atWestport Town Hall, where troops billeted there shot off the head of the Glendenning statue.[19]
The 1920s and 1930s saw important transport shifts. The train line to Achill, which had connected western communities to Westport, was progressively reduced and finally closed in 1937; the loss was part of a shift to wider transfer of goods and passengers from rail to road.[20]
In 1960, Westport House opened to the public as a heritage and visitor attraction. It marked a major shift in the Westport economy towards the tourism sector.
In 1977, the pharmaceutical companyAllergan established a plant in Westport, becoming one of the company’s largest global manufacturing and research facilities.[21][22] The site initially specialised in producing eye-care products, and in 1993 it began manufacturingBotox. Over the following decades, the plant expanded several times, becoming a cornerstone of Westport’s economy and one of the largest employers in the west of Ireland.[21]
Since the late 20th century, Westport has expanded with several new housing estates. These include Springfield, the Carrowbeg Estate, Horkans Hill, Cedar Park, Fairways, Knockranny Village and Sharkey Hill.[citation needed]
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In 1990, the long-empty Glendenning Monument at the Octogon was restored and topped with a new statue of Saint Patrick, returning the column to prominence. The monument had originally been erected in 1845 to commemorate George Glendenning, a wealthy banker and land agent, reportedly because he left money in his will for its construction. Known locally as "Big George," the statue was damaged during the Civil War when Free State troops used its head for target practice. The broken figure had remained in place until 1943, when the local council removed it along with the coat of arms and inscriptions.[23]
Approaching the year 2000, Westport, which had previously experienced high vacancy rates and limited population growth, underwent a regeneration process shaped by a long-term town plan led by Mayo County Council architect Simon Wall.[24] Rather than focusing on short-term or symbolic projects, the council developed a 20–30 year design framework intended to provide certainty for developers and guide local authorities in managing growth. The plan introduced measures such as coordinated colour schemes, restoration of historic features, and encouragement of residential use in the town centre, which collectively contributed to reversing suburban drift and increasing town-centre activity. In 2000, facilities at Croagh Patrick were upgraded with the opening of a visitor centre and associated path works, improving access for both pilgrims and leisure walkers.[25] By the 2010s, Westport recorded one of the lowest vacancy rates in Mayo, along with population growth during the national recession and increased inward investment, including over 1,000 jobs at Allergan. In 2011, the Great Western Greenway, a 42 km route along the former Westport-to-Achill railway, was officially opened, transforming the disused corridor into Ireland’s longest coastal greenway at the time and contributing to tourism and local economic activity around Clew Bay. Additional improvements to streetscapes, parking, and public spaces enhanced the town’s quality of life, while tourism development was supported through events and the promotion of Westport as an adventure destination. In 2012, the town was named the Best Place to Live in Ireland, and further investment, including the €50 million redevelopment of Westport House, reinforced its position as a key tourism hub.[6][24]
In 2014, Westport Urban District was disbanded in June 2014 alongside all otherTown councils in Ireland as part of theLocal Government Reform Act 2014.
In 2017, Westport House and its 455-acre estate were sold by the Browne family to Mayo-based Hotel Westport Ltd, owned by the Hughes family, in a deal involving an investment plan of up to €50 million. The estate, valued at €10 million and burdened with €1 million in debt, attracted international interest before the Hughes brothers secured the purchase, with negotiations beginning just before Christmas 2016. The Hughes family, who also operate the Hotel Westport and thePortwest clothing firm, pledged to create 200 jobs over five years and to transform the house into a leading tourist attraction while maintaining normal operations for staff and visitors. The sale was described as emotional by the Browne family, who had struggled with debt since the 2008 recession, while political figures welcomed the move as safeguarding the estate from potentialvulture fund acquisition.[26][27]
In 2020, theCOVID-19 pandemic abruptly reduced overseas tourism and international visitor flows, exposing Westport’s seasonal vulnerabilities and the risks of dependency on international air and coach markets; like many Irish towns, Westport responded by leaning more heavily on domestic staycations, outdoor assets and dispersed experiences. Due to Westport's access to outdoor activities, such as Westport House's outdoor areas, the Great Greenway, Croagh Patrick, and Achill Island, Westport served as one of the largest destinations for Irish staycationers in 2021 and 2022, becoming a boomtown in the summer months.[28][29]
Following the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Westport welcomed hundreds of Ukrainian refugees into local hotels and community facilities under the State’s emergency accommodation programme. Hotel Westport and other properties were taken over to provide temporary shelter, and by early 2024, an estimated 1,303 people had been settled in and around the town.[30] This influx meant that Mayo, and Westport in particular, hosted one of the highest proportions of Ukrainian refugees per capita in Ireland, a concentration that had effects on tourism capacity, housing demand and local services. While the loss of hotel beds to the leisure market created difficulties for Westport’s tourism-dependent economy, the community response was generally supportive, with volunteers, schools and civic groups mobilising to provide language classes, integration supports and day-to-day assistance.[31][32]
AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company, employs 1,400 people in Westport. AbbVie acquired Allergan in 2020.[33] The global clothing manufacturing company and family businessPortwest is based in Westport and was founded there in 1904.[34]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1821 | 4,326 | — |
| 1831 | 4,448 | +2.8% |
| 1841 | 4,365 | −1.9% |
| 1851 | 4,114 | −5.8% |
| 1861 | 3,819 | −7.2% |
| 1871 | 4,417 | +15.7% |
| 1881 | 4,469 | +1.2% |
| 1891 | 4,070 | −8.9% |
| 1901 | 3,892 | −4.4% |
| 1911 | 3,674 | −5.6% |
| 1926 | 3,488 | −5.1% |
| 1936 | 3,409 | −2.3% |
| 1946 | 3,240 | −5.0% |
| 1951 | 3,104 | −4.2% |
| 1956 | 2,947 | −5.1% |
| 1961 | 2,882 | −2.2% |
| 1966 | 2,927 | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 3,023 | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 3,378 | +11.7% |
| 1986 | 3,456 | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 3,688 | +6.7% |
| 1996 | 4,520 | +22.6% |
| 2002 | 5,634 | +24.6% |
| 2006 | 5,475 | −2.8% |
| 2011 | 5,543 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 6,198 | +11.8% |
| 2022 | 6,872 | +10.9% |
| [1][35][36][37][38][39] | ||
Between 1821 and 1841, Westport’s population remained relatively stable, hovering between 4,300 and 4,400. This was the pre-Famine period, when the town was a modest but steady regional centre.
In the wake of theGreat Famine, the population declined to 4,114 by 1851 and fell further to 3,819 by 1861. However, unlike many rural parts of Mayo, Westport experienced recovery in the latter 19th century, climbing back above 4,400 in both 1871 and 1881, before dropping again to just over 4,000 in 1891. This reflected its role as a market and service town, somewhat cushioned from the worst of rural depopulation. The first half of the 20th century saw a steady decline, with numbers falling from 3,892 in 1901 to just 2,882 by 1961. Emigration, economic stagnation, and the collapse of traditional industries all contributed to the shrinking population. Westport during this period mirrored the wider depopulation trends of the west of Ireland.
From the mid-1960s, Westport began to stabilise and recover. The population grew modestly, from 2,927 in 1966 to 3,688 in 1991. This was a period when state-driven regional development and the beginnings of Westport’s modern tourism industry helped anchor the town’s economy. The turning point came in theCeltic Tiger era; By 1996, the population jumped to 4,520, and then to 5,634 in 2002. Even with a slight dip in 2006 (to 5,475), the trend was upward again by 2011 (5,543). The greatest growth came in the 2010s and 2020s, with the town reaching 6,198 in 2016 and 6,872 in 2022.[40]
People from Westport town are traditionally known as "Coveys".[41] Some decades ago the Covey dialect still existed and was unintelligible to outsiders.[citation needed] For example, the Covey word for a woman was a "doner".[42]
Matt Molloy ofthe Chieftains has a pub and music venue on Bridge Street.[43][44]
Westport Town Hall Theatre opened in the early 1900s and serves as a cultural hub. Located centrally on the Octagon (Westport’s main civic space), it has served as a base for local arts, community, and voluntary organisations. The hall was refurbished in 1973 and remained a key venue until its closure on health and safety grounds in 2008. The local community and authorities undertook a six-year fundraising and redevelopment programme from 2009 to 2015 to restore the venue.[45] The joint initiative upgraded the ageing building into a modern, €3.2 million multi-purpose facility. Officially reopened in June 2015, the theatre includes a 225-seat auditorium. Since reopening, it has hosted a wide range of concerts, theatre productions, community talks, and festivals, including Westival, the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, and the Westport Festival of Chamber Music.[45][46]
TheCustom House Studios and Gallery is the centre of the local arts scene.[47][48]
Westport has a regional newspaper based in the town,The Mayo News, founded in 1892 by William and Patrick Dorris.[49][50] Other newspapers available are theMayo Advertiser,Western People and theConnaught Telegraph.[citation needed]
Local radio is delivered by Westport Radio 98.2 FM.[51][better source needed]
Westport is County Mayo's premier tourist destination,[52] visited by holidaymakers from all over the world and Ireland.[53]
In 1842, the English novelist,William Makepeace Thackeray, visited Westport and wrote of the town:
"The most beautiful view I ever saw in the world. It forms an event in one's life to have seen that place so beautiful that is it, and so unlike other beauties that I know of. Were such beauties lying on English shores it would be a world's wonder perhaps, if it were on the Mediterranean or Baltic, English travellers would flock to it by hundreds, why not come and see it in Ireland!"[54]
Visitors visit Westport for the scenery, the pubs and restaurants in the town, blue flag beaches, and Croagh Patrick.[55] Its proximity toConnemara,Achill,Clew Bay andCroagh Patrick, and its hotels and guest houses, make it a base for holidaymakers to tour the region.[citation needed]
Westport House and its Pirate Adventure Park attracts families. Westport has an 18-hole golf course and nearby a 9-hole course.[citation needed]
In January 2008, Westport becameGoogle Earth's first fully 3D town.[56][57]
Several festivals and events are held in and around Westport each year.[58] These include the Westport Music and Arts Festival (which was rebranded as "Westival" in 2018 and moved from September to October),[59] a Croagh Patrick walking festival in March,[58] a sea angling festival in June,[58] and The Saltwater Festival (of "Music, Food, Art & Culture") in May.[60][better source needed]
There are four churches in the town: The Elim Pentecostal church; Amazing Grace Fellowship, the Catholic Church, St Mary's; theAnglican church, Holy Trinity; the Evangelical church, Calvary Church Westport;[61]
In 1787 Lord Altamont gave the Catholic Parish PriestDr Charles Lynagh a lease for a Catholic chapel and parochial house at Riverside. A temporary structure may have been erected as the chapel was not commenced for a quarter century later. The foundation stone was laid in 1813. Dr Oliver Kelly received support in this from Catholics and Protestants alike. The building was of cut stone in the Gothic revival style, and fronted onto the Malls which were under construction. The cost of the church was about £6000. By the 1920s the original gothic building was too small and the administrator Father Patterson raised funds for a new church. This cost £30000 and incorporated the old gothic facade in the Mall. The dedication occurred in 1932. Work began to build the present St Mary's church in 1957 with the demolition of the old church and completed by 1961.[62]
The old parish church of the Church of Ireland was built in 1797 beside the Carrowbeg River in the demesne of Westport House.[63] That first church cost £617. 10s. 9d which was a gift from the Board of First Fruits, a body established to fund the building and repair of church buildings in the Church of Ireland in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. William Thackeray described a 'pretty little church' on the 'pleasure grounds surrounding Westport House.[63] The ruins of the church are still visible today.
By 1855 the Church of Ireland Community was too large for the existing church due to the expansion of the town and the growth of tourism. Not everyone could be accommodated at services and the building was in serious disrepair. The local Select Vestry promised a local contribution of £1200 on condition that the church would be rebuilt in its existing site.[63] In 1868 an appeal was launched which announced that the Marquess of Sligo had donated by the Marquess of Sligo (the present location on Newport Road). The first plans were approved by Joseph Welland in 1869, these were not used apart from the distinctive pencil spire.[63]Thomas Newenham Deane designed the second church. Holy Trinity church displays many features of theneo-Gothic style favoured by John Ruskin. The new Church was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Tuam in 1872.[63] The three main doors are made of iron wrought to create floral forms. The vestry door is on the East Side and is made of wood. The interior of the church is highly decorated. The upper walls of the nave are decorated with murals depicting scenes from the Gospels, erected around 1878. CanonJames Owen Hannay whose pen name was George A. Birmingham served as rector from 1892 to 1913.[63] By 1984 the restoration of the church became necessary and as there were only 40 parishioners remaining a Restoration Committee was formed with six Holy Trinity parishioners and six from St. Mary's Catholic Church. A total of £50,000 was raised by 1986 and the work completed.[63]
In 2004 during the structural repairs of St. Mary's church the Select Vestry in Holy Trinity were able to offer St Mary's parishioners hospitality. Weekday and some weekend Masses were celebrated in Holy Trinity.[citation needed]
Historically, aMethodist church existed on the Mall and aPresbyterian church on Distillery Road.[citation needed]
Church records for the 19th century (Church of Ireland, Methodist, Roman Catholic, civil, gravestone inscriptions, etc.) and other historical records for the Westport area are held at the South Mayo Family Research Centre in Ballinrobe and theClew Bay Heritage Centre at Westport Quay.[citation needed]
The two main religious orders historically associated with Westport are theCongregation of Christian Brothers and theSisters of Mercy. Dean Bernard Burke wrote to the founder of the Sisters of MercyCatherine McAuley in 1841 asking for sisters for Westport.[64] None were immediately available but following a renewed request six months after the death of the foundress, the first three sisters arrived in Westport on 9 September 1842. The Dean gave them his own house, Carrowbeg House as a temporary residence, while he went into lodgings for two years. On 24 December 1842 Lord Altamont agreed to Dean Burke's request for a site for a Convent for the Sisters. Dean Burke travelled all over Ireland and raised £3000 for the project. In the spring of 1843, the foundation stone of the new Convent was laid and the Convent built by John Gibbons to the same plan as the Convent in Carlow. Sister Paul Cullen was appointed by Archbishop McHale as the first Reverend Mother of the new convent. She was a sister ofCardinal Paul Cullen.
The Congregation of Christian Brothers arrived in Westport in 1865. They took over the Castlebar Street School for Primary and Secondary students. Initially, they were accommodated in Carrowbeg House. In 1922 they acquired Grove House on Mill Street from the Sisters of Mercy. Then they moved to their new residence on Newport Road where they lived until they left Westport in 2002[64]
Westport has two secondary schools, five primary schools, andWestport College of Further Education, which opened in 2009. The educational facilities for boys in Westport were for many decades associated with theCongregation of Christian Brothers, who first established a school on Castlebar Street in 1865 before transferring to Newport Road in 1962, where the former national school building can still be seen.[65] Rice College, the town's all-boys secondary school, was constructed in 1987 on Castlebar Road to meet growing educational needs, and today it has 528 pupils.[65][66] The second secondary school, Sacred Heart School, is an all-girls institution with over 500 pupils.[67]
Scoil Phádraig is the largest of the primary schools, with more than 300 pupils. It was formed in 2006 through the amalgamation of Scoil Phádraig na mBráithre (Saint Patrick's Christian Brothers' School) and Saint Patrick's Mercy National School, and it is located on Newport Road on the site of the old Christian Brothers School.[68] Gaelscoil na Cruaiche, an all-Irish Catholic primary school founded in 1995, gained official recognition in 2000 and moved into a permanent building in 2011; it now has 207 pupils and eleven teachers.[69] Holy Trinity National School, a co-educational school under the patronage of the Church of Ireland, is also located on Newport Road, with 62 pupils enrolled.[70] Its previous premises, built in the 19th century under the Kildare Street and Tuam Diocesan Societies, was declared unfit in 2010. In February 2022, it was announced that a new Holy Trinity school building would be constructed on the grounds of the former Scoil Phádraig on Altamont Street, after staff and pupils objected in 2020 to plans for co-location with Westport Educate Together.[71] The Quay School, or Saint Columbkille's Primary School, serves the Quay area of the town. Westport Educate Together, a multi-denominational primary school, opened in 2019 at Sharkey Hill Community Centre before relocating to temporary premises at Westport Woods Hotel for the 2022–23 school year.[72]
The town is theterminus of a 250 kmDublin-Westport/Galway railway line fromDublin Heuston inDublin. This railway connects the town toCastlebar.Westport railway station opened on 28 January 1866.[73] The line originally ran through to Westport Quay station (opened on 1 January 1875 and closed in April 1977).[73] This line was lifted overnight in 1977 byCóras Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). In order to pacify local concern, the bulk of the trackbed of this extension was converted to a public walkway, still open today. There was also a branch toAchill Island branching off after the station, but this closed in 1937.
TheGreat Western Greenway is agreenwayrail trail that follows the route of the formerMidland Great Western Railway branch line to Achill, viaNewport andMulranny.[74]
TheN5national primary route also connects the town to Castlebar, as well as connecting to theN4 nearLongford that leads onward to Dublin. The other major road passing through Westport is theN59 national secondary route.
The regional airport isIreland West Airport, 60 km (37 mi) away.
Westport has a small adjoining port, the quay, once busy but no longer used for commercial shipping. In 1894, the harbour was the scene of theClew Bay Drowning.
The quay is situated some distance from the deep waters of Clew Bay, a defensive advantage in the towns development which was noted in anIrish Times article of 1884:
The quay area is now home to a number ofwarehouse conversions, and has several restaurants and pubs.[citation needed] The Clew Bay Heritage Centre, a small museum celebrating the history of Westport and the maritime history of Clew Bay, is open to the public here.[citation needed]
The Gaelic football club, Westport United soccer club and the rugby club have competed in county and national events.[citation needed] Westport, and the surrounding region, has been identified as a primary centre for adventure sports by Fáilte Ireland.[76] Every August it hosts the largest one-day adventure multi-sport race of its kind in the world – Gael Force West.[77][78] It is also home to horse riding, surfing, sea kayaking, windsurfing and sailing schools and other adventure sports.[79]
Westport is an angling centre providing sea fishing on Clew Bay and game and coarse fishing on nearby loughs and rivers.
Clew Bay is also a sea angling centre hosting several sea fishing competitions each year, and is known as a venue for common skate fishing.[citation needed] It holds the Irish record for a 160 lb white skate. It is also home to tope, huss and ray.[80][81]
The WestportGAA club, CLG Chathair na Mart, have a history going back to the nineteenth century.Gaelic football is the main sport played within the club.[citation needed]
Westport Golf Club (championship) was in 2009 ranked 43rd out of the top 100 golf courses in Ireland byGolf Digest.[82] The Golfers Guide to Ireland 2016 voted Westport as the best Parkland in Connaught for the second time in the preceding three years.[83][better source needed] It has hosted a number of tournaments, including the Ladies Home Internationals in 1989 and the Irish Amateur Close Championship on three occasions, the last time in 1997. It also hosted theIrish PGA Championship in 2002.[citation needed]
Westport United football club was founded in 1911. Westport United won theFAI Junior Cup in 2005 inKilkenny and play their home matches in the newly developed United Park, which opened in September 2016. Westport United still uses the Sports Park for some underage games. The club colours are red and black. Westport also won the Connaught Cup in 1942, 1945, 1949, 1961, 1974, 1987 and 2012 along with numerous Mayo titles.[citation needed] Westport United's training ground is located in The Quay area.[citation needed]
Westport Rugby Club are located in Carrowholly, a few kilometres outside the town. League and Cawley cup champions in 2016 and junior cup champions in 2015.[citation needed]
Westport Warriors Basketball Club run for all different age groups and are part of the MABB League.[citation needed]
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Westport is twinned withPlougastel-Daoulas inBrittany, France and withLimavady,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The link with the latter has its roots in the 1980s and the official ratification and twinning ceremony took place in 2002.[85]
Since 1982, Westport also has had a partnership with the town ofAror, Kenya, and the people of Westport have contributed to improving the infrastructure of Aror.[86][87]
Westport Radio 98.2 FM
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