Westport

The town

Westport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. The Irish name is Cathair na Mart, which translates to “the stone fort of the beeves”. Historically, English speakers anglicised it as Cahernamart. It sits at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast.

The town draws tourists. It also scores highly for quality of life. Westport won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition three times: in 2001, 2006 and 2008. In 2012, The Irish Times named it the Best Place to Live in Ireland.

The planned town

Westport is a designated heritage town. It is one of only a few planned towns in Ireland. The town centre follows the Georgian architectural style. The design incorporates the Carrow Beg river.

This layout creates the tree-lined promenades known as The Mall. Several stone bridges cross the river through the centre. Walking the Mall and crossing the bridges is the main way to experience the town. The heritage designation keeps the plan intact. That preservation is the point of visiting.

The country around it

Croagh Patrick, the pilgrimage mountain locally known as “the Reek”, lies some 10 km west of the town. It is near the villages of Murrisk and Lecanvey. The coast road from Westport runs out to Achill and the Clew Bay islands.

Clew Bay acts as the town’s front garden. The water, the islands and the Atlantic behind them frame the town at the corner where the bay narrows. A day out of Westport can focus on the town, the bay, or the drive west to the Reek. The town serves as the base for all three.

Practical

Westport is at the south-east corner of Clew Bay. It is a short drive from Ballina and a drive from the west coast. The Mall and the bridges are in the town centre. The town works as the base for Clew Bay, Achill and the Croagh Patrick country. The plan of the centre is the walk to do first.