General Information

Westport, historically known as Cahernamart is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast of Ireland, at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. Westport has a gracious town centre in the Georgian architectural style, as one of the few planned towns in the country (by James Wyatt in 1780). The planning of the town was commissioned by Lord Sligo of the stately home, Westport House, as a place for his workers and tenants to live. Among the picturesque features of the town are its tree-lined, flower decorated, promenade (The Mall) and several stone bridges over the river Carrow Beg.

The famous pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick, known locally as "the Reek" lies some 10?km west of the town near the villages of Murrisk and Lecanvey. The mountain presents a striking backdrop to the town. The church on the summit can just be made out with the naked eye from Westport.

Westport is a popular tourist destination and has won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition three times in 2001, 2006 and 2008.

History

Westport originates and gets its name, in Irish, from a 16h Century castle - Cathair na Mart (meaning: The Stone Fort of the Beeves) - and surrounding settlement, belonging to the powerful local sea faring O'Malley Clan, who controlled the Clew Bay area.

The original village of Cathair na Mart existed somehwere 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]. It was moved to its present site in the 1780s by the Browne family of Westport House, who also renamed it Westport.

Westport is designated as a heritage town and is unusual in Ireland in that it one of only a few planned towns in the country.^[8] The design of the town is attributed to James Wyatt, a famous English architect. He also completed Westport House,the stately home of the Marquess of Sligo and designed its dining room. Westport House had originally been built by Richard Cassels, the German architect, in the 1730s, on the site of the original O' Malley Castle. The dungeons of the O' Malley castle still remain. The most notable feature of James Wyatt's town plan is the lovely tree-lined boulevard, the Mall, built on the River Carrowbeg.