Westport Cathair na Mairt
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53°48′00″N 9°31′60″W / 53.8, -9.5333
Irish Grid Reference M004841
Statistics
Province:	Connacht
County:	County Mayo
Elevation:	80 m
Population (2006)  - Town:  - Rural:	5,140  1,458

Westport (Irish: Cathair na Mart, meaning City of the Beeves) is a town in County Mayo in the Republic of 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. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Bullet for locations in Ireland, displays location and not area. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... GPS redirects here. ... The Irish national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Ireland. ... When under Gaelic rule, Ireland was divided into provinces to replace the earlier system of the túatha. ... Statistics Area: 17,713. ... For much of its history, the island of Ireland was divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist, while several county names have changed. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2006) 123,648 Website: www. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... For other uses, see Beef (disambiguation). ... Ronda, Spain Main street in Bastrop, Texas, United States, a small town A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2006) 123,648 Website: www. ... Clew Bay (Irish Cuan Mó) is a natural ocean bay in County Mayo, Ireland. ... A Georgian house in Salisbury Georgian architecture is the name given in English-speaking countries to the architectural styles current between about 1720 and 1840, named after the four British monarchs named George. ... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ... Fonthill Abbey. ... 1780 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Marquess of Sligo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1800 for the Earl of Altamont. ... Westport House in Westport, Ireland is the stately home of the Marquess of Sligo. ...

The famous pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick, known locally as "the Reek" lies some 10km 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. Croagh patrick is a 764 m (2,510 ft) mountain in the west of Ireland and an important site of pilgrimage. ... Murrisk (Muraisc in Irish) is a village in County Mayo, on the south side of Clew Bay, about 6km west of Westport. ... Lecanvey (Leac an Anfa in Irish) is a seaside village in County Mayo between Westport and Louisburgh, about 2km west of Murrisk. ...

History

Westport is unusual in Ireland in that it is a planned town. The original village of Cathair na Mart was moved to its present site in the 1780s by the Browne family. The town was laid out by James Wyatt, a famous English architect. He also completed Westport House,the stately home of the Marquess of Sligo and designed the dining room. Westport House had originally been built by Richard Cassels, the German architect, in the 1730s, on the original O' Malley Castle. The dungeons of the O' Malley castle still remain. The most notable feature of James Wyatt's plan is the lovely tree-lined boulevard, the Mall, built on the River Carrowbeg. Nothing much really happened in the 1780s only that Mary-Anne Tobin was hung in public for wearing a flase beard and voting. ... Fonthill Abbey. ... Westport House in Westport, Ireland is the stately home of the Marquess of Sligo. ... Marquess of Sligo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1800 for the Earl of Altamont. ... Irish Palladianism. ... Events and Trends The Great Awakening - A Protestant religious movement active in the British colonies of North America Sextant invented (probably around 1730) independently by John Hadley in Great Britain and Thomas Godfrey in the American colonies World leaders Louis XV King of France (king from 1715 to 1774) George... Fonthill Abbey. ...

Westport Town Council

Westport Town Council consists of nine members who are elected every five years by local electors (persons whose names are in the Register of Electors). Any person of 18 years and over is eligible to register and to vote at elections. Council members are elected according to a system of proportional representation. The next local elections will be held in 2009. Each year the Council elects a Cathaoirleach at its Annual Meeting which is held in May or June.

• Current Cathaoirleach(Mayor): Declan Dever
• Leas Cathaoirleach(Vice Mayor): Myles Stantoun
• Councillors (term 2004-2009):
• Cllr. Margaret Adams
• Cllr. Declan Dever
• Cllr. Peter Flynn
• Cllr. Martin Keane
• Cllr. Dave Keating
• Cllr. Keith Martin
• Cllr. Tereasa McGuire
• Cllr. Brendan Mulroy
• Cllr. Myles Staunton

Culture

People from Westport town are traditionally known as Coveys. Some decades ago the Covey dialect still existed and was unintelligible to outsiders. For example the Covey word for a woman was a "doner". To this day inhabitants of nearby areas, including Castlebar, refer to the people of Westport, sometimes mildly disparagingly, sometimes somewhat affectionately, as Coveys.

Matt Molloy of the Chieftains has a vibrant musical pub on Bridge Street at the heart of the town. Matt Molloys Pub in Bridge Street, Westport Matt Molloy (born 12 January 1947, Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon) is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. ... The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1963, known for performing and popularizing Irish traditional music. ...

Matt Molloy's Pub Image File history File links Westport_matt_molloys. ...

Westport is a lively entertainment town Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x1369, 445 KB) Summary Photo by Oliver Whyte (2003) Copyright Free Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...

McCarthys Pub. Home of Aul Stock Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x639, 270 KB) Summary Photo by Oliver Whyte (2003) Copyright Free Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...

Westport through the year

Several festivals are held in and around Westport each year.

• The Westport Horse & Pony Show is held on the first weekend in June.
• The Sea Angling Festival is held annually in the third or fourth week in June. This is internationally acclaimed and in existence for over 42 years, attracting sea anglers from all over the world.
• The annual Croagh Patrick Pilgrimage is held annually on the last Sunday in July.
• The Arts Festival is held in the second two weeks of September. This is a festival of arts, music and literature. Last year there was a revival of the [Westport music festival]. This five day event will now run annually in July at the Fairgreen. It began July 18th 2006.
• The Westport Seafood Festival is held on the October Bank Holiday weekend.
• The Westport Wellness Week Festival is also now growing in popularity and was last held in the last week of February 2007.

A panoramic view of Westport as seen from the Castlebar side, showing Croagh Patrick (left background) and Clare Island (right background)

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1712x662, 194 KB) Summary Photo by Oliver Whyte (2003) Copyright Free Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1712x662, 194 KB) Summary Photo by Oliver Whyte (2003) Copyright Free Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Croagh patrick is a 764 m (2,510 ft) mountain in the west of Ireland and an important site of pilgrimage. ... Clare Island is magnificent mountainous island guarding the entrance to Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. ...

Media

Westport has one newspaper based in the town, the Mayo News, founded in 1892. It is the place to find what is happening in Westport and the surrounding region. The free weekly Mayo Echo is also available throughout the town. There are also copies of the Mayo Advertiser delivered door to door to houses in the area, as well as being available in many businesses around the town. Other local papers widely available are The Western People, The Connaught Telegraph and The Mayo Advertiser. The Mayo News is a weekly local newspaper published in Westport in the Republic of Ireland. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Mayo Echo is a free newspaper, in County Mayo, Ireland. ...

Tourism

The skyline reflects off the sand and sea at Clew Bay, near the town

Westport is a major tourist draw with visitors coming for several reasons. The most important is the magnificent scenery of the area, and the proximity to Connemara, Achill, Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick. Westport is well known for sea-angling and freshwater fishing is popular on nearby Loughs Mask and Carra and on the Eriff river. Westport House and Children's Animal and Bird Park is a particular draw for families, many of whom stay at the caravan and camping park which belongs to Westport House. Westport has an 18-hole golf course, popular with visitors. A nearby 9-hole course has an attached guest accommodation. Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1161 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1161 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Connemara (Irish Conamara), which derives from Conmhaicne Mara (meaning: descendants of Con Mhac, of the sea), is a district in the west of Ireland (County Galway). ... Keem bay on Achill island is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. ... Clew Bay (Irish Cuan Mó) is a natural ocean bay in County Mayo, Ireland. ... Croagh patrick is a 764 m (2,510 ft) mountain in the west of Ireland and an important site of pilgrimage. ... Westport House in Westport, Ireland is the stately home of the Marquess of Sligo. ...

International ties

• Westport is twinned with the town of Plougastel Daoulas in the département of Finistère in western Brittany. Schoolchildren from the two towns regularly exchange visits.
• Westport is also partnered with the town of Aror in Kenya, and the people of Westport have often contributed to improving the infrastructure of Aror.

Ronda, Spain Main street in Bastrop, Texas, United States, a small town A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... Plougastel Daoulas is a small town in the west of the département of Finistère in Brittany, France. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ... Finistère (Penn-ar-Bed in Breton) is a département of France, located in Brittany (Bretagne in French). ... Historical province of Brittany, showing the main areas with their name in Breton language The traditional flag of Brittany (the Gwenn-ha-du), formerly a Breton nationalist symbol but today used as a general civic flag in the region. ...

Religion

St Patrick's statue at the Octagan

• The two main churches are Holy Trinity Church (Church of Ireland), and Saint Mary's Church (Roman Catholic). Holy Trinity Church is small but an architectural gem, and provides magnificent acoustics for concerts. The local Roman Catholic Church and Church of Ireland enjoy excellent relations in Westport. Some years ago, local Catholics helped the dwindling Anglican congregation to restore Holy Trinity Church. There are no other churches in Westport. Westport has no synagogue or mosque.
• There used to be a Methodist church on the Mall, but it has not been used for some years. It was renovated a few years ago and is currently a restaurant.
• Religious genealogical records for the 19th century for the Westport area (Church of Ireland, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Civil, Gravestone Inscriptions, etc.) are held at the South Mayo Family Research Centre in Ballinrobe.

Image File history File links Westport_patrick. ... Image File history File links Westport_patrick. ... The Church of Ireland (Irish: ) is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... For other uses, see Methodism (disambiguation). ...

Transport

Rail

• The town is the terminus of a 250 km railway route from the capital, Dublin, which serves the town and surrounding area. This railway also serves the county town, Castlebar, about 18 km east-north-east of Westport. Westport railway station opened on 28 January 1866.^[1] The line originally ran through to Westport Quay station (opened on 1 January 1875 and closed in April 1977)^[1]. This line was lifted overnight in 1977 by Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE). 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 to Achill Island branching off after the station, but this closed in 1937.

Terminal Station was also the name of a railway station in Chattanooga, Tennessee; see Chattanooga Choo Choo. ... Most rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland, and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland. ... For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Westport railway station serves the town of Westport in County Mayo in Ireland. ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Córas Iompair Éireann[1] (CIÉ) is a statutory authority which is owned by the Irish Government. ... Location of Achill Island. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Road

• The N5 national primary route also connects the town to Castlebar, as well as connecting to the N4 near Longford that leads onward to Dublin. The other major road passing through Westport is the N59 secondary route, which rambles around the West of Ireland both to the north and south of the town.

The N5 road is a National Primary Route in the Republic of Ireland, connecting Dublin with Westport and the west of Ireland. ... A directional road sign in the Republic of Ireland on an other road (not a national road) at Portlaoise, County Laois, including patches for national roads and advance warning of bridge height restrictions. ... The N4 road is a National primary route in the Republic of Ireland, running from Dublin to the northwest of Ireland and Sligo Town. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... A National Secondary Route is a category of road in the Republic of Ireland. ...

Air

• The regional airports are Ireland West Airport Knock, 60 km (36 miles) away with Scheduled flights departing daily to the United Kingdom and to the United States, and Galway Airport, with daily flights to the rest of the nation, France, and the United Kingdom.

Ireland West Airport Knock (IATA: NOC, ICAO: EIKN) or Aerfort na Connacht in Irish, is located near Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. ... Galway Airport (IATA: GWY, ICAO: EICM), or Aerphort na Gaillimhe in Irish, is located at Carnmore about 6. ...

People

• A monument stands on the Mall in memory of Major John MacBride. Born locally in 1865, he joined the Boer army which fought the British in the Second Boer War, rising to the rank of major. He was executed in 1916 for his part in the Easter Rising. He was the father of Sean MacBride, the Nobel peace laureate.

Major John MacBride (7 May 1865 – 5 May 1916) was an Irish republican who was executed for his leading role in the Easter Rising of 1916. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 6,000 - 7,000 (A further ~14,000 from disease) 6,000 - 8,000 (Unknown number from disease) Civilians... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... Seán MacBride (26 January 1904 – 15 January 1988) was a senior Irish politician, barrister, revolutionary & statesman. ...

The Quay

• Westport has a small adjoining port, the Quay, once busy but no longer used for commercial shipping, now a suburb notable for its many warehouse conversions. A small ferry leaves from the Quay in the summer months bound for Clare Island. The quay is also known for its restaurants and pubs.
• It also includes the famous "point" pitch, training ground of Westport United.
• A small museum, celebrating the history of Westport and maritime history of Clew Bay, is open to the public here, the Clew Bay Heritage Centre.

Clare Island is magnificent mountainous island guarding the entrance to Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. ...

Sport

The Gaelic football club, Westport United football (soccer) club and the Rugby club have a venerable tradition in both county and national competition. Surfing is said by many to be the fastest growing sport on the west coast and Westport is perfectly poised as a setting-off point for surfers nationwide. Adventure sports are moving ahead from hill walking and mountain hiking to a range of water-based sports and indeed mountain running. The Gael Force West event in Autumn, 2006 signified a topographical recognition of Westport as an idylic location for adventure sports (see external links for more info on Gaelforce West). Sea Angling has allways proven a popular fairweather activity. "Deep-sea" fishing and shore angling in Clew bay is seen more as a "day out" than a sport as such, however there are angling competitions and festivals during the summer months. For other uses, see Surfing (disambiguation). ... Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. ...

Golf

Westport Golf Club is rated as one of the top golf courses in Ireland.It is recognised as a prestigious venue and has hosted both the Ladies Home Internationals in 1989 and the Irish Amateur Close Championship on three occasions, most recently in 1997. Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

Football

The Westport United football club was founded in 1911. Westport United won the FAI Junior Cup in 2005 in front of 2,000 supporters in Kilkenny and play their home matches in the Sports Park; matches are advertised on the local press. The club colours are red and black. Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ...

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

This is a link page for cities and towns in the Republic of Ireland, including larger villages, and villages and townlands of note, as well as towns, townships or urban centres in Dublin. ...

External links

• Westport Tourism
• Tourist site
• Music Festival
• The Mayo News
• Westport Chamber of Commerce
• Westport Branch Toastmasters International
• Adventure race
• Westport Town Council

Toastmasters International (TI) is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Westport and Westport Quay stations. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.

Coordinates: 53°47′N, 9°31′W <nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here<nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here</nowiki></nowiki> Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...