To say Westport is the new Galway is a bit of an overstatement. What it is is a nice town built on hills that lead to Croagh Patrick with the memorial to the coffin ships at its base. It also leads to Castlebar and its musical ways.

Westport on a clear day can be a beautiful experience. There are craft shops and photo galleries with some amazing art and photography.

The pubs are small but the people are nice and the food is good. They have a beautiful river called the Carrowbeg running through Westport.

There are plenty of hotels to choose from within walking distance of the train station. The hotel room for two nights with one dinner and two breakfasts was €119 per person. The room had a four poster bed and a jacuzzi included, would you believe.

Croagh Patrick overshadows Westport and looks strangely man-made in the distance with its perfect peak. The town overlooks Clew Bay and Westport House (above, being restored recently) designed by James Wyatt, who was a well known architect of the Georgian period.

The town is well-known as a sea fishing centre and its annual festival attracts many visitors. There is bathing at many nearby beaches and a championship golf course.

The Marquis of Sligo lives in Westport house just one mile from the town and the house is open from mid-May to mid-September. In it are English and Irish pictures, silver, Waterford glass and exhibits of historical interest.
It is a fine Georgian mansion and nearby is a late English-style church with a beautiful interior. The Westport neighbourhood was the setting for many novels by George A. Bermingham, who was once rector there.

Three miles north of Westport is the sailing centre at Glenans Rosmoney. The Clew Bay heritage centre depicts the maritime history of the area, and from the top of Croagh Patrick you get the best views of the bay.