The Tidy Town of Westport
October/18/2008 Ireland Journal
All roads, it seems, lead to Westport. This County Mayo town is located on the west coast at the south-east corner of beautiful Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. One of the few planned towns in the country, it was designed by James Wyatt in 1780. Among its picturesque features are its tree-lined and flower-decorated promenande and several stone bridges over the river Carrow Beg.
Westport is designated as a "Heritage Town" and recently won the prestigious National Tidy Towns title. We could see why yesterday when we took a walking tour of the town, where we were attracted to its delightfully decorated squares, shops and cafes.
Westport's visual charisma, breathtaking landscapes and continental flavor have made it one of the country's most popular holiday destinations, and it has a great selection of hotels, restaurants and pubs. Speaking of pubs . . . we got quite a surprise when we dropped in at one of the older pubs in town: The surprise was named Rebel, and he's a full-grown old English sheep dog, who is a frequent visitor with his owner, a transplanted American from Atlanta. Dogs are allowed in Irish pubs if no food is served.
Another delightful surprise was an impromptu visit with talented landscape photographer Eamonn McCarthy. During our visit to Cong, I had purchased a set of notecards featuring Eamonn's wonderful photography, so I wanted to look him up while we were in Westport. Turns out his gallery was only a few doors down from our hotel, so we stopped in to purchase an original. Happily, Eamonn was there, not out shooting the vast County Mayo landscape. I was very impressed with how much Eamonn has accomplished with his business, which, like many of us, began as a hobby. I'm certain you will enjoy seeing Eamonn's outstanding work when you visit his website. Eamonn also teaches classes on digital photography, and I know I certainly could benefit from studying with him. Maybe next time!
One of the reasons we had come to Westport was that it is the perfect gateway for the beautiful Connemara region of Ireland. I wanted to spend some time photographing there, and Eamonn was kind enough to make some suggestions about where to visit. He told us not to miss Achill Island, so we decided to set out for Achill the next day.
Today, before heading for Achill Island, we decided to stop at one of Westport's most beloved attractions, Croagh Patrich, known as Ireland's pilgrimage mountain, along the south shore of Clew Bay. According to Christian tradition, St. Patrick went up the sacred mountain at festival time in 441 AD. After fasting at the summit for 40 days, he banished all the snakes and demons from Ireland. Each year as many as one million pilgrims and visitors make the trek to the top of the 2,510 foot tall mountain to pray at the stations of the cross, participate in Mass, or just enjoy the spectacular view. I made it only as far as the statue of St. Patrick, but I was rewarded by a lovely view of the Clew Bay.
I wanted to get one more photograph before we left for Achill: Just across the road is the national Famine Ship Memorial, a magnificently haunting sculpture along Clew Baby. The country's largest bronze sculpture, it recalls the horror of the Great Hunger that decimated Ireland in the 1840s. Metal skeletons are intertwined to form the ship, which overlooks the bay from which thousands sailed for America, Australia and Canada.
We were about to leave when I spotted these fellows who were waiting for their master to return from the beach where he was harvesting mussels. Their "crate" was attached to the back end of a tractor and could be raised and lowered. I suspect they were either coming from or going to sheep-herding duty. It's a good thing that I got sidetracked with making the photo of the dogs, as we were about to experience another "Ireland is a Small World" moment. Read on . . .
