- For other places with the same name, see Westport
Westport is an attractive town in County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland, with a population of 6,900 in 2022. It was originally Cathair na Mart, "town of the beef cattle", a cattle-mart and trading port in an era when it was much easier to get around by sea than overland. That settlement was swept aside in 1780 to make way for Westport House and its grounds. A new planned town was laid out along the banks of the Carrowbeg River, and has been well-preserved since that time.
Westport is the main base for exploring southwest Mayo and the islands of Clew Bay, so those attractions are described on this page. The area is mobbed on "Reek Sunday" at the end of July, when thousands of pilgrims ascend the mountain of Croagh Patrick.
Visitor information is based in the Town Hall Theatre at the Octagon, open M-Sa 9:30AM-5:30PM.
Get in
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Knock (NOC IATA) is the nearest airport but has few flights. Consider flying into Dublin or Shannon then hiring a car, which you're going to need to tour the county.
Trains from Dublin Heuston take 3 hr 30 min to Westport. On the morning and evening service you take the train for Galway and change at Athlone. Three direct trains run via Portarlington, Tullamore, Clara, Athlone, Roscommon, Castlerea, Ballyhaunis, Claremorris, Manulla Junction and Castlebar. See Irish Rail for timetables, fares and online tickets.
Change at Manulla Junction for Ballina, for a journey of around an hour.
1 Westport railway station is 500 m southwest of town on R330 Altamount St. There are ticket machines and toilets.
There is no direct bus from Dublin. Bus 456 runs five times a day from Galway, inland via Headford, Shrule and Ballinrobe, taking 1 hr 40 min to Westport and continuing to Castlebar. The main bus stop in Westport is on Mill St.
Bus 423 runs three times a day from Clifden in County Galway, taking 90 min via Letterfrack and Leenane to Westport.
Bus 440 runs from Athlone via Roscommon, Knock village and airport, Charlestown and Castlebar to Westport. There are four M-Sa and two on Sunday.
Get around
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Map of Westport (Ireland)
- Walk in town: from the centre to the Point of the Quay is 2 km. But you need wheels for most outlying sights.
- Bus 450 follows the coast, from Dooagh near the west tip of Achill island, via Doogort and Achill Sound to the mainland, then Mulrany, Newport and Westport, then onward to Murrisk and Louisburgh; it doesn't continue to Roonagh pier. It runs M-Sa every 2-3 hours, with only three on Sunday.
- Bike hire: Westport Bike Hire on James St is open daily 9AM-6PM.
- Paddy & Nelly Bike Hire are on Church St.
- Taxis are McGing's (+353 87 241 7466), Berry's (+353 87 232 1787) and Olly's (+353 87 777 0812).
- Ferries to Clare Island sail from Roonagh 7 km west of Louisburgh. They sail daily year-round, and frequently in summer. The crossing takes 25 min, foot passengers only. The operators are O'Malley Ferries, and Clare Island (aka O'Grady's) Ferry who have a bus connection from Westport for their first and last sailing. You must book this the day before on +353 98 23737 or +353 87 900 4115.
- To Inishturk take the O'Malley ferry from Roonagh, a 40-min crossing. They sail daily year-round.
See
[edit]- Town centre is pleasant 18th / 19th century terraces, with the best of it flanking the canalised river.
- 1 Westport House, Quay Rd F28 K6K6, ☏ +353 98 27766, [email protected]. House Apr-Sep daily 10AM–4PM. Set in parkland overlooking Clew Bay, this fine Georgian mansion was designed by Richard Cassels and James Wyatt in the 18th century. With extensive gardens and adventure park, separately ticketed.
- Clew Bay Heritage Centre, The Quay F28 K302, ☏ +353 98 26852. Jan-Nov M-Th 10AM–2PM. Small museum on Roman Island, open Mar-Oct, in a building once used for holding live pigs before transport. The island, now a promontory of the Quay, was a busy industrial port during the boom years. The Point of the promontory is a good spot for seeing birdlife and otters.
- Clew Bay is a beautiful bay dotted with small islands: there are 141 named islands and outcrops, stretching north towards Newport. They're drumlins, mounds of gravel deposited at the edge of the last glaciation. (There's a swathe of them right across Ireland where the glaciers halted: on land, across County Cavan and County Down, they create a "basket-of-eggs" landscape.) Most are uninhabited, several have private dwellings; boat trips go out from Westport harbour. To view from the mainland either take the south shore road towards Louisburgh and Roonagh, or the north shore road towards Achill Island.
- 2 Murrisk is a village 8 km west of Westport. It's at the foot of the trail up Croagh Patrick, with a large car park for walkers. A spectral sculpture evokes the "famine ships" of the 1840s. The Augustinian abbey, founded 1457, is a scrappy ruin on the shore.
- 3 Croagh Patrick is a peak of 764m / 2507 ft, rising abruptly from a U-shaped glaciated valley. Croagh means "stack" and it's a place of pilgrimage, as in legend St Patrick fasted for forty days on the summit in 441 AD, and from there sent greetings to the newly appointed Pope Leo I. Certainly there's been a chapel dubbed "Teampall Phádraig" at the summit since that century; there may have been pagan rites before then. The present summit chapel was built in 1905. The path from Murrisk is a well-worn 7-km trail up steep scree, reckon 2 hr 30 min up and 90 min back. On the last Sunday in July, Reek Sunday, some 15-30,000 pilgrims climb the peak, at a genteel pace as they're led by the Archbishop of Tuam, he always knew that long crook stick would come in handy. Some pilgrims begin as far away as Balintubber Abbey, following a 30 km trail, and may come barefoot. At least they don't risk snakebite as it's from this mountain that St Patrick is supposed to have banished snakes from Ireland when they slithered across his devotions. (He picked a good country to banish them from, as post-glacial Ireland never did have snakes.) Gold was discovered in the mountain in the 1980s, in commercially workable veins, but mining was not permitted.
- 4 Louisburgh, 20 km west of Westport, has long sandy beaches and B&Bs. It's a planned town, built in 1795 by the Marquess of Sligo to house Catholics fleeing sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, and named for the Battle of Louisburg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The Grace O'Malley Museum is open Tu-F 10AM-2PM. Just south of the village, turn off R378 to Roonagh pier, for ferries to Clare Island and Inishturk. Or follow R335 into the hills, a scenic route to Delphi and Leenane.
- And see Leenane for the south end of the county, such as Delphi Valley. Mweelrea however is easier to reach by the coast lane south of Louisburgh.
- 5 Clare Island at the entrance to Clew Bay is some 5 km long by 3 km wide. It's inhabited and reached by ferry from Roonagh, see Get Around. The medieval tower house, now just a teetering shell, was the abode of Grace or Gráinne O'Malley (1530-1603), mythologised as a "Pirate Queen". That just meant she was an independent landowner beyond London authority, and got around by sea — imagine the roads in Mayo in the 16th century? When she visited Queen Elizabeth I, she was richly gowned, and they conversed in Latin. She's probably among the many O'Malleys buried at the island's abbey, St Brigid's, built in the 12th and 13th century. It's Cistercian and has ceiling and wall paintings. The lighthouse on the north tip of the island is now a guesthouse, and there's also a hostel, and self-catering by the landing pier.
- 6 Inishturk: beware, there are three hereabouts. This one is inhabited and is reached by ferry from Roonagh, or less often from Cleggan. There's a Napoleon-era signal tower, accommodation, and a lane which soon circles you back to your starting point. Inis Toirc means "wild boar island": Inishturk Beg is a privately-owned islet in Clew Bay, while Inishturk South is uninhabited and is just off the Galway coast near Clifden.
- 7 Caher Island near Inishturk is uninhabited and doesn't have a ferry service. Boat trips sometimes visit for the ancient monastery, and there's a pilgrimage on 15 Aug, the Feast of the Assumption.
- 8 Inishbofin Island seen to the southwest is in County Galway and is reached by ferry from Cleggan northwest of Clifden. It was historically in County Mayo, but re-assigned to Galway in the famine years the better to organise relief. A place too poor to be in Mayo, imagine.
Do
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- W Cinema is in town centre off James St.
- Golf: Westport GC is 2 km northwest of town along Golf Course Rd past Westport House. White tees 6773 yards, par 73.
- Westport Leisure Park is off James St in town centre. There's a pool, gym and fitness classes, and you can pay-as-you-go without membership.
- Boat trips: Westport Cruises sail around the islets of Clew Bay.
- Fishing: several boat operators on the Quay run sea-angling trips.
- Great Western Greenway is a cycling and walking route, 42 km from Westport to Newport, Mulranny and Achill Island. A preliminary leg, "Westport Town Greenway", starts at The Quay and loops south edge of town to N5 Castlebar Rd. A short on-road leg traverses a housing estate then you pick up the definitive trail, an easy 11 km to Newport along the trackbed of the old Great Western Railway. There's a separate section around Castlebar to the east, but this is mostly on public roads.
- Horse-riding: Carrowholly Stables, northwest of town beyond the golf course, offers treks and lessons.
- Summer SUP do stand-up paddle boarding, with lessons and kit hire. They're on the coast at Oldhead near Louisburg and open daily.
- The Wild Atlantic Way is a long-distance motoring and cycling route along the western seaboard. The local section is self-evident: southbound from Achill Island round the shores of Clew Bay to Newport and Westport, then to Louisburgh, Roonagh for the islands if time allows, south to Cloonamanagh, then back-track to re-join the Delphi Valley road to Killary Fjord and Leenane.
- Féile Chois Cuain is a trad music festival held on the early May public holiday in Louisburgh.
- Westport Horse & Pony Show is held at Drumindoo Stud, 1 km east of town along N5, on the June holiday.
- Sea Angling Festival is in late June, fishing from boats or shore.
- Westival is an arts, music and literature festival in October.
Buy
[edit]- Westpoint Shopping Centre is on Altamount St opposite the railway station, with a Tesco open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 10AM-9PM.
- Farmers Market is off James St, Westport Th 8:30AM-1PM and Market Square in Louisburgh F 9AM-3PM.
Eat
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- The Clock Tavern, High St F28 Y193, ☏ +353 98 26870. M-F 6-11PM, Sa Su 2-11PM. Central pub has decent meals and live music most weekends.
- Yum Yum on Bridge St is open daily 4-11PM.
- Olde Bridge at 37 Bridge St is Indian / Thai, open Th-Tu 4-10PM.
- Captain's Galley on Bridge St is open daily noon-9PM.
- Servd on Bridge St is open daily 9AM-5PM.
- The Galleon at 5 Market Lane is open Th-Tu 12:30-9PM.
- Arno's at 3 Market Lane is open W-Su 5-9PM.
- Giovanna's at 10 Market Lane is open Th-Sa 6-9PM.
- An Port Mór at 1 Brewery Place is open Tu-Sa 5-9:30PM.
- Sol Rio on Bridge St is open Th-Tu noon-3PM, 5:30-9PM.
- Friends Bistro at 1 Bridge St is open daily 5-9PM.
- La Bella Vita, High St F28 RY77, ☏ +353 98 29771. Th-M 5-9:30PM. A little gem of an Italian bistro in town centre.
- Westport Woodfire Pizza at 10C High St is open Th-Su 4-9PM.
- Sage at 10 High St is open Tu-Sa 5:30-11:30PM.
- Il Vulcano at 9 High St is open daily 4-10PM.
- The Helm, The Quay F28 RX97, ☏ +353 98 26398. Daily 8AM-11AM, 5-9:30PM. Friendly bar and restaurant on The Quay, also has rooms.
- The Creel, The Quay F28 NA43, ☏ +353 98 26174. Daily 9AM-5PM. Cafe-restaurant with daily specials and home-cooked desserts & cakes.
- Charlie's at The Towers, The Quay F28 V650, ☏ +353 98 39148. W-Su noon-11:30PM. The Tower is the turret of the former coastguard station. Good pub grub.
- Cronin's Sheebeen, Rosbeg F28 VK70, ☏ +353 98 26528. W-Su 5-10:30PM, Su 3-10:30PM. Thatched pub and restaurant on waterside south of the harbour, does good seafood.
- 1 Misunderstood Heron (Dan's Bar), Killadoon F28 DA31. Apr-Oct. A quirky foodtruck cafe.
Drink
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- JJ O'Malleys at the top of Bridge St is a trad pub with restaurant.
- Matt Malloy's, Bridge St, ☏ +353 98 26655. Gets really busy for the nightly trad music sessions, get there early. Owned by Matt Molloy of the Chieftains.
- Others in town centre are West Bar, McBrides, Jester Bar,Hewetson Bros, Henehan's, The Old Grain Store, Moran's Walsh's, Blouser's and An File.
- Mescan Brewery was set up by discontented veterinary surgeons, what's the collective noun for that? "A spaying of..."? They offer tours, if you can find them up the back lane west side of Croagh Patrick, at Kilsallagh F28 FW70.
- Lough Mask Distillery produces gin, vodka and whiskey; tours are available. It's south of Tourmakeady along R300 the west lakeshore road.
Sleep
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- 1 Wyatt Hotel, The Octagon F28 TD76, ☏ +353 98 25027. Great value charming little hotel in town centre. Free parking, wifi, four rooms are dog-friendly. B&B double €200.
- 2 Clew Bay Hotel, James St F28 WD66, ☏ +353 98 28088. Good friendly central hotel. Use the public parking lot. B&B double €200.
- Old Mill Hostel, Barracks Yard, James St F28 VX58 (behind Clew Bay Hotel), ☏ +353 98 27045. Pleasant hostel in converted mill in town centre, clean and welcoming. Large mixed dorms, smaller male and female dorms and private rooms, and bike store. Dorm €28.
- 3 The Grace (formerly Hotel Westport), New Rd F28 E438, ☏ +353 98 25122. This has changed owners and re-opens in April 2026.
- Westport House Camping & Caravan Park is within the grounds of Westport House, open Apr-Sep.
- Westport Plaza Hotel is 50 m west of Castlecourt Hotel on Castlebar St.
- 4 Castlecourt Hotel, Castlebar St F28 X8F2, ☏ +353 98 55088, [email protected]. Upscale hotel near town centre, with 140 bedrooms, spa, pool and leisure centre. Gets great reviews for comfort and service. B&B double €200.
- Clooneen Guest House is next to Castlecourt Hotel on Castlebar St.
- Plougastel House is a B&B 100 m south of Castlecourt Hotel at Distillery Rd F28 P8X2.
- 5 Knockranny House Hotel, Knockranny F28 X340, ☏ +353 98 28600, [email protected]. Relaxing hotel 1 km east of centre. With pool, spa and good restaurant. B&B double €200.
- Adare House is a B&B 1 km west of town centre on Quay Rd.
- 6 Westport Woods Hotel, Quay Rd F28 KW53, ☏ +353 98 25811, [email protected]. Convenient location 1.5 km west of centre, friendly, but the place is run down and service is haphazard. B&B double €200.
- Hazelbreeze is a B&B 100 m south of Westport Woods Hotel at 15 Springfield Drive F28 W981.
- 7 Westport Coast Hotel, The Quay F28 X8H2, ☏ +353 98 29000, [email protected]. Pleasant hotel on quayside, great views from top floor restaurant. They also have self-catering apartments. B&B double €250.
- Waterside is a B&B 100 m west of Westport Coast Hotel.
- Ardmore Country House Hotel is in Rosbeg 500 m southwest of Westport Coast Hotel.
- Rosmo House is a B&B 100 m west of Ardmore Country House on Quay Coast Road.
- 8 Glenderan B&B, Ardmore, Rosbeg F28 D236 (3 km southwest of town), ☏ +353 98 26585, [email protected]. Smart B&B open May-Sept. No pets. B&B double €180.
- Carrabaun House is a hotel 2 km south of town on N59 Leenane Rd.
- 9 Westport Country Lodge, Knockroosky F28 P642 (five km east of town), ☏ +353 98 56030, [email protected]. Smart hotel in 36 acres of mature landscape. B&B double €200.
Connect
[edit]As of Feb 2026, Westport and its approach roads have 5G from all Irish carriers.
Go next
[edit]- Newport 11 km north has a fine Georgian mansion. Head that way to reach Achill Island and the coast further north.
- Castlebar the county town has a couple of abbeys.
- Leenane is where the scenery changes as you pass the fjord into Connemara.