Riverside Apartment, Westport

The apartment is situated by the Riverside at the bottom end of the Mall. It is in a secure and quiet spot immediately accessible to all the attractions of Westport town centre, Westport House and the Greenway. Westport (Irish: Cathair na Mart, meaning "stone fort of the beeves", historically anglicised as Cahernamart) is in County Mayo in Ireland. It is at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland. The town centre was designed by James Wyatt in 1780, in the Georgian architectural style. Its layout follows the medieval principles of urban design introduced by the Normans in the 13th century. The design for the town was commissioned by the Lord Sligo of the nearby stately home, Westport House, as a place for his workers and tenants to live. A particular feature is the incorporation of the river into the composition, contained for two blocks by low stone walls producing, on each side of the river, attractive tree lined promenades (The Mall) with several stone bridges over the river Carrow Beg. The layout further includes several tree lined streets, addressed by the narrow fronted commercial buildings typical of Irish towns, though with many here remaining of a singular refinement and charm. Some modern interventions, such as the Garda station, are less successful in maintaining the original continuity of the urban fabric. It was the home of the pirate chief Grace O'Malley in the mid-to-late 16th century. 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 offers 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 scores highly for Quality of Life.[2] It has also won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition three times in 2001, 2006 and 2008; in 2012 it also won the Best Place to Live in Ireland competition run by The Irish Times. Fáilte Ireland has announced that Westport has also been crowned the 2014 National Large Tourism Town. Westport originates and gets its name, in Irish, from a 16th-century castle--Cathair na Mart (meaning: The Stone Fort of the Beeves or The City of The Fairs)--and surrounding settlement, belonging to the powerful local seafaring Ó Máille Clan, who controlled the Clew Bay area, then known as Umaill. The original village of Cathair na Mart existed somewhere 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.[3] 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 is one of only a few planned towns in the country.[4] The design of the town is attributed to James Wyatt, an 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 Ó Máille Castle. The dungeons of the Ó Máille castle still remain. The most notable feature of James Wyatt's town plan is the tree-lined boulevard, the Mall, built on the Carrowbeg River. Since the late 20th century, Westport has greatly expanded with several new estates. Some of the most populous estates are: Springfield, the Carrowbeg Estate, Horkans Hill, Cedar Park, Fairways, Knockranny Village and Sharkey Hill. Westport House Designed by the famous architects Richard Cassels and James Wyatt in the 18th century, Westport House is considered one of the most significant historic homes open to the public. Westport House is situated in a parkland setting with a lake, terraces, gardens and views overlooking Clew Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, Achill, Clare Island and Ireland's Holy Mountain, Croagh Patrick. It was built and is still privately owned by the Browne family, who are direct descendants of the 16th-century pirate, Gráinne Ní Mháille, Queen of Umaill. During the 16th century, Gráinne Ní Mháille a leading Gaelic-Irish chief in Connacht. After her death, a report—by Sir Richard Bingham, Governor of Connacht—stated that for forty years she was the stay of all rebellions in the West.[5] She was chief of the O'Malley Clan and ruled the seas around Mayo. Ní Mháille had several castles in the west of Ireland and it was on the foundations of one of these that Westport House was built. There is still an area of her original castle in the basement of the House (the Dungeons), which is on view to visitors. There is a bronze statue of Ní Mháille by the artist Michael Cooper situated on the grounds of Westport House. The original House was built by Colonel John Browne, a Jacobite, who was at the Siege of Limerick, and his wife Maude Bourke. Maude Bourke was Ní Mháille’s great-great granddaughter (reported by Anne Chambers to greatly resemble her). The House then did not have the lake or a dam and the tide rose and fell against the walls.[6] 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 Covies.[citation needed] Matt Molloy of the Chieftains has a pub and music venue on Bridge Street. Westport through the year Many festivals and events are held in and around Westport each year. Westport Festival of Music and Performing acts Westport Horse & Pony Show; June Sea Angling Festival; June Croagh Patrick Pilgrimage; July Westport Arts Festival; October Westport Blue Grass Festival; June Westport Seafood Festival; October Westport Festival Of Chamber Music; September The Westport Shop n' Spraoi na Nollag; December http://www.destinationwestport.com/westport-events/ Tourism Clew Bay with Clare Island Westport is County Mayo's premier tourist destination popular with holiday makers from all over the world and Ireland. In 1842, the English novelist, William Makepeace Thackeray, visited Westport and wrote of the town: "The most beautiful view I ever saw in the world. It forms an event in one's life to have seen that place so beautiful that is it, and so unlike other beauties that I know of. Were such beauties lying on English shores it would be a world's wonder perhaps, if it were on the Mediterranean or Baltic, English travellers would flock to it by hundreds, why not come and see it in Ireland!"[16] Visitors visit Westport for several reasons: the scenery; the pubs and restaurants in the town; blue flag beaches; and Croagh Patrick.[17] Its proximity to Connemara, Achill, Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick, and its hotels and guest houses, make it a base for holidaymakers to tour the region. Westport House and its Pirate Adventure Park attracts families. Westport has an 18-hole golf course and nearby a 9-hole course. In January 2008, Westport became Google Earth's first fully 3D town. Religion There are four churches in the town: the Catholic Church, St Mary's; the Anglican church, Holy Trinity; the Evangelical church, Calvary Church Westport; the Elim Pentecostal Church, Amazing Grace Church . Historically, a Methodist church existed on the Mall. It is currently a restaurant. Church records for the 19th century for the Westport area (Church of Ireland, Methodist, Roman Catholic, civil, gravestone inscriptions, etc.) and other historical records are held at the South Mayo Family Research Centre in Ballinrobe and The Clew Bay Heritage Centre at Westport Quay. Transport Rail The town is the terminus of the railway route from and to Dublin. This railway also connects the town to Castlebar. Bicycle The Great Western Greenway is a greenway rail trail that follows the route of the former Midland Great Western Railway branch line to Achill, via Newport and Mulranny. 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 national secondary route. Air The regional airport is Ireland West Airport Knock, 60 km (37 mi) away. There are regular bus connections from Knock Airport to Westport. 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. Cornelius Coughlan who won the Victoria Cross in the service of the British Army is buried locally. Irish writer George A. Birmingham (real name James Hannay) was the Protestant rector in Westport for a number of years. He infamously caused a riot in the town when his successful play General John Regan was staged there and the locals began recognising, to their disdain, that the characters were based on themselves. 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.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. Sport The Gaelic football club, Westport United soccer club and the Rugby club have a venerable tradition in both county and national competition. Westport, and the surrounding region, has been identified as a primary centre for adventure sports by Failte Ireland.

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