Westport – things to see and do

Last updated on September 25, 2024

If you’re travelling in the west of Ireland, the town of Westport makes a great overnight stop on your journey…

Intro

Westport is located in County Mayo, just north of the Connemara region and a little north of the city of Galway.

If you are travelling along the northern Wild Atlantic Way, you will definitely pass through here. The small town is located on the beautiful Clew Bay with its supposedly 365 islands – one for every day!

Also on Clew Bay is Croagh Patrick, the holy mountain of the Irish, which thousands of pilgrims hike to every year. From the top, you have a wonderful view of the bay and its islands.

The many islands used to provide natural protection and hiding places for pirates and smugglers, who evaded prosecution by the British navy and carried out their lucrative activities here.

Today they are a habitat for many seabirds, seals and other marine animals. Pirates and smugglers are no longer to be found here – but wait, were they here before…?
Anyway, you can visit the beautiful town of Westport on Clew Bay today in complete safety!

I’ve stayed overnight in Westport and was very impressed by the little town. Incidentally, unlike most towns in Ireland, Westport did not develop historically, but was deliberately planned as a town around 1780 on behalf of Earl Sligo. He wanted to create living space for the numerous employees of the count’s residence, Westport House.

Incidentally, Westport can be reached by train from Dublin and is also ideal for a stay of several days due to its interesting surroundings.

I have summarised a few great tips for things to do and excursions in Westport and the surrounding area for you here:

Sightseeing

Westport House: An impressive 18th century manor house with beautiful gardens. See: https://www.westporthouse.ie/.

Clew Bay Heritage Centre: A small museum dedicated to the history of Westport and the surrounding area. It is located on Westport Quay. There is a small exhibition and guided tours of the town are also offered. See: https://www.westportheritage.com.

The Octagon: The central square in Westport with Georgian architecture. Very nice in summer: it’s a great place to sit outside and eat and drink.

Holy Trinity Church: A very beautiful neo-Gothic church in the town centre. See: https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/31212019/holy-trinity-church-oughaval-newport-street-westport-demesne-burr-by-westport-mayo.

Rockfleet Castle: A tower castle from the 16th century, built by Richard de Burgo. His wife Grace O’Malley continued to run the clan and a fleet of pirate ships after her husband’s death and became an Irish legend. In addition to Rockfleet, other castles also belonged to the O’Malley clan. See: https://www.destinationwestport.com/directory/rockfleet-castle.

Burrishoole Abbey: Ruins of a Dominican monastery from the 15th century (near Newport). See my article on this: https://ireland-insider.com/burrishoole-abbey-a-pretty-ruin-at-clew-bay/.

Music and Culture

Matt Molloy’s Pub: A famous traditional Irish pub known for live Irish music 7 days a week. See: https://www.mattmolloy.com.

Porterhouse Bar: There are also daily trad sessions here. See: https://theporterhousewestport.ie.

Westival, formerly Westport Arts Festival: An annual cultural festival in autumn with music, art and literature. See: https://westival.ie.

Custom House Studios & Gallery: An art centre with changing exhibitions. See: http://www.customhousestudios.ie/.

Westport Town Hall Theatre: A small theatre with a variety of performances. See: https://www.westporttheatre.com/.

Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival: A summer festival with lots of live music. See: http://westportfolkbluegrass.com.

Food and Drink

An Port Mór Restaurant: An award-winning restaurant with a focus on local ingredients. See: https://anportmor.com.

Urban Gruel: A casual café and restaurant in the city centre. See: https://www.urbangruel.ie.

Sage Restaurant: Modern Irish cuisine in a stylish setting. See: https://sagewestport.ie.

McGing’s Bar: A traditional pub with a good atmosphere and live music. See: https://www.facebook.com/mcgings/.

Westport Food Festival: An annual event for foodies (if it takes place). See: https://mayofood.ie/festivals/westport-food-festival/.

Guided tours

Westport Walking Tours: Guided walks through the history of the town. Alternatively, there are also food tours and pub tours. See: https://westportwalkingtours.ie.

Clew Bay Heritage Centre Walking Tours: See: https://www.westportheritage.com.

Westport Cruises: Guided tour of beautiful Clew Bay on a comfortable excursion boat. See: http://www.westportcruises.com/index.html.

Westport House Guided Tours: Guided tours of the magnificent and historic manor house. See: https://www.westporthouse.ie/activities/guided-tours/.

Self guided tours and outdoor activities

You can find bike hire companies here, for example: https://paddyandnelly.ie, https://westportbikehire.com, https://westportelectricbikerental.ie.

Great Western Greenway: A 42 km long cycle and hiking trail from Westport to Achill. https://www.greenway.ie/.

Croagh Patrick: Ireland’s ‘holy mountain’ offers several exciting climbs and fantastic views. See: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/highlight/160677, or here: https://www.alltrails.com/de/poi/ireland/croagh-patrick.

Westport House Adventure Park: adventure activities such as ziplines and a high ropes course for children of all ages. See: https://www.westportadventure.ie.

Westport Golf Club: An 18-hole golf course overlooking Clew Bay. See: https://www.westportgolfclub.ie/.

Carrowholly Stables & Trekking Centre: Horse riding in the beautiful surroundings of Westport, on and off the water. See: http://www.carrowholly-stables.com/.

Brackloon Woods: A beautiful woodland walk near Westport. See: https://westporttourism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/brackloon-woods.pdf.

Bertra Beach: A beautiful sandy beach with a long headland stretching into Clew Bay. Located directly below Croagh Patrick, near Murrisk.

Westport Quay: The picturesque harbour of Westport, nice for a little stroll in the evening.

Achill Island: Wonderful day trip to one of the most beautiful islands off the west coast with marvellous hiking trails, beaches and cliffs. Achill Island is easily accessible by bridge. See my article on this: https://ireland-insider.com/achill-island-rough-and-beautiful/.

More activities

Westport Leisure Park: A leisure centre with swimming pool and gym. See: http://www.westportleisure.com.

National Museum of Ireland – Country Life: An interesting museum about rural life in Ireland. Beautiful grounds near Castlebar. https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Country-Life.

Achill Island: The largest island in Ireland, accessible by bridge, with beautiful beaches and scenery. I even listed Achill island twice because it’s so beautiful! See also: https://achilltourism.com.

Ballycroy National Park: Ireland’s sixth national park with wild moorland and beautiful hiking trails, a short distance north of Westport. See: https://www.nationalparks.ie/wild-nephin/.

Conclusion

Westport is a very nice little town in the north-west of Ireland. You can spend one or more nights here and are sure to find several nice and interesting activities in and around Westport that will make your stay a great experience.

In this article, I have put together a few tips and information to make your planning easier.

I wish you lots of fun in Westport!

More interesting articles for you

ACHILL ISLAND – ROUGH AND BEAUTIFUL


BURRISHOOLE ABBEY – A PRETTY RUIN AT CLEW BAY


THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS OF MAYO


THE TOWN OF SLIGO – THINGS TO DO AND SEE

(Title image: photo by David Heath Williams on Google Maps)