Local history...

Mike M is up at the crack of dawn for a train to Dublin, and Sheila is off to her Art class. We plan a more lazy day exploring Westport. We start near the centre at the Octagon where 3 pubs, a hotel and cafes surround a statue on a tall column. This used to commemorate the local land agent, Glendenning. He wasn't terribly popular though, so around 100 years ago the statue was blown up and the figure on top replaced with one of St Patrick! Down by the picturesque quay old warehouses have been converted into handsome hotels and yet more pubs.


A memorial records the drowning of more than 20 young women. They were in a small boat transferring them to the steamer bound for Scotland where there was employment in the potato harvest. They rushed to one side of the " Victory" to look at the steamer and their over loaded vessel capsized. Nearby the Heritage Centre is full of local artefacts and old photos.


Mike takes part in a "Guess What" competition, identifying various obscure objects, and was pleased with his 4/7 result. The kind lady in charge of the jumble of exhibits let him down gently, saying his incorrect answers were "good, but just not right". We both were moved by the loving letter from Patrick Pearse to his mother, written the night before his execution for his part in the 1916 rising.

Location:Westport area