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Westport
Westport, winner of the 2001 national 'Tidy Towns' competition, is one of two planned towns in Ireland and is one of the most attractive
destinations to visit. It is unique in its character, blending the traditional and the
modern. Westport offers a wide selection
of high quality restaurants,excellent shopping facilities
and lively pubs with traditional music. For the sporty types there are numerous
swimming pools and gyms scattered around the town.
We are happy to give our guests a lift into Westport for a night out.
Fishing
Every known species of
fish existing in Irish waters has been caught in Clew Bay! Boats can be chartered with ease
for angling and crusing in one of the best locations in Europe.
For the coarse fishing enthusiasts, there are a miriad of lakes including Kinlooley Lough within driving distance of the B&B.
Mayo boasts some of the best
salmon and brown trout in Europe with the River Moy fishery within an hours drive.
Both advanced and less experienced fisherman are accomodated with ghillies, boats and fly fishing
instruction readily available.
 The Islands
Clew Bay is said to have 365 island, 'one for every day of the year'.
Clare Island, once home of the ledgendary pirate queen Grainne Uaile, dominates the horizon.
Ferries run daily in the summer as do ferries to Inishbofin and Inishturk.
 Sailing,
Watersports and Beaches
Mayo posesses some of the most
beautiful,
biggest and safest beaches in Europe and as you would expect, there are an abundance of watersports
available to the entusiast.Choose between sailing, scuba diving, canoeing, surfing and snorkelling.
 Golf
Westport's is the ideal base for a golfing holiday.
The Golf Club boasts a 260 acre, 18 hole championship course which has hosted the Irish Amateur Close Championship on 3
Separate occasions. To play on a challenging and well designed course, under the shadow of Croagh Patrick is any golfers dream.
There are other 18 hole golf courses within an hours drive.
These include Enniscorone, Castlebar, Ballinrobe, Conamara and Carne (Bellmullet).
There are also ten 9 hole golf courses within easy reach, Clew Bay by the sea being one of the most spectacluar.
The Tóchar Valley
A beautiful area of rural communities stretching from Balla to Murrisk, at the foot of
Croagh Patrick, "Ireland's Holy Mountain". Steeped in antiquity, the unspoiled countryside is liberally sprinkled with churches, Celtic artifacts
and historical sites. The Tóchar Phádraig pilgrim route, which links these townlands and villages for a distance
of 55km., is the ancient pilgrim pathway to Croagh Patrick.
 Ballintubber Abbey
This 13th century abbey is unique, not only is it the only church in Ireland still in use which was founded by an
Irish King, but it is also the one Irish church where for over 781 years Mass has been offered without a break.
Its story is graphically told in a video documentary on show at the abbey. Founded in 1216 by the last King
of Connaught, Cathal Crovdearg O'Connor, for the Canons Regular of St. Augustine order, the Abbey had large tracts
of land in the district until the dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VII.
Retreats, pilgrimages and tours are available today.
The Celtic Furrow Visitors Centre provides guided tours of the region, tracing 5,000 years of Irish culture.
 Knock Shrine & Folk Museum
On 22 August 1879 fifteen local people saw a vision of Mary the Mother of Christ. Two church commissions examined
the claim- "The claim was 'trustworthy and satisfactory'".
Now Knock Shrine is one of the major Marian Shrines of the world. Pope John Paul II traveled to Knock as a pilgrim
in 1979. Each year over 1.3 million pilgrims travel to the shrine from all over the world.
Knock Folk Museum documents the story of the Knock Apparition of 1879 and places it in the context of the lifestyle
of the people, their traditions and customs at the time. Permanent displays range from religious to fishing,
farming, crafts and skills, education, housing, clothing and transport.
Céide Fields
The Céide Fields, Ballycastle are the oldest known field systems in the world, over five and a half millennia old. It is a
unique Neolithic landscape of world importance, which has changed our perception of our Stone Age ancestors.
The remains of stone field walls, houses and megalithic tombs are preserved beneath a blanket of peat over
several square miles. They tell a story of the everyday lives of a farming people, their organized society,
their highly developed spiritual beliefs, and their struggle against a changing environment beyond their control.
Visit the multi-award winning Centre, which has exhibitions, audio-visual show and tearooms.
Museum of Country Life
Turlough Park, Castlebar. Here you can immerse yourself in the lives of our rural ancestors from
the mid - 19th to the mid - 20th centuries. Lifestyles which were established for several hundred years came to an end well into
living memory, and here amidst furniture and fittings, the tools they used to work the land and the clothes and textiles they wore,
you can reach out and touch those vanished lives.
Turlough Park is the site of the first de Burgo castle and the impressive High Victorian Gothic style house was built in
1865 by the Fitzgeralds, who farmed the surrounding land. Today the museum offers guided tours, an audio - visual exhibition,
lectures, workshops, special events, family days, a museum shop & cafe.
 Westport House
Mayo's only stately home
is surrounded by acres of idyllic parklands. During the summer months
this is an ideal centre for a day visit for the family. There are flume rides, a childrens
zoo, train rides, pitch and putt and much more.
Other Activities include
clay pigeon shooting,
horse-riding, tennis, squash and cycling.
For more information on any of the above please do not hesitate to ask. |
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