*POST UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
Friends, I have to be honest with you: Westport was never one of the places on my “to-go list”. Why would I want to go to a small town tucked away in the back arse of nowhere? A trip to Westport would have meant experiencing that true Irish-country-feel that tourists seem to revel in. To be honest, the smell of cow poop that comes to mind from previous country visits doesn’t do it for me. Then Boyfriend came along. He spoke of the wonders of the Wild West & insisted time and time again that we visit Westport together. Apparently, I would love it. I was skeptical, but I am weak to Boyfriend’s puppy-dog eyes.
We set out for Westport in January 2016, and returned again in December 2016.
why westport?
It takes just over three hours to drive from Dublin to Westport, & the journey is filled with the most gorgeous landscapes. With the ‘Into The Wild’ soundtrack playing on full volume, we drove from one side of the country to the other. I had never been to Mayo before, but ever since our first visit to Westport, I’ve been hooked. There’s something about the place that hits you in the face & sticks in your mind long after your visit has ended. A certain type of magical charm that you can’t really put your finger on. You can taste it in the air, see it in all of the quaint little shopfronts, & feel it when you venture into your first Westport pub for a local Mescan beer.
