Westport House

Westport House sits in landscaped grounds on the southern shore of Clew Bay, on the edge of Westport town. It was built in the 1730s by the Browne family — later the Marquesses of Sligo — on the foundations of a 16th-century castle belonging to Grace O'Malley (Gráinne Mhaol, the "pirate queen" of Mayo), from whom the Brownes are directly descended. The central house was designed by the German-born architect Richard Cassels and later remodelled, with a dining room added by James Wyatt; it is among the finest Georgian houses in the west of Ireland.

The interior highlights are the Grand Staircase of Sicilian marble, the Wyatt dining room, the library and a collection of family portraits, silver and old Chinese wallpaper. Beneath the house, dungeons survive from Grace O'Malley's original castle. The estate passed out of the Browne family in 2017 after more than 300 years and is now run as a visitor attraction, with the house, terraced gardens and grounds open to the public.

The grounds also hold the Pirate Adventure Park — a separately ticketed family attraction with a log flume, swan pedal boats on the lake, and playgrounds — along with woodland and lakeshore walks. Westport town itself (1 km) is one of the most attractive towns in Ireland: a planned Georgian town with an octagonal square, a tree-lined Mall along the river, and excellent pubs, including Matt Molloy's (owned by the Chieftains' flute player), which has nightly traditional music. Combine with the Great Western Greenway and Croagh Patrick for a full Westport day.