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Westport offers a step back in time to slower, gentler Ireland

American student in Ireland sees Ireland's past in County Mayo

By
BRIDGET ENGLISH
,
Irish Central.com

Published Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 1:23 PM
Updated Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 1:30 PM

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Westport offers a step back in time to slower, gentler Ireland | IrishCentral




Read more: Ireland, Westport (County Mayo), Dublin
Matt Molloys: Authentic taste of Ireland in Westport's famed Matt Molloys pub
Matt Molloys: Authentic taste of Ireland in Westport's famed Matt Molloys pub

I’d been promised a glimpse into how Ireland was in the 19th Century, and “a view of Ireland most Yanks never see,” by an old friend from Chicago.

He was coming over to Ireland to visit his cousin who lives in a small town called Drummin, just outside Westport, County Mayo.

The timing was a bit difficult since a time during the week worked best for him I had only two free days in the middle of the week.

The train ride was no short venture but still it seemed worth it. Both Yeats and Synge adored the West of Ireland, and the area is rich with folklore.

So after some difficulty with the Irish Rail System whose website would not let me buy a ticket online and whose phone put me endlessly on hold, I finally managed to successfully purchase a ticket from Dublin to Westport.

More trouble ensued on the trip to Heuston Station, mostly a fault of my own because I missed the stop and then hadn’t left enough time to allow for such errors so had to frantically search for a taxi. Big mistake.

A ride that would have cost me less than $5 in Manhattan cost  €10 in Dublin. For that price I could have taken a cab from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn. Instead we had driven the equivalent of the distance of the Flat Iron district to Grand Central.

The only thing that made that expenditure worth it was that my taxi driver used to live in Hoboken, NJ and was the headwaiter at the Plaza hotel for 11 years. Once again, I’d found yet another Irish person who’d lived, worked or studied in New York. It seems that everyone I meet has some story about a friend or relative who lived there. I wanted to ask him what made him become a taxi driver but he didn’t seem too amenable to such questions.

The train ride was long but thankfully uneventful. As soon as I got off the train I was immediately struck with how quaint and charming Westport was. Bigger than Maynooth, but nowhere near as big as Dublin, it had enough pubs, shops and restaurants to offer a variety of choices without being overwhelming.

One of the few planned towns in Ireland, Westport features an abundance of Georgian architecture and a tree-lined promenade (the Mall) that reminded me of a miniature version of Paris.

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Westport offers a step back in time to slower, gentler Ireland | IrishCentral


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Posted by maryannekf on Dec 05, 2009, 04:21 PM EST
Hi Bridget, I am Ed's sister, Maryanne. Pat is my cousin. We have been to Ireland twice and have stayed within walking distance of Pat's cottage. He is a lovely and special man. I am so happy that you appreciated your visit with him. He is truly a part of "Vanishing Ireland."
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Posted by yetiweasel on Nov 27, 2009, 10:01 AM EST
I miss waking up to the sound of milk bottles being delivered and the sound of church bells ringing!
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Posted by beachline on Nov 25, 2009, 10:23 AM EST
Thank you for sharing your trip with us. It makes me want to get on a plane right now.
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Posted by katie123 on Nov 25, 2009, 09:52 AM EST
What a pleasrure to read thank you for sharing it with us all on Irish central i hope lots of peeps read this. i miss the ticking clock we had in my family home and the burning open fire that gave us our only heating for the whole house and our hot water. This was in a small town, Barnsley South Yorkshire England not all of old Ireland was a good place to be but how i love it and it's peaple
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Posted by Padraig on Nov 25, 2009, 06:01 AM EST
Matt Molloys is always so packed full of people. The Helm on the Quays has good grub and The Quays Pub is the best in Westport. Cheers Liam!






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