Westport House

Westport House in Westport, Ireland is the stately home of Lord Altamont the Marquess of Sligo. It was built by the Browne family in the 18th Century, on the site of an O'Malley castle whose dungeons are still present today. The architects were Richard Cassels who built ( 1730 ) the east section of the house facing the town, and later James Wyatt tho built the other three facades to form a quadrangle. Later the quadrangle was filled in with a grand staircase. North and south wings were added to the designs of Benjamin Wyatt. The south wing which contained a library was burned soon after it was built due to a defect in the heating system. It was subsequently rebuilt.

A model farm was built in the demesne in the early part of the 19th. century with accommodation housing animals and animal feed.

The remains of an old boathouse opens to the sea.

Colonel John Browne (1638-1711) who built the original Westport House married Grace O'Malley’s great great granddaughter, Maude Burke. He was a Roman Catholic who fought on the Jacobite side in the War of the Two Kings. His descendants, however, converted to the established Church of Ireland, and prospered.

The current Marquess of Sligo is Jeremy Browne. He and his family still own and live in the country Park and have been responsible for its success as a commercial enterprise.

Since 2006, the GaelForce West outdoor event has held been held at Westport house. It is an event that hosts such adventure sports as sky diving, kayaking and scuba-diving. It was ran from August 31st-September 2nd this year(2007). It is set to return next year to Westport house.

Among the features of the beautiful demesne are a caravan site, miniature railway, pedelo swans, flume log rides, and the slippery dip.

External links

* [http://www.westporthouse.ie/westporthouse.html Westport House web site]

* [http://www.gaelforcewest.ie/ GaelForce West website]