Strong support from the community for Westport House proposals

Over 300 people attended Public Information Days last week to learn about the ambitious new vision to transform Westport House into a world-class tourism destination and visitor attraction operating on a year-round basis for domestic and international visitors alike.

A survey carried out amongst members of the public who attended the information days found that 97 percent of respondents were in favour of the proposed plans.

Supported by Fáilte Ireland, the new vision will see Westport House create a uniquely Irish landscape experience by renowned landscape designer Mary Reynolds, that connects the earth with our Irish heritage. The full restoration of Westport House and the reimagining of its 300-year history and the legendary stories of the Browne family and Grace O’Malley will also be central features of the wide-ranging plan. A new dedicated heritage visitor hub with ticketing area, shop, restaurant and terrace area will be included to support these new attractions. This will be integrated into the restored Coach House building near the Main House.

While each element of the proposed project garnered strong support from members of the local community, the proposed Wild Realms generated the strongest appeal according to the survey findings. This was in line with a previous Fáilte Ireland international market research survey of the Westport House concepts, which saw the Wild Realms achieve an “exceptionally strong performance” and reach the strongest score approval of any concept ever tested by the National Tourism Development Authority.

The Wild Realms by Mary Reynolds – a uniquely Irish landscape experience – is based on the Tree of Life and features The Upper, The Middle and The Lower Realms. Each realm will offer an entirely original one-of-a-kind experience including tree top walks, fire pits, a pontoon walkway, and journeys to reconnect with the land and Irish mythology. The Realms will take visitors across treetops and waterways and open up entirely new parts of the Estate. This experience will rejuvenate and reinstate landscape experiences in Ladies Walk, the Walled Garden and on Garvillaun island.

In addition to members of the public, a range of local representatives including local councillors and Mayo TDs as well as business people from the town of Westport also attended events over the 2-day period to learn more about the exciting new vision for the House and estate.

Planning will be submitted for the proposed project in the coming weeks.

Owen Hughes of Westport House said: “We were delighted to host the Public Information Days to share the exciting vision that our amazing team have been working so hard on behind the scenes for the past number of years. Westport House and Estate is an integral part of the community, and the new project will support local jobs and businesses throughout the town and in the local area alike.”