Time for action on Westport Courthouse building

by Auld Stock

Westport Courthouse has, it seems, outlived its usefulness. Structurally the building appears to be in good condition.

The owners of the property are Mayo County Council and it would be a pity if the building was allowed to fall into rack and ruin.

Courthouses, by their nature, are perhaps not the most welcoming buildings in any community and I am sure many of them have unhappy memories for some people.

Many controversial cases were heard in Westport Courthouse in former years, particularly when this country was under the jurisdiction of the British.

Nevertheless courthouses are buildings of historical significance.

Westport is one of the leading tourist towns in the country and the local courthouse would be a suitable location for an art gallery or museum.

Many Westport people played leading roles in the fight for freedom and I am sure there is a fair share of memorabilia knocking around since those times.

Perhaps tourist interests in Westport and local historians could come together and develop Westport Courthouse as a location for some local project.

If the Courthouse was lit up after dark it would present a very impressive appearance for people driving into Westport from the direction of Castlebar.

It really would be a shame if Westport Courthouse, one of the town’s oldest and most historic buildings, was allowed to fall into decay.

I remember the time when Tommy Moran and his wife, formerly Rosie Clarke, a native of Castlebar, lived in the courthouse.

Tommy Moran junior played in Westport town band and his brother James was a psychiatric nurse in St. Mary’s Hospital, Castlebar, before leaving for England. The Morans were an old and popular Westport family.