Westport ancestors? Book needs old photos and more

Westport – © Failte Ireland

Westport Historical Society (WHS) in Co. Mayo is on the hunt for old images of Westport to illustrate a book of the history of the town. The book, which will be published next year by WHS, will be composed of old images (photos, paintings, etc.) of Westport's people, streets, buildings and local clubs and organisations, as well as documents of local historical interest, old maps of the town, interesting newspaper clippings, etc.

The period covered will be (roughly) 1750-1950, and all proceeds from sales of the book will go towards the operation of the Clew Bay Heritage Centre in Westport, which is run voluntarily by WHS members.

WHS member James Kelly is co-ordinating the project and is asking readers of Irish Genealogy News to contact him by email if they have photos of ancestors who lived in Westport, old images of the town itself or any items which you think might make an interesting addition to the book. Similarly, please contact him if you'd like more information about the project.

Besides the publication of the book, a significant aim of the project is to digitise and catalogue as many old Westport images as can be found, with a view to ensuring their survival for future generations. The images will be collected together to form a digital archive, which will then be made available for research in the Clew Bay Heritage Centre.