Westport Historical Society was established in 1978 – as the founding members put it, ‘to research and enjoy local history and archaeology’. We first published our local history journal, Cathair na Mart, in 1981 and it has been going strong ever since.

‘Cathair na Mart’ was the name of the ancient settlement which preceded the present town of Westport; it lives on as the standard Irish (Gaelic) version of Westport’s name.

The focus of the journal is the history of Westport and the Clew Bay area of west Mayo. Cathair na Mart has always strived to blend the recording of ‘folk’ history – local memory, tightly-focused local studies and articles disseminating local historical sources – with scholarly treatments of subjects of local relevance. This mix has much to recommend it, and Cathair na Mart has over the years enjoyed both local popularity and a reputation as a forum for academic history.