WESTPORTED

One of the noblest views in the world... In rain-splattered, flower-powered Westport youll hear William Makepeace Thackerays fulsome words intoned more often than the Rosary. The much-fêted town, nestling at the edge of majestic Clew Bay and overlooked by conical Croagh Patrick-that most holy of holy mountains-is as tiny as it is tidy, as cute as it is cosmopolitan. Westport is the Koh-i-Noor in Connaughts crown, a magnet not only for tourists but also writers, artists and musicians from all corners of the globe. Tarry a while and youll soon be ensorcelled by the friendly banter, cheerily painted houses, music-filled pubs and traditional shop-fronts. Its Ireland, as it ought to be. And it is here, a mere sling shot from the wild Atlantic, that Botox-the needle-propelled elixir of youth, the Finn McCool of facial treatments-is manufactured. One way or another, Westport will get under your skin.