Background
Westropp was born on 16 August 1860 at Attyflin Park, Patrickswell, County Limerick.
anthropologist archaeologist author
Westropp was born on 16 August 1860 at Attyflin Park, Patrickswell, County Limerick.
He attended Trinity College at the University of Dublin and graduated in 1882 with an Master of Arts. A degree in civil engineering followed in 1885, at which time he was apprenticed to Bindon Blood Stoney, who was engaged in a project to widen and dredge the entrance to the Portuguese of Dublin. After he finished his training, Westropp became the assistant surveyor for County Meath, but soon abandoned his professional work to pursue his archaeological interests.
His relatives were landowners of English origin and had lived there since the mid 16th century. He displayed an early interest in antiquities, making notes on topography, ancient buildings and folk life whenever his family would make trips into the neighboring counties. He spent the remainder of his life researching antiquities along the western seaboard.
He drew many detailed sketches of buildings, grave slabs and other archaeological remains throughout Ireland.
Many of these sketches are held by the Royal Irish Academy. His publications are widely available in libraries throughout the west of Ireland.
Folklore
While surveying the field monuments of, he became fascinated by the variety and descriptiveness of the folk tales he heard being recited by the locals. Over the course of several years, he gathered these tales, beliefs and customs and published them in a series of articles which appeared in "Folk-Lore: Transactions of the Folk-Lore Society" between 1910 and 1913.
In 2006 these folk-tales were published on the internet by the Library.
Many of these tales have since been lost to living memory. His writings later provided the foundation for the work of the Irish Folklore Commission. The Normans and prehistoric sites
Westropp also undertook research into the early history of Clare and Limerick (which the Normans called Thomond) and published his finding in three historical essays covering the years 1275-1287, 1287-1313 and 1313-1318, respectively.
He then focused on the palaces of early Killaloe, other prehistoric stone-forts and the "peel towers"or tower houses, eventually publishing several articles about his findings:
The Promontory Forts and Early Remains of the coasts of County Mayo
Killaloe and Its Ancient Palaces and Cathedral
Types of Ring-forts and Similar Structures Remaining in Eastern Clare (the Newmarket Group)
Prehistoric Stone Forts of Central Clare - Moghane and Langough, near Dromoland.