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Like a well-poured pint of Guinness or a bit of blarney between old pals, life in Westport is worth savouring.

The picture-postcard Irish town should be succumbing to the country’s crippling recession but the shops are full, the bars are packed and business is booming.

And it’s all thanks to a cash injection from Botox.

Westport (pop 5,543) is home to the world’s only producer of the anti-wrinkle treatment, which remains a favourite with A-listers the world round.

But the Co Mayo resort is a far cry from Hollywood’s red carpet glitz and glamour.

Walk into traditional pub Matt Molloy’s and you could easily be stepping back in time 50 years.

Pensioners enjoy dancing in the back room, while regulars sip whiskey and water in the front.

(Image: Tony Spencer)

None look the type to have ever experimented with the Botox needle.

Town councillor Keith Martin says: “Many of the smiles you see on TV have been made in Westport thanks to Botox.

"But nobody here has it – you can’t get it in the town.”

From supermodels to X Factor supremos, many an celebrity has admitted to having a helping hand from the muscle-freezing, wrinkle-busting toxin.

And that pursuit of eternal youth is now a global billion-pound business, giving Westport a massive boost.

Pioneering US firm Allergan, which was enticed to the town in 1977 with just a handful of employees, this week announced it expects net sales of the treatment worldwide to be almost £1.3billion in 2013, and worth almost £2billion within five years.

Town mayor Ollie Gannon has worked at Allergan for 16 years.

He says: “The firm employs almost 1,000 people here and if you think the average salary is around £40,000 that is about £40million coming into the local economy.

“From a personal point of view I would prefer to grow old gracefully, warts and all. But we live in a very different world now.

"People are more image-conscious and if they look good, then they feel good.”

(Image: Tony Spencer)

He adds: “A few years ago I was watching the build-up to the Oscars on TV and there was a doctor being interviewed.

"He said he’d had such demand for Botox in the run-up to the awards he’d had to ship another batch from Westport.

“I just couldn’t believe our town had made it to the Oscars.”

But Botox is not just used by the rich and famous any more.

The drug, which is produced from the botulism toxin, is also used to help treat people with medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, migraines and ­over-active bladders.

For those who do want it for cosmetic reasons, you can even pop into a beauty salon and be Botoxed in your lunch break, and more and more women – and men – are choosing to get a little help from the jabs.

Me included. I am no stranger to the needle.

And once you’ve tried it, it is easy to become hooked on trying to roll back the years.

You see, the effects wear off after four to six months, so you have to go back for more if you want to maintain that wrinkle-free forehead.

(Image: Tony Spencer)

And with treatments costing from £150 to £350, it doesn’t come cheap.

At his clinic in Liverpool, expert John Parker, who boasts many high-profile clients, says: “A lot of people see having Botox as part of their regular grooming routine, just like getting their hair cut.

“And once people have had it, they feel and look good, and don’t want to lose that so they keep coming back.

“I know some of my clients who will do without other things so they can afford their regular Botox.

"I have never been busier and I certainly haven’t seen a downturn because of the recession.

“I do have a lot of high-profile clients but the vast majority of my patients are ordinary working class women and men.”

And while it seems the locals in Westport are not employing the skills of Mr Botox themselves, they are just as thankful for Allergan’s miracle jab as those in the celeb world.

(Image: Getty)

They might not get the physical effects but it is certainly plumping up their wallets.

From its humble beginnings, the factory has grown into an ever-expanding pharmaceutical powerhouse which also manufactures other products, including eye-drops and contact lens care solution and supports many other businesses in the area.

At the Porter House bar in the town centre, it is no surprise the drinkers are all quick to salute their golden goose.

Barmaid Anne Bentinck says: “Everybody in this town has a connection to that factory. Either they work there or know somebody who does.

“So many of the staff have met and married their partners there and you can have three generations of the same family all working there. I used to work there myself in the staff canteen. They are great employers.

“At Christmas they give all the staff huge hampers filled with a big turkey, a ham, chocolates, cans of beer and spirits.”

Rose O’Flaherty and Joanna O’Malley run Rose & Joanna’s beauty salon. Surely they know someone who has tried the town’s magic elixir of youth?

(Image: Tony Spencer)

Rose says: “I couldn’t tell you anywhere in Westport where you can have Botox. I wouldn’t mind trying it, mind!”

And its success even keeps the cash rolling in for these ladies – thanks to the workers at the plant.

Rose says: “Every year the firm has a huge Christmas party in one of the hotels. It is a massive bash and is the talk of the town.

“The week before, our salon is packed as all the ladies want to look their best.

"We offer a discount to the staff, like most of the other businesses in town.

"Allergan is really loyal to Westport. It keeps lots of local businesses going, like cleaning contractors, electricians and plumbers.

“Then when the staff get paid they come into town to spend their wages.”

While the rest of the country battles the recession, Westport, sitting in the shadow of Croagh Patrick mountain, is bustling, with no sign of boarded-up shops.

(Image: Tony Spencer)

McCormack’s butchers on the main high street has been run by the same family for five generations.

So what does butcher Noel Morrin make of the Botox boom?

“It’s great for the town,” he says. “My wife works up there and it keeps local businesses going.

"I don’t have a problem with Botox, as long as it is used correctly.

“I don’t know anyone who has it in ­Westport.

"Mind you, I think ordinary people who have it would keep it more private than celebrities.”

One of Noel’s customers jokes: “He’s really 105, you know.”

As Oscars time approaches, it seems a long way from little Westport to Hollywood but its people do have something in common with red-carpet stars – they all have a healthy glow thanks to Botox.