Explore four floors of award-winning exhibition galleries, a historic country house and formal gardens at the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar. Set in the spectacular grounds of Turlough Park House, this museum is located just five minutes’ drive from Castlebar and is the only branch of National Museum of Ireland outside Dublin.
The museum is home to Ireland’s National Folklife Collection and charts the day-to-day lives of our rural ancestors from the 1850s to the 1950s. Exhibitions explore topics such as traditional crafts and skills, life in the home, farming and fishing, life in the community and festivals and customs.
Visitors can see how ordinary people lived during an extraordinary century of change, rebellion, revolution and revival.
Interactive audio and visual displays, objects, rare archive photography and film footage combine to make the past present.
Turlough Park House and Gardens
Next to the modern exhibition galleries is Turlough Park House, a neo Victorian Gothic mansion and the ancestral home of the Fitzgerald family. The house offers a fascinating insight into how the gentry lived in 19th century Ireland. Built in 1865, it was designed by the celebrated architect Thomas Newenham Deane and is a fine example of the High Victorian Gothic style. There are three formal rooms open to the public.
Beautifully situated, Turlough Park House overlooks 30 acres of formal gardens, parkland and an ornamental lake. In the grounds, visitors can also explore a restored Victorian style glass house, riverside walks, playground, outdoor art, woodland and a Greenway cycling route.
Synge & Byrne Café at Turlough Park House
The museum site includes a Synge & Byrne café, situated in a charming courtyard setting, serving snacks, lunches, specialty teas, coffees, homemade desserts and tasty treats.
Visitor information
Admission to the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, Turlough Park House & Gardens, is FREE.
Visit: www.museum.ie/Country-Life | Call: +353 (0) 94 903 1755
