Spend time together at Mayo's National Museum of Ireland - Country Life
THE National Museum of Ireland - Country Life is open throughout much of the Christmas and new year period. Be sure to schedule in a visit to the exhibition galleries and walk and unwind in the gardens, parkland and woodland. The museum is a perfect day out together with family members and friends who are home for the holidays. Admission is free.
The National Museum of Ireland is open Sunday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and closed on Christmas Day and Tuesday, December 26 (St. Stephen's Day). Normal opening hours are in place for the rest of the holiday period as follows: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday and Monday, 1 to 5 p.m.
Decoration hunt
Throughout of December, enjoy a Christmas themed treasure-hunt style activity in the exhibition galleries. Pick up an activity sheet at reception and use the clues to find the lost Christmas decorations. The clues will lead visitors through the exhibition galleries to find 12 decorations hanging in the displays.
Afterwards, go to reception to see if you are right and enter a free competition for a Christmas goodie hamper.
Santa letters
Write the most important letter of the year and put it straight into the North Pole Express post box in Turlough Park House. All letters will be whisked away in time for Santa to check before he packs his sleigh.
Explore festive traditions
See how the festive season was celebrated in folk tradition in Ireland at the Nollaig display on Level C of the exhibition galleries. Learn about early Christmas cards, the festive feast, religious observances, wren boys, mummers, and more.
This display is part of the Life in the Community permanent exhibition which charts a year in the life of our rural ancestors through the seasons, feast days and festivals.
Preservation: Famine, Climate & Peatlands
See a thought-provoking exhibition of paintings by Jo Killalea, on display now in the Courtyard Gallery.
Preservation: Famine, Climate & Peatlands draws inspiration from the local landscape and social history of the west of Ireland. It explores the impacts of both the Great Irish Famine and the climate and biodiversity crises. It captures the interconnections through time and space between people, systems and resources in a globalised world.
Jo Killalea is a visual artist from Swinford. Her work is influenced by a concern for sustainable development, viewed through the lens of the social history and farming traditions of the west of Ireland.
Castlebar to Turlough Greenway
The Castlebar to Turlough Greenway is a great option for a full or half day excursion combining an outdoor activity with a museum visit. This cycling and walking route is a spur of the Great Western Greenway network and connects the museum in Turlough Park to Lough Lannagh, Castlebar, via a 9.6km route.
It follows the course of the Castlebar River along surfaced and forest tracks through sections of open countryside, quiet by-roads and native woodland.
Bike hire is available at Lough Lannagh. Allow two hours to walk (one way) or 60 minutes to cycle.