A bear to return to Mayo's Turlough House after 240 years for bee event
By Tom Gillespie
A BEAR is to return to the ancestral home of the notorious George Robert Fitzgerald, better known as ‘Fighting Fitzgerald’ of Turlough House, Castlebar, 240 years since a live ‘dancing pet’ bear roamed the estate.
However, the latest arrival will be from the National History section of the National Museum of Ireland, to coincide with The Murmur of Bees exhibition at the Museum of Country Life at Turlough House, on a journey into the fascinating world of Irish bees.
Back in 1785 George Robert was constantly at loggerheads with his father, George, over money and the Turlough estate and on one occasion he handcuffed the poor man to his dancing pet bear for an entire day.
He was later fined and sentenced to two years in Castlebar Gaol for this and for imprisoning his father in a cave on the family estate with, it was claimed, the same bear guarding the entrance.
He was eventually tried and convicted for the murder of Randal McDonnell, one of his neighbours, and was hanged at Castlebar on June 12, 1786.
Clodagh Doyle, Keeper of the Irish Folklife Collection at Turlough, said the bear is associated with honey and the bees.
She said: “We are looking to get a bear because bears and honey go together. We have worked on this exhibition with entomologist Aiden O’Hanlon, and he put together all the different bees species, different wasps and pollinators.
“He also got the predators of bees - badgers, the bee eater bird and other birds who have got used to removing the sting and then eating them. Another predator is the death head hawk.
“He will also have on display the Asian hornet that is removing honey bees all around the world. It just goes in and they have no defence to it and within seconds the Asian hornet devours the bees.
“We hope to have a bear from Natural History during the summer. He is going to be a real draw.”
She added: “Did you know there are more than 100 different bee species in Ireland, but only one that makes honey? Or that bees were so important throughout Irish history they even have their own patron saint?
“Join us in celebrating the magic of Ireland’s bees, their vital role in nature, and the special bond they share with us.
“Discover why Saint Gobnait holds the title of Ireland’s patron saint of bees and get a bee’s-eye view of life inside the hive.
“See how bees have influenced our culture for centuries and be inspired by our ‘bee-inspired’ artworks and artefacts.”
The Natural History material included in the exhibition gives visitors a rare glimpse into the fascinating and unusual world of Irish bees. Examples of every bee species in Ireland are displayed, as well as bees and other insect species from around the world.
Clodagh continued: “Visitors will learn about the differences between honeybees, bumblebees, and an astonishing diversity of solitary bees, and might be surprised to realise how many species are found in Ireland.
“A commissioned diorama of the inside of a hive will provide visitors with a unique insight into the highly organised and structured world inhabited by bees. The life of the industrious honeybee is displayed alongside preserved nests of less familiar solitary bees, bumblebees and other social insect species.
“A miniature version of a Guinness World Record winning Lego beehive, created by Athlone based schoolteacher Ruairí O’Leochain during the 2020 lockdown, adds a playful element.
“Donated in 1997, a wooden beehive made by John Gallagher, from Beeleek, Co. Fermanagh, demonstrates the skill and craftsmanship associated with beekeeping over the centuries.”
Visitors to the exhibition, which continues until the summer, can also watch honeybees flying in and out of active hives on the rooftop from a glass apex viewing area that looks out to a heather garden. The museum hives are tended by local beekeepers.
Tom Doyle, Education Officer at the Museum of Country Life, has been organising programming for schools around the bees.
He explained: "We are working with facilitator Cass McCarthy and we have worked with 400 students from 20 different Mayo primary schools. They created bees and assembled them together, painted and decorated them.
“What we want to do is put on a little installation based around the work that they did. It is going to hang from the roof in the cafe on disco ball motors, so it will actually swing around. The light from the slide will create shadows and it is going to look like a swarm.”