The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life is located in
Turlough village, northeast of
Castlebar
Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...
,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
, Ireland. Established in 2001, the museum is part of the
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...
and is the only national museum outside
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
.
The museum exhibits the way of life of rural Irish people between 1850 and 1950, and is in the grounds of Turlough Park House. There are displays about the home, the natural environment, trades and crafts, communities, and working on the land and on water.
History
Turlough House
The current Turlough House was designed by
Thomas Newenham Deane
Sir Thomas Newenham Deane (1828 – 8 November 1899) was an Irish architect, the son of Sir Thomas Deane and Eliza Newenham, and the father of Sir Thomas Manly Deane. His father and son were also architects.
Works attributed to Thomas Newe ...
, who also designed the Kildare Street branch of the National Museum of Ireland.
It was built from 1863 to 1867, and was owned by the
Fitzgerald family of Turlough.
Museum
In 1991, the house and 36 acres were purchased by the
Mayo County Council
Mayo County Council () is the local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housin ...
. The house was renovated and an adjacent museum building was constructed in the slope of a hill above a pond. The Country Life Museum opened in September 2001.
The upstairs of the original house is used as offices by the museum's small staff, and the downstairs is on show to the public.
Gardens
The original gardens of Turlough House are now maintained by the
Office of Public Works
The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...
and the local authority,
Mayo County Council
Mayo County Council () is the local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housin ...
. They include a vinery, a special type of greenhouse for grapevines and other fruiting plants, a number of walks, terraces and a sunken garden, the ruins of the original house (occupied 1722-1786) and a section of the Castlebar River, with an artificial lake with islands, and a round tower.
Collection
The National Folklife collection is extensive, comprising around 37,000 items, and only a small part of it is on display at Turlough Park, much of it being in storage there, and the remainder, including large machinery, in the National Museum's storage facility at the former
St Conleth's Reformatory School
St. Conleth's Reformatory School was a reformatory in Daingean, County Offaly which operated from 1870 - 1973. It was run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. in Daingean, County Offaly, or at the Collections Resource Centre on the edge of
Swords
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
near Dublin. There is also a library and archive facility, and access to this, and the unshown items, is available by application.
Exhibitions
The museum has both permanent and temporary exhibitions, arranged on a thematic basis over four floors.
Some features have included:
* ''Michael Davitt Exhibition'', an exhibition to commemorate the life of
Michael Davitt
Michael Davitt (25 March 1846 – 30 May 1906) was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican activist for a variety of causes, especially Home Rule (Ireland), Home Rule and land reform. Following an eviction when he was four years old, Davitt's ...
, the founder of the
Irish National Land League
The Irish National Land League ( Irish: ''Conradh na Talún''), also known as the Land League, was an Irish political organisation of the late 19th century which organised tenant farmers in their resistance to exactions of landowners. Its prima ...
.
* The
Cross of Cong
The ''Cross of Cong'' (, "the yellow baculum") is an early 12th-century Irish Christian ornamented cusped processional cross, which was, as an inscription says, made for Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (d. 1156), King of Connacht and High King of Ir ...
, a 12th-century
processional cross
A processional cross is a crucifix or cross which is carried in Christian processions. Such crosses have a long history: the Gregorian mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to England carried one before them "like a standard", according to ...
that purportedly contains a piece of the
True Cross
According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the real instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified.
It is related by numerous historical accounts and Christian mythology, legends ...
, and is considered one of Ireland's most important medieval art treasures.
The cross was kept at
Cong Abbey
Cong Abbey also known as the Royal Abbey of Cong, is a historic site located at Cong, County Mayo, in Ireland's province of Connacht. The ruins of the former Augustinian abbey mostly date to the 13th century and have been described as featurin ...
in County Mayo until 1839 when it was given to the
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
and then the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin.
In 2010, the cross was returned to County Mayo to be displayed at the Museum of Country Life for one year.
* ''Power and Privilege: Photographs of the Big House in Ireland 1858–1922'', an exhibit showing the lives of the gentry and their servants.
* The Coggalbeg hoard, a bronze-age, gold collar and discs that were dug up in a bog near
Strokestown
Strokestown (), also known as Bellanamullia and Bellanamully, is a small town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is one of the 27 designated Heritage Towns in Ireland. Located in the part of the country marketed for tourism purposes as Ireland ...
in 1945. The hoard had been stored in a Pharmacy safe until the safe was stolen in 2009. The contents of the safe, including the gold objects which were presumably overlooked, were found in a dumpster.
Facilities
The museum has its own parking, a shop and a café. The museum opens Sunday and Monday, 1pm - 5pm and Tuesday to Saturday, 10am - 5pm.
Operations
The National Museum of Ireland as a whole, which includes the Museum of Country Life, underwent a decrease in funding from €19m in 2008 to less than €12m in 2014. Although there were tentative plans to close some of the museum branches or initiate an entrance fee, as of 2018, these plans have not gone into effect.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Museum of Ireland - Country Life
National museums of the Republic of Ireland
History museums in the Republic of Ireland
Rural history museums in Europe
Museums in County Mayo
Museums established in 2001
Museum of Country Life
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...