National Museum of Country Life

Top choice in County Mayo


The extensive and engrossing displays of this riverside museum delve into Ireland's fascinating rural traditions and skills. It's set in a modern, photogenic facility that overlooks a lake in the lush grounds of 19th-century Turlough Manor. A branch of the National Museum of Ireland, the museum explores everything from the role of the potato to boat building, herbal cures and traditional clothes. It has a good cafe and a shop; it's 8km northeast of Castlebar.

The lovely Turlough Round Tower is visible from the grounds.