Christmas Opening Times:
CLOSED: Mon. 24 Dec (Christmas Eve) & Tues. 25 Dec. (Christmas Day)
OPEN: - Wed. 26 Dec. (St. Stephen's Day) - Sat. 30 Dec: 10am to 5pm - Sun. 31 Dec: 2pm to 5pm
CLOSED: Mon. 31 Dec: (New Year's Eve)
OPEN: Tues. 01 Jan (New Year's Day) - Sat. 06 Jan: 10am to 5pm - Sun 07 Jan: 2 to 5pm.
Note: MUSEUM SHOP & CAFE open during Museum hours excluding Wed. 26 Dec. (St. Stephen's Day ) when Café and shop remain closed. Extended opening each Sunday from 12pm
Events for December/January 2007
See below for further details on:
Education Programme
Craft Courses for adults
Temporary Exhibitions
Other ongoing events:
Museum Shop and Cafe Special offers
General Information
EDUCATION PROGRAMME
All events are free unless otherwise stated. Booking required as places are limited. Booking details at the end of the page
Sunday 2 December: 2.30-3.30pm
Talk. History of the GAA. Age 7+
Join Mike Cronin, author of Sport and Nationalism in Ireland, for a talk explaining how the GAA came into being and why it has been so significant in Irish History. Location: Education Rooms
Wednesday 5 December: 3.30-4.30pm
Workshop. Get Ready for Christmas Age 7+
Join members of the Education & Outreach Department and make your own Christmas decorations, cards and more in our festive workshop. Location: Education Rooms
Thursday 6 December: 3.30-4.30pm
Junior Workshop. Housing in the Past 6 years and under with Adults
Join Brendan McGowan of the Education & Outreach Department to explore housing in the past through hands-on activities. Location: Education Rooms
Groups who would like to arrange a repeat of any event should contact the Education and Outreach Dept.
Saturday 8 December: 2.30-4.30pm
2.30-4.30pm: Bring your children along to see Santa Claus ADMISSION FREE!
Santa & his Elves Return to the Museum
Enjoy the excitement of watching Santa arrive at 2.30pm and receive your very special gift in the Museum Galleries. Christmas exhibition also open. Avail of special offers in the Museum shop and enjoy free Mulled wine and sample some Christmas fare in the Café. Christmas orders taken in the Museum Café.
Friday 14 December: 10.00am - 5.00pm.
Course: Stained Glass: Adult
Join Linda Mulloy to learn the fundamentals of working with stained glass and create your own light catchers/tree decorations for Christmas. Location: Education Room. Fully Booked!
Sunday 16 December: 2.30pm - 3.30pm.
Performance: The devil shouldn't get all the good tunes: All Ages.
Join the Castlebar Gospel Choir in a rousing afternoon of Negro spirituals & folk songs of North America.
Location: Galleries. Fully Booked!
Wednesday 19 December: 3.30pm - 4.30pm.
Workshop: Mummers Mask's. Age 7+
The Mummers were a group of people who traditionally performed an intricate play with varied characters around Christmas time. Join Ted Kelly to make a Mummer's mask. Location: Education Room.
Thursday 20 December: 3.30pm -4.30pm.
Performance: Carol Singing. All Ages
Enjoy traditional Christmas Carols with the Foxford National School Band. Location: Galleries
Sunday 30 December: 2.30pm - 3.30pm.
Theatrical Performance: The Mummer's Play. All Ages
Watch the Sligo 'Sidhe Gaoithe' Mummers bring to life such characters as St. Patrick, Brian Boru, Finn Mac Cumhaill and many more in this traditional Mummer's play. Location: Galleries Booked Out!
Wednesday 2 January: 3.30pm - 4.30pm
Tour: Fact or Fiction. Age 7+
Join members of the Education & Outreach Department to guess what is fact and fiction on this special tour.
Location: Galleries & Museum Grounds
Schools Programme
Primary: (November '07 - January '08)
Thursday 20th December: 10.00am & 11.30am
Talk & Workshop. The Wren Boys (suitable for 5th & 6th Class)
The Wren boys were a group of people who traditionally went around from house to house to collect money to bury the Wren on St. Stephen's day. Join Joe McGowan to learn the traditional customs of this time. History & Visual Arts
Tuesday to Thursday 15th to 17th January and 22nd to 24th January
10.00am & 11.30am
Workshop. A Celebration of St. Brigid (Suitable for 1st to 6th Class)
Join members of the Education & Outreach Department to learn about St. Brigid and the traditions associated with this Irish Saint. Then have a go at making a St. Brigid's Cross. History & Visual Arts
Post-Primary: (November '07 - January '08)
(See attached file for full programme to April 2008)
Tuesday 11th & Thursday 13th December: 2pm to 4pm
Tour & Workshop. Housing in the last 100 Years
Join members of the Education & Outreach Department to learn about traditional rural housing including a tour of the House Building Project (2003) afterwards take an opportunity to have a go at weaving hazel to wattle a fence with Joe Gowran. History, Geography & Woodwork: 1st, 2nd & Transition Year
Tuesday to Thursday 15th to 17th January and 22nd to 24th January
10.00am & 11.30am
Workshop. A Celebration of St. Brigid
Join members of the Education & Outreach Department to learn about St. Brigid and the traditions associated with this Irish Saint; then have a go at making different types of St. Brigid's Crosses. History & Art: 1st & 2nd Year
Groups who would like to arrange a repeat of any event should contact the Education & Outreach Dept.
Running until Feb. '08....
Island Life: the Islands of Ireland
In association with Fáilte Ireland & the Dept. of Community Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs
This exhibition of photographs features images of daily life on the islands around the coast of Ireland from the late nineteenth century onwards. It also includes images of some non-coastal islands. The images span roughly a hundred years, starting in the late nineteenth century. They document a century of change. The photos come from the well-known Lawrence Collection, that unique record of life in Ireland at the turn of the nineteenth/twentieth centuries, also from the Diggin collection and from the camera of the great Colman Doyle. While islands from all around the coast are included, the daily lives of the people on Achill Island, Oileáin Árainn, Valentia and Na Blascaodaí feature prominently.
3-10 December 2007.
Barrel Top Wagon Project & Traveller Life exhibition
In 2005, the V.E.C. in Swinford, Co. Mayo, ran a number of workshops with Traveller men in the East Mayo area in order to provide them with trade and craft skills, traditionally part of Traveller culture, to help lead to future employment. The success of this project led to the building of a barrel top wagon in 2007, where the group worked with carpenters, tutors and artists, learning new skills and creating what they felt to be a traditional symbol which represented them as a community.
This wagon will be on display in the grounds of the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, from the 3-10 December to coincide with Traveller Focus Week. It will be complemented with a display on Traveller life in Ireland which will provide insight into the ways and traditions of Irish Travellers using a wide variety of objects from the museum's collections. Come and learn about life on the road in a barrel top wagon.
8 December 2007 - January 2008
Christmas exhibition
This small exhibition will display objects relating to a typical Irish Christmas with panels and fact sheets giving visitors the opportunity to learn how Christmas would have been celebrated in Irish homes in the past. The exhibition will also coincide with a series of family events (workshops, Santa visit) being held in the Museum on Saturday 8 December.
And running until June 2008:
Take A Seat! An exhibition of Gallery Seating by students of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology at Letterfrack
This temporary exhibition is comprised of benches and chairs made in 2006 / 2007 by students of the Furniture Design and Manufacture programme at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology campus in Letterfrack. The students worked from a brief developed by staff of GMIT at Letterfrack and the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life to design seating suitable for the public visiting these exhibition galleries. Further details available from the Education and Outreach Department.
MUSEUM SHOP AND CAFE: EXTENDED OPENING EACH SUNDAY FROM 12PM
Museum Shop: Broad range of specialist books and Museum-branded and handcrafted gifts to suit all budgets. Further details from the Museum Shop: 094 90 31767 or e-mail: shoptp@museum.ie
Museum Cafe: Visit the restaurant at the Museum Café for a wide variety of tasty and seasonal meals and snacks. Enjoy our freshly baked produce and speciality teas and coffees. The perfect complement to your museum visit. For queries and bookings contact the Museum Café: 094 92 89972 / 086 1744076; E-mail:inspired@itso.ie
Christmas Open Day:
Saturday 8 December: 11.30am - 4.30pm
INCLUDING A SPECIAL VISIT BY SANTA CLAUS
ADMISSION FREE!
Come celebrate Christmas at the National Museum of Ireland with a variety of 1-hour workshops. Santa Claus will also pay a special visit!
11.30 - 3.30pm: Workshops. Ages 7+ ALL WORKSHOPS ARE FULLY BOOKED
11.30am: Join staff from the Education & Outreach Department to make Christmas decorations.
2.30pm: Join staff from of the Education & Outreach Department to make Christmas cards.
3.30pm: Learn new Christmas wrapping techniques with staff from the museum shop.
2.30-4.30pm: Bring your children along to see Santa Claus ADMISSION FREE!
Enjoy the excitement of watching Santa arrive at 2.30pm and receive your very special gift in the Museum Galleries. Christmas exhibition also open.
Avail of special offers in the Museum shop and enjoy free Mulled wine and sample some Christmas fare in the Café. Christmas orders taken in the Museum Café.
Féile na Tuaithe - Turlough Park 2008
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May 2008. Seeking New Participants.
Due to the continued expansion of Féile na Tuaithe - Turlough Park the award-winning National Museum of Ireland - Country Life is looking for skilled crafts people and quality food & organic producers to participate in next year's event. Selection criteria apply. Participants must be members of recognised networks. Further details available from The Marketing Department, National Museum of Ireland - Country Life,
Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Tel: 094 90 31755 or e-mail: tpark@museum.ie
Visit http://www.museum.ie/ for details of 2007 events. Contact tpark@museum.ie if you would like to join the Museum's mailing list.
MUSEUM OPENING HOURS: Museum: Tuesday-Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday: 2-5pm. Closed Mondays (incl. Bank Holiday) Shop and Café: extended opening on Sundays from 12pm-5pm. Museum Cafe serving Sunday Lunch from 12 noon.
The Museum Shop has a broad range of specialist books and Museum-branded and handcrafted gifts to suit all budgets. Further details from the Museum Shop: 094 90 31767 or e-mail: shoptp@museum.ie .
Museum Cafe: Visit the restaurant at the Museum Café for a wide variety of tasty and seasonal meals and snacks. Enjoy our freshly baked produce and speciality teas and coffees. The perfect complement to your museum visit. For queries and bookings contact the Museum Café: 094 92 89972 / 086 1744076; E-mail: inspired@itso.ie
CONTACT DETAILS BOOKINGS: Education and Outreach Dept. Bookings Office (Bookings office hrs: Mon-Fri: 10am - 2pm) Tel: 094 90 31751; Fax: 094 90 31498; e-mail: educationtph@museum.ie GENERAL INFORMATION: Museum Reception: 094 90 31755 MUSEUM CAFÉ: 094 92 89972 or 086 1744076; e-mail: inspired@itso.ie
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