Join Santa and his magic elves on Saturday December 13 from 11am to 5pm in the National Museum of Ireland Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar. There will also be a Christmas food fair (free admission ), a Christmas exhibition, carol singing with the Mayo Male Voice Choir and gospel singers, face painting, free gift wrapping in the museum shop, and the museum cafe is also open.
Santa and his elves will make an appearance from 12pm to 1.30pm and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Tickets will cost €2 per child and tickets are available from the museum from 11am that day. The event is supported by Mayo County Enterprise Board.
In keeping with the Christmas theme, on Tuesday December 16 a Mummers Masks workshop from 2pm to 3pm with Ted Kelly. Learn how to make a Mummers Masks (a mask which was made by a group of people who traditionally performed an intricate play with various characters around Christmas time ) and there will be a carol singing performance from 2.30pm to 4.30pm on Friday December 19. Enjoy traditional Christmas carols with the Foxford National School Band.
Temporary exhibitions
Planet Earth: Our Place in Space
Based on the geological collections of the National Museum of Ireland Natural History, this exhibition includes a collection of meteorites, many of which fell in Ireland, that tell us more about the origins of our planet. A highlight is the Limerick Meteorite that fell near Adare, County Limerick in 1813, Ireland's largest ever meteorite, weighing in at 27 kilos. The exhibition will also feature some of the folk traditions associated with the moon and the stars. Running until spring 2009.
Moylough Belt Shrine: A Medieval Treasure from County Sligo, running until June 2009, and Romantic Stitches and Realist Sketches.
Museum details
The museum shop and cafe have extended opening hours on Sunday from 12pm to 5pm and are open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturdays.
The museum is closed on Mondays and is open Tuesday to Saturdays from 10am to 5pm and from 2pm to 5pm on Sundays. Call 094 903 1755 for more information.
