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Self-Catering / Rental John & Bernadette Walsh
Accommodation
Also Available
Town
or Country
The
Tóchar
Valley
A beautiful area of rural
communities stretching from Balla to
Murrisk, at the foot of Croagh Patrick,
"Ireland's Holy Mountain". Steeped in
antiquity, the unspoiled countryside is
liberally sprinkled with churches, Celtic
artifacts and historical sites. The
Tóchar Phádraig pilgrim
route, which links these townlands and
villages for a distance of 55km., is the
ancient pilgrim pathway to Croagh
Patrick.
Ballintubber
Abbey This
13th century abbey is unique, not only
is it the only church in Ireland still in
use which was founded by an Irish King,
but it is also the one Irish church where
for over 781 years Mass has been offered
without a break. Its story is graphically
told in a video documentary on show at the
abbey. Founded in 1216 by the last King of
Connaught, Cathal Crovdearg O'Connor, for
the Canons Regular of St. Augustine order,
the Abbey had large tracts of land in the
district until the dissolution of the
Monasteries by King Henry VII. Retreats,
pilgrimages and tours are available today.
The Celtic Furrow Visitors Centre provides
guided tours of the region, tracing 5,000
years of Irish culture.
Croagh
Patrick
Ireland's Holy Mountain has drawn
pilgrims in their droves since
pre-christian times. It has a magnetic
attraction and many of the faithful
continue to climb barefoot, especially on
Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July. A
small church at the summit marks where St.
Patrick spent 40 days in contemplation and
prayer. An archaeological excavation
licensed by the National Monuments service
showed that Croagh Patrick was a place of
tremendous importance in the pre-Christian
era, as indicated by the discovery of a
Celtic hill fort encircling the summit.
The exciting discovery of a dry stone
oratory, akin to the Gallarus Oratory in
County Kerry, has been radiocarbon dated
to between 430 and 890 AD.
Foxford
Woolen Mills & Visitors
Centre
Imagine a unique and thriving
woolen mill set in the wild and rugged
West of Ireland, famous worldwide for its
rugs and tweeds, and blankets. Established
in 1892, by Agnes Morrogh - Bernard, an
Irish Sister of Charity, her vision has
become a reality at Foxford Woolen Mills
against incredible odds. Take the
industrial tour and experience the sights,
sounds and smells of this 19th century
woolen mill. Afterwards relax in the
comfortable restaurant and browse through
the impressive mill shop.
The
Michael Davitt
Museum
(Straide, Foxford) Michael Davitt
was the founder of the Land League. The
museum contains an extensive collection of
documents, photos, Land Acts, letters,
postcards, posters and other items
connected with Davitt's life. There is
also the excellent audio-visual which
enhances the exhibition and knowledgeable
and friendly staff are on hand to give you
a guided tour which encompasses Davitt's
grave and also Straide Abbey, if
desired.
Knock
Shrine & Folk
Museum
On 22 August 1879 fifteen local
people saw a vision of Mary the Mother of
Christ. Two church commissions examined
the claim- "The claim was 'trustworthy and
satisfactory'". Now Knock Shrine is one of
the major Marian Shrines of the world.
Pope John Paul II traveled to Knock as a
pilgrim in 1979. Each year over 1.3
million pilgrims travel to the shrine from
all over the world. Knock Folk Museum
documents the story of the Knock
Apparition of 1879 and places it in the
context of the lifestyle of the people,
their traditions and customs at the time.
Permanent displays range from religious to
fishing, farming, crafts and skills,
education, housing, clothing and
transport.
Céide
Fields
The Céide Fields, Ballycastle
are the oldest known field systems in
the world, over five and a half millennia
old. It is a unique Neolithic landscape of
world importance, which has changed our
perception of our Stone Age ancestors. The
remains of stone field walls, houses and
megalithic tombs are preserved beneath a
blanket of peat over several square miles.
They tell a story of the everyday lives of
a farming people, their organized society,
their highly developed spiritual beliefs,
and their struggle against a changing
environment beyond their control. Visit
the multi-award winning Centre, which has
exhibitions, audio-visual show and
tearooms.
Kiltimagh
Museum
In the 1980s the Historical Society
acquired the old Goods Store of Kiltimagh
Railway Station and turned it into a
Museum. Two old Railway Carriages were
acquired to commemorate the thousands of
our people who had had to emigrate, and
these were incorporated into the Museum.
Now the Museum houses many artifacts from
our past, such as the Land League Banner,
buried for safety in a bog for forty
years, the instruments of the 19th century
town band, items from Kiltimagh Lace
School, Railway artifacts and many other
items reflecting different aspects of our
past.
Museum
of Country
Life
Turlough Park, Castlebar. Here you
can immerse yourself in the lives of our
rural ancestors from the mid - 19th to the
mid - 20th centuries. Lifestyles which
were established for several hundred years
came to an end well into living memory,
and here amidst furniture and fittings,
the tools they used to work the land and
the clothes and textiles they wore, you
can reach out and touch those vanished
lives.
Turlough Park is the site of the first de
Burgo castle and the impressive High
Victorian Gothic style house was built in
1865 by the Fitzgeralds, who farmed the
surrounding land. Today the museum offers
guided tours, an audio - visual
exhibition, lectures, workshops, special
events, family days, a museum shop &
cafe.
Angling
Attractions
Events
History
News
Scenic
Drives
Links
"Rocksberry"
Westport Road
Castlebar
County Mayo
Ireland
