Museum Knitting and Crochet Circle, Turlough Park

What to Expect

The Museum of Country Life runs its knitting and crochet circle in the Courtyard Gallery Space at Turlough Park on Friday 21 August 2026, from 11am to 1pm. It is a drop-in session with no booking and no charge, and it is open to adults and to children aged seven and over. The idea is loose by design: come to learn the basics, start something new, or get help finishing a project that has been sitting in a bag since last winter.

Two hours is long enough to make real progress and short enough that people can call in for part of it. Experienced knitters and crocheters swap patterns, tips and ideas with beginners, and the museum makes a point of saying the session suits both. Children need an adult with them for the full session. The Courtyard Gallery Space is beside the museum cafe, which is the meeting point, and it is wheelchair accessible. Given the museum’s own folklife collection of textiles and clothing, the craft sits naturally in the building, and the permanent galleries are free to walk through before or after.

Good to Know

• Friday 21 August 2026, 11am to 1pm.
• Venue is the Courtyard Gallery Space at the National Museum of Ireland Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, F23 HY31.
• Free and drop-in. No booking needed.
• Suitable for adults and children aged seven and over. Children must be supervised by an accompanying adult.
• Meeting point is beside the museum cafe. The space is wheelchair accessible.
• Bring your own wool and needles or hook if you have a project on the go.

Getting There

Turlough Park is on the N5 roughly 8km northeast of Castlebar, signposted on the left heading from Castlebar towards Swinford. Parking at the museum is free and the approach from the car park to the entrance is level and surfaced. Castlebar is ten minutes back along the N5 and has the nearest railway station, on the Dublin Heuston to Westport line. Bus services to Turlough village are limited, so driving or sharing a lift is the practical option.