1865 – Turlough House, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
Turlough House was designed by Thomas Newenham Deane, who was also responsible for the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street in Dublin. Constructed from 1863 to 1867 for the Fitzgerald family of Turlough. Clearly of the same lineage as Deane & Woodward’s St. Anne’s School on Molesworth Street in Dublin, and their house at Tullow, St. Austin’s Abbey, both of only a few years before.
In the late 20th century, the house was renovated and an adjacent museum building constructed in the slope of a hill above a pond. The Country Life Museum, a branch of the National Museum of Ireland opened in September 2001. The upstairs of the original house is used as offices by the museum’s small staff, and the downstairs is on show to the public.
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Published April 19, 2026
