Heritage Minister unveils National Museum in Mayo

A new £10m museum has been officially opened in Mayo.

The ceremony was performed by Heritage Minister Sile De Valera at Turlough Park House near Castlebar.

The museum is a branch of the National Museum and depicts rural life in Ireland from 1850 to 1950.

Part of the exhibition is the National Folk Life collection of 50,000 artefacts, 1,600 of which will be on display at any one time.

The museum is situated on 36 acres of land outside Castlebar, which was purchased by Mayo County Council in 1991 and is now on lease to the National Museum.

It is expected the museum will see 200,000 visitors annually.