Combine a visit to the National Museum of Ireland in Co Mayo with a Greenway cycle and an exhibition all about the history of the bicycle for National Bike Week 2023.
Seachtain na Rothar/Bike Week 2023 takes place from 13 to 21 May. Taking part is easy. Just get on your bike and celebrate this sustainable and enjoyable mode of transport.
Did you know the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life at Turlough Park is connected to Lough Lannagh in the town of Castlebar via a 10 kilometre, mainly off road cycle path? This section of Greenway is a spur of the famous Great Western Greenway and also connects onwards to Rehins Wood (+6km). The route is classed as easy to moderate so suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.
For a Greenway day out this National Bike Week, start your day in Rehins Wood (16km) or on the shores of Lough Lannagh (10km) and follow the course of the Castlebar River through peaceful countryside and woodland sections, all the way to the grounds of Turlough Park, home to the only National Museum of Ireland site outside Dublin.
The route is waymarked using fingerpost signage with blue text and symbols on a white background.
On arrival to Turlough Park, take a well-earned break in the picnic area or visit the Museum café, which serves snacks, lunches, speciality teas, coffees and homemade desserts.
As it's National Bike Week, be sure to go to the main museum galleries to see Cycling the Country - an exhibition featuring bicycles and cycling accessories from the collections of the National Museum of Ireland. This exhibition explores the history of the bicycle, and developments in design which led to the introduction of the safety bicycle - similar to the modern machine we know today.
By the 1930s, bicycles became the key mode of transport in every parish in Ireland, dramatically changing the social life of ordinary people. Explore this history, images, memories and stories associated with cycling.
Plan your Greenway day out
Allow one hour to cycle (or two hours walking) from Castlebar to the Museum and 1.5 hours to see Ireland's National Folklife Collection.
Bike hire is available in Castlebar next to the Greenway route. For further information, contact:
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Bikes and Boards, Lough Lannagh Holiday Village, Castlebar
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The Bike Clinic, Springfield, Castlebar
Bicycle parking facilities are available at the museum.