No Fat Jokes In Church

We had a brilliant day yesterday. We departed Westport under a gloomy sky and drove through Castlebar to Turlough. Get it? Brilliant day, gloomy sky? Never mind. Turlough House is another of the grand piles that dot the countryside. It was built in 1865 to replace the much bigger house that really is a pile now as it has fallen down. The bits and pieces are still there as you drive onto the grounds. This house only has a couple of rooms open and the others are museum offices. The star of the show is the Lyrachord Piano, the only one in the world,

 which is a combination of a piano and a harpsichord. It was a failure as an instrument because there was a delay between the striking of the key and the sound coming out. I heard that in some longer songs you actually finished and had lunch before the song ended.

Behind the house is an ultra modern building housing the National Museum of Ireland / Country Life. 

This is a wonderfully approachable display of items and stories that give a clear picture of life in country communities from 1850 to 1950. There were examples of the tools, clothing, houses, boats, farming equipment. I had no idea so much could be made from straw.

 Educational systems and social customs were clearly described. There was no attempt to romanticize the reality, but the good was shown along with the bad. By now the sun was shining ( talking of good).

After lunch, we set off again and stopped next at Ballintubber where there is the only royal abby in Ireland. It was built by a king of Ireland in the 1200’s.

 It is the only church in Ireland that has been used for worship without interruption for over 800 years. Even when Cromwell burned the roof off the place they worshipped there for over 200 years in the shell of the nave. St Patrick also stopped there to baptize people at the spring on his way to the mountain we mentioned the other day. People come from all over to have their babies baptized at St Patrick’s well.

I have a confession. During the video we watched at this church in BallinTUBBER, we heard that the priest was Father FATTIE. I laughed a little. 

The last stop was Ballinrobe. The St Mary’s Church has a collection of stained glass windows by Harry Clarke. We already told you about him, if you were paying attention. They are fabulous windows and fill the church with glorious colour. The picture is of St Brendan. 

Again, were you paying attention?

That was it for a glorious day.