The countryside outpost of Ireland’s multi-site national museum (the others are all in Dublin), this one specializes in Irish life, trade, culture, and tradition since the mid-19th century. Absorbing exhibits deal with folklore; the natural environment and how local communities have relied on it for survival; political and social upheaval, particularly in the years preceding the Great Famine; traditional trades and crafts; and the changing life of the Irish people at home and at work. You could easily spend 3 hours wandering around here. The museum also has a thoughtful program of changing exhibitions. As at all the National Museum sites, entry is completely free. On the grounds, opposite the museum, is Turlough Park House, a moderately sized country house built for the wealthy Fitzgerald family in the 1860s. You can wander the rooms, which have been kept much as they would have been in its Victorian heyday, complete with original furniture.