Out and about on a budget

January is considered by some to be a “boring” month. Post-Christmas, often there is not a whole lot happening. Having celebrated Christmas in style, cashflow can often be an issue in the first month of the year, but fear not, there are plenty of free offerings around the country.

What better resolution to take on than expanding the mind? We have some free museums for you to visit around the country that will get you out and about, kick the brain into gear and all without breaking the bank.

Galway City Museum is located just behind the city’s famous Spanish Arch. There are three floors, each with a different theme relating back to the City of the Tribes. The first is archaeology, the second history and the third is sea science as you look out over Galway Bay.

The attraction is one of Galway’s most popular cultural hotspots and welcomes over 200,000 visitors per year. There are over 1,000 objects in the museum’s collection. Part of the collection is on display and you will see it as you navigate the museum.

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It is important to keep in mind that all the National Museums of Ireland are free, but one that might particularly interest Irish Country Living readers is the Country Life branch in Co Mayo. Here you can experience a bygone way of life with Ireland’s National Folklife Collection displayed across four floors.

It is in Turlough Park, where you can take a walk around the Victorian gardens. Turlough Park House, located just next to the main museum galleries, was home of the Fitzgeralds, a powerful family of Norman origin who came to Ireland in 1169.

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People who “get art”, well get it, and will more than likely have been to the National Gallery in Dublin. Even for those who don’t “get it”, seeing the National Gallery’s collection is still an interesting day out. The National Gallery of Ireland, founded in 1854, houses a rich collection of over 16,300 artworks. Spanning the history of western European art, from around 1300 to the present day, the collection includes well-known artists from Mantegna and Titian to Monet and Picasso.

For more information click here.