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Derryglad Folk & Heritage Museum

Derryglad Folk & Heritage Museum

Derryglad Folk & Heritage Museum
5
Visitor CentresSpeciality Museums
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Open May-Oct incl : No trip to the midlands is complete without a visit to the Derryglad Folk & Heritage Museum, which is hidden in South Roscommon in a land of lakes and rivers. The collection deals with Farm & Folk life in Ireland from the 18th century to the recent past. The museum is privately owned and run by the Finneran Family and houses a unique 25 year collection of over ,7500 items includes horse-drawn machinery restored to the original working order, tradesmans tools and buttermaking equipment, laundry memorabilia, old and rare washing machines, 1930’s old-style thatched bar & grocery, old-style sheep shears, radios, gramophones , shop dockets and bill-heads, sports display McCormacks photography room where the contents include dark rooms finishing r D & P line, B & W colour processors. as well as much, much more. its an ideal destina­tion for school tours, ICA Guilds, Ladies Clubs, Farming Groups, Vintage Clubs, Historical So­cieties, families,
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Graham M
    United Kingdom40 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nostalgia in abundance
    What an amazing find, thoroughly enjoyed by few hours here, loads to take in and you can feel the memories opening up in your mind. Probably the best €8 you could spend, and you can't help smiling. Just the place for older and younger alike
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 13 October 2023
  • JudithH124
    Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great little museum
    Wonderful little museum out of town with parking right outside. Brought back memories for those born in the 1940’s and 1950’s.We spent just over an hour there and it was well worth it. Garden with interesting items too. Would recommend to all.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 23 October 2023
  • Claire W
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A gem of a place
    Such a lovely little museum. The young will enjoy looking at strange and unusual items and the not as young will enjoy the trip down memory lane. Give yourself enough time to have a good look at everything and remember to look up as well as below. Charlie is a fabulous guide and very knowledgeable. Can't wait to go back to see what I've missed.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 25 October 2023
  • Robert F
    Shaftesbury, United Kingdom41 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A brilliant experience not to be missed
    A surprisingly brilliant Heritage Museum. There is lots to see and understand and expertly laid out. We went with a local couple from Clara and they were as amazed as us in the amount of exhibits in each of the rooms. Do not miss this opportunity to visit and explore history.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 25 June 2024
  • Cutsir
    14 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a fabulous find!
    We discovered this place as part of our plans to visit Roscommon for a long weekend at the end of June 2024. It's a real gem and we were really taken aback by the amount of varied artefacts they had. Brought us both back to our childhood, particlaurly the sections on foodstuffs and toys.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 July 2024
  • Paula de Barra
    13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A trip down memory lane
    I Brought my mother here when we were visiting Athlone for a few days. We spent 3 hours wandering around, and we could have spent 3 hours more! The array of items on display is fantastic, and my mother greatly enjoyed and appreciated each and every item which Charley has lovingly collected, restored and displayed. Thank you to Charley, a true gentleman, who shared his stories and passion for all things old. We Highly recommend a visit to Derryglad Folk and Heritage Museum. 10/10
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 31 July 2024
  • Conor N
    Ireland1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Museum.
    I have been to many folk museums over the years and visiting Derryglad Folk Museum has been my favorite experience. Everything is extremely well laid out and informative. I appreciated how it is all wheelchair accessible and I was truly impressed by the depth and wealth of knowledge that the owner and curator Charlie Finneran had to offer on every item in the museum's extensive collection, along with local history. Would recommend 10/10.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 5 August 2024
  • Prachi C
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Eclectic
    Set in the countryside, this folk museum will be a trip down the memory lane for some, and a peek into the past for others. The collection is quite eclectic, ranging from kitchen, washing machines, farming equipments, photographs to bog butter. It's well worth a visit.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 25 August 2024
  • Mairéad
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A fantastic museum
    Our national school 5th & 6th class teachers, parents & grandparents visited this amazing place of history. We were greeted by Charlie & Bridie proud owners of the museum. The interest and excitement was evident from the start .Firstly we browsed around before Charlie gave a very informative and interesting tour.The museum is filled with items perfectly resorted to perfection with love.The pupils asked questions and took notes .Designated areas to a cobblers, diary room,a chemist & a mini classroom were of great interest as was the sports memorabilia. The machinery , tools and a horse drawn carriage were fantastic. We spent over 2 hours and could have easily stayed longer. Thank you for taking us back in time a great experience for us all.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 13 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles414 reviews
Excellent
380
Very good
31
Average
2
Poor
1
Terrible
0

Fergus
Drogheda, Ireland5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
Derryglad is an absolute delight to visit. It has an enormous amount of memorabilia and you'll very likely find something that will immediately transport you back to your childhood. Visiting Derryglad will give you a terrific Irish heritage experience, I would highly recommend it.
Written 14 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fernando
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
Charlie, the friendly guide plus the owner family representative, appears like the perfect grandpa in his well-organized garage. He loves answering questions and explaining how things used to be in the olden days. Moreover, he lets you touch and handle many gadgets and things! I mean, where in the world are people allowed to take such a delight?!

Charlie didn´t mind when a girl wanted to try on a pair of old-fashioned metal skates, the ones that attach to your shoes. He just smile and said "Go on.". Many of us (even me being 51) ended up doing things very much out of the ordinary: Someone made an ancient stone hand grain mill turn, realizing how hard it used to be getting flour to the kitchen. Many of us typed our names with a vintage typewriter, all in awe for the length of time the ink could still work! Writing doodles and with a dip-in pen also made us realize that taking notes at school used to be a sort of complicated art. In the dairy section, we visually and practically learned the noun and verb "CHURN" while realizing that butter was already something important in Ireland in prehistoric times. A group of teenagers also let their imagination fly when they were allowed to act as carriage drivers and passengers, even wearing toppers (top hats).

I went twice this summer with foreign students and we all loved it. But beware that it helps if young people are told to turn their curiosity levels really high before getting there. Asking questions is a mandatory task in order to really enjoy the experience. Otherwise they might just look around waiting to be amazed as they always are with the content found in their mobile phones.
Written 4 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John Clancy
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
My partner & I visited Derryglad Folk Museum in June 2022. We were spending a couple of days in the area and, having seen how highly rated the place was, knew it was a must-see.

The experience didn't disappoint. We spent a lovely afternoon (~3 hours) taking a trip back through time. From farm life, to sports memorabilia, to the old schoolhouse and more, it was fascinating to see the breadth and depth of the collection. Thousands of items categorised and archived for the rest of us to enjoy.

Meeting Charlie was a pleasure. He's a treasure trove of information, and the passion he has for his work is very clear.

If you enjoy museums and have an interest in the Ireland of days gone by, I'd highly recommend visiting!
Written 5 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Catherine D
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
We had a wonderful time at Derryglad Folk Museum. There is so much to see with a vast array of everything from years gone by. It's like stepping back in time and gives a truly authentic experience of what life was like in Ireland from the early 20th Century onwards. Mr. Finneran gave an excellent guided tour, explaining about the different types of equipment and machinery on display, we even got to listen to the gramophone, which the children were fascinated by. You could spend hours looking through everything that the display's offer. It's lovely to see such a beautiful collection of items and you can tell that the Finneran family have dedicated such time and attention to gathering this wonderful collection for everyone to enjoy. I'd highly recommend a visit to Derryglad Folk Museum, it has something for all ages and everyone seemed to really enjoy the afternoon Thank you Mr. Finneran and family for a lovely experience!
Written 19 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kt-bird
Howth, Ireland85 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Family
What a wonderful place filled with can only be described as a mind blowing amount of memorabilia from ponds cream to carpenters tools to bikes and cameras. I’ve never in my life seen as much wonderful stuff in one place, the place is an absolute credit to the couple who run it. Well worth a visit for young and old. Toilet on-site.
Written 16 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

betsy20
offaly4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
A lovely trip down memory lane for older generations and great for the younger generations to hear stories and see how they lived many years ago. Lots of nostalgia and memorable items in the museum and Charlie was very happy to chat to us and all the other visitors and share his stories of old. A lovely place to visit for a couple of hours and revisit.
Written 21 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Matt
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
My wife and 10 yr old son learnt a lot from Charlie and Bridie. Charlie shared a wealth of knowledge with us. Despite there being a large group of other visitors he still found time to come to see how we were getting on. The collection is a credit to them both. I highly recommend a visit to anyone interested in history, who likes reliving past memories, and learning a lot.
Thankyou for showing us.
Written 19 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TinaDeanTurner
Perth, Australia9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
We visited with my uncle whilst on holiday from Australia and were totally impressed by the amount of modern history that this small museum could hold! It was absolutely brilliant and we all learnt so much. Charlie gave us a personal tour and showed us how many of the items worked! Truely fascinating. I would highly recommend a visit if you are travelling in this beautiful part of Ireland.
Written 5 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hugh O
Dublin, Ireland1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Family
This folk museum is well worth a visit. There are thousands of items covering many aspects of life from the earlier part of the last century. My favourites were the old butter boxes and paddles, oh and the "asthma cigarettes"! The owners were welcoming and could chat knowledgeably about the exhibits. It's a short drive from Athlone, and yields an absorbing few hours, I haven't seen anything to rival it.
Written 22 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Graham M
United Kingdom40 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
What an amazing find, thoroughly enjoyed by few hours here, loads to take in and you can feel the memories opening up in your mind. Probably the best €8 you could spend, and you can't help smiling. Just the place for older and younger alike
Written 13 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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DERRYGLAD FOLK & HERITAGE MUSEUM (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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