History and Recent Rethatching of the Thatch Mulranny

Tour / Discussion

Sunday 20th September 2026, 16:00

The Thatch Mulranny

FREE but prebooking is essential as spaces are limited.

Please register your interest by email to: aine.doyle1@gmail.com

Join us for a talk on the history of the only remaining thatched structure in the west Mayo maritime village of Mulranny. Overlooking Clew Bay, with views of Croagh Patrick, the thatch stands on rising ground on the approach from Newport. Originally a dwelling house, it has been cared for by its owners, having undergone restoration and conversion to retail use. Lovingly restored this summer with the careful craftsmanship of thatcher Marika Leen, and with financial assistance from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage administered by Mayo County Council, the talk will focus on the history of the building, typology, construction methods and materials, the challenges facing thatched structures in Ireland today, and grant funding. Áine Doyle, Architectural Conservation Consultant will deliver the talk and Anna Doherty, owner will discuss the significance of the building for her family and for the village of Mulranny.

Limited accessible 

Event supported by;

Mayo County Council, National Built Heritage Service, Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage

On Site at Enniscoe House

Tour / Talk

Wednesday 23rd September 2026, 12:30

Enniscoe House, Prospect, Castlehill, Co. Mayo, F26 EA34

FREE but prebooking is essential as spaces are limited.

Please register your interest by email to mail@enniscoe.com

Wheelchair/ limited mobility accessible / no

Join us for a talk with Susan and DJ Kelllett and discover the stories and architecture of this enchanting house hidden in woodland at the foot of Mount Nephin with fine vistas overlooking Lough Conn. Enter through the white gates, past the pink gate lodge and follow the long winding avenue through extensive parkland, to arrive at this Georgian family home built by George Jackson (1717-89) and subsequently enlarged by George Jackson MP (1761- 1805).

Autumn Equinox at North Mayo Heritage Centre Organic Garden

Tour / Talk

Wednesday 23rd September 2026 at 14:30

North Mayo Heritage Centre, Enniscoe, Castlehill, Ballina, Co. Mayo, F26 FR94

FREE but prebooking is essential as spaces are limited.

Please register your interest to: nmhmanager@gmail.com 

Join Aine Bell to explore the built and natural architecture of the 19th Century Walled Organic Garden on the Enniscoe Estate.

This event will take a guided walk through the 2-acre organic walled garden, highlighting the historic built structures in the garden and their purpose. The head gardener, Aine Bell, will take you through the history of the garden up to the present day. We will discuss the continued preservation of our heritage apple tree collection along with the introduction of several heritage vegetable varieties aimed at preserving these important Irish varieties, such as the Mayo cabbage. We will conclude with an overview of how we are still making use of this architecture through the work of the garden team to continue to preserve and maintain it as a functioning productive space.

Wheelchair/ limited mobility accessible / no

This project is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and Pobal through the Community Services Programme. 

Wonder Wander Walking Trails - Westport 

Talk & Discussion followed by free guided walk

Thursday 24th September 2026, 4:30pm - 5pm

Westport Library

FREE, no registration required. 

Join Studio Myco and James Grieve Architects in association with Mayo County Council’s Architectural conservation Office to hear more about the Wonder Wander Walking Trails and the new trail currently being developed for Westport.

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage’s Wonder Wander initiative creates community-led, self-guided trails celebrating the distinctive buildings, architectural details, places and stories found within Ireland’s Architectural Conservation Areas.

At the event, the project team will introduce the wider initiative, share how the Westport trail is being developed, and provide a glimpse at some of the buildings, places and local stories emerging for the trail maps.

There will also be an opportunity to share additional knowledge, memories and insights, helping to further shape and enrich the trail before it is finalised.

The completed Westport Wonder Wander Walking Trail will include an interactive map and family-friendly scavenger hunt, encouraging people to glance up, peer down and discover familiar places in new ways, before launching in spring 2027.

The talk will be followed by a free guided walk of the historic planned town of Westport by Westport Historical Society.

On Site at Castlebar Post Office

Tour / Talk

Friday 25th September 2026 

Tours at 15:00 and 16:00, (Duration 30min)

Former Castlebar Post Office, Mountain View, Castlebar, F23 A072

FREE but prebooking is essential as spaces are limited.

Wheelchair/ limited mobility accessible / no

Please register your interest to: architecturalconservation@mayococo.ie

Join us for a talk and tour with Philip Prendergast, Architect, Castlebar Municipal District at the former Castlebar Post Office which was designed by John Howard Pentland, Principal Surveyor for the Board of Public Works Ireland from 1891 to 1918. It was built by Messers. Mulligan & Sons, Swinford and first opened its doors in 1904. By 2012 it was no longer in use as a post office and lay vacant. Subsequently purchased by Mayo County Council, in partnership with the Castlebar Community Development Association and Foróige it will provide a dedicated new community youth resource centre. 

The building is being conserved, restored and adapted for its new use by Mayo County Council with funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund. The building works by MVS Construction Ltd commenced in Q4 2024 and are due for completion in 2026. 

Wonder Wander Walking Trails - Ballina

Talk & Discussion

Friday 25th September 2026

4:30pm - 5pm

The Clarke Museum of Irish History, Ballina.

Tickets: FREE, no registration required.

Join Studio Myco and James Grieve Architects to hear more about the Wonder Wander Walking Trails and the new trail currently being developed for Ballina.

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage’s Wonder Wander initiative creates community-led, self-guided trails celebrating the distinctive buildings, architectural details, places and stories found within Ireland’s Architectural Conservation Areas.

At the event, the project team will introduce the wider initiative, share how the Ballina trail is being developed, and provide a glimpse at some of the buildings, places and local stories emerging for the trail maps.

There will also be an opportunity to share additional knowledge, memories and insights, helping to further shape and enrich the trail before it is finalised.

The completed Ballina Wonder Wander Walking Trail will include an interactive map and family-friendly scavenger hunt, encouraging people to glance up, peer down and discover familiar places in new ways, before launching in spring 2027.

Help shape the Ballina trail: Community engagement events will take place on Wednesday 26 August 2026 on Pearse Street, 12–2pm, and at Ballina Library, 4–7pm. We’d love to see you there!

Cong House – New Build

Architect led Tour with Cillian Briody Studio

Tour / Discussion

Saturday 26th September 2026 

Tours; 14:00 and 15:00 ( Duration 45min)

No. 7 Ashford Pines, Cong, Co. Mayo (Neighbouring Eircode: F31 E167)

Tickets: FREE but prebooking is essential as spaces are limited.

Wheelchair/ limited mobility accessible / no

Talk by Cillian Briody Studio on a home that balances privacy, natural light, material and form to make bright, generous living spaces rooted in their surroundings.

Join us for a talk on a contemporary home that takes its external cues from the surrounding buildings while creating a bright, light-filled interior. The design responds to the challenge of how to create private living spaces while ensuring they remain filled with natural light throughout the day. 

Organised around the relationship between privacy, daylight and the landscape., the design carefully controls views outward while drawing light deep into the plan and was developed through an iterative process of drawing, model-making and material exploration. Physical models were particularly important in understanding how the building would receive and distribute natural light, allowing the size, position and orientation of openings to be tested at different stages of the design. Making became a way of investigating the relationship between the building, the sun and the spaces within it, rather than simply representing a completed design.