Join Mayo County Council Arts Service for the official launch of The Touchstones, a public art commission by visual artist James Winnett, taking place at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar at 11am on Saturday, 1 November 2025.

The Touchstones is a series of 10 intricately carved stones that can be found across sites in Turlough, Breaffy, Islandeady and Raheens Woods. The carvings weave a tale through the landscape, drawing on the folklore, social memory and ecological story of the places in which they stand.

Following an open competition, the artist James Winnett was selected for this commission. James Winnett is an artist, stone carver and workshop leader interested in the crossovers between sculpture, archaeology, folklore, place and memory.


Image: Visual artist James Winnett

He has worked in public art for 15 years and has produced over 50 large stone public artworks across the UK and Ireland.

The Touchstones operate as a network of curious artefacts that sit in relation both to the character of their specific locations, and to a wider archaeological and mythological landscape. In this way they offer a point of contact, a touchstone, between the world of the present and an otherworldly place somewhere between fact and fantasy, the deep past and the deep future.

James carved the sandstone blocks with traditional tools over the course of a year, taking inspiration from existing medieval stone carvings at sites across County Mayo such as Turlough, Straide, Ballintubber, Inishmaine and Cong.

The official launch takes place in the National Museum at Turlough Park at 11am on Saturday, 1 November. Following the launch, there will be an artist-led tour of the 10 stone sculptures in Turlough, Breaffy, Islandeady and Raheens Woods from 11.30am to 3.45pm.

A bus and lunch will be provided.

Places for the tour are limited and booking is required. Contact Aoife O’Toole, Public Art Coordinator, Mayo County Council on +353 94 9064376 or email aotoole@mayococo.ie.