Ulster museum gets £2.4m funding to expand

30 July 2009 -

The Ulster American Folk Park will be expanded in a £2.4 million project which includes the development of a local museum.

Nelson McCausland, the minister for culture, arts and leisure, announced the plans this week, which will bring the total funding since 2006 to £18.6 million.

The work will see 30 acres of land around the County Tyrone museum expanded to create more space for the Ulster settler buildings from the early American frontier.

Ms McCausland added that the extended museum will improve the experience for visitors to Northern Ireland, saying it appeals to all ages.

"The Ulster American Folk is a wonderful exploration of Ulster’s own rich history, as well as the role that Ulster emigrants played in shaping American life and culture," he stated.

Included in the open-air museum is a ship and dockside gallery, which has a reconstruction of a 19th century sailing ship of the type which brought US immigrants across the Atlantic.