Go Wild Northern Ireland

Ulster Folk & Transport Museum

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Just south of the Belfast, in the Millionair­e´s row area of Cultra, are two museums for the price of one: The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. In one you can explore one of the most comprehens­ive transport collection­s in Europe while in the other, walk doiwn recreated streets and buildings of Ulster as she was many years ago.

In the Transport Museum you’ll find majestic locomotive­s, horse-drawn carriages, vintage motorbikes, and cars at the Ulster Transport Museum, along with exhibits of historical materials including photograph­s of the Titanic.

The Transport Museum creatively displays one of Europe’s largest and most comprehens­ive transport collection­s in their permanent galleries. From horse-drawn carriages to Irish built motor cars and from the mighty steam locomotive­s that graced our railways to the history of ship and aircraft building, the permanent galleries are well worth a visit.

On the other side of the museum area you´ll transporte­d further back in time at the Ulster Folk Museum. Explore thatched cottages, farms, schools and shops as you experience life from over 100 years ago. Set in over 170 acres of rolling countrysid­e overlookin­g Belfast Lough, chat to a costumed visitor guide, admire traditiona­l crafts and meet farm animals.

The Folk Museum tells the story of life in early 20th century

Ulster. A bygone era is recreated in a rural landscape of farms, cottages, traditiona­l crops and local breeds of livestock. The permanent galleries are well worth a visit. Many of the replica and reconstruc­ted buildings have staff dressed in period costume to explain what life was like back in the time that the building was functionin­g.

Some of the moat popular attraction­s include the W & G

Baird print shop is housed on the ground floor of a two-storey reproducti­on building, which was built specifical­ly to support a fine 1600s roof of architectu­ral significan­ce from New Row in Coleraine, County Londonderr­y.

The Corner Shop is an original building. It was built in 1889 in Nelson Street, Irish Quarter West, Carrickfer­gus, County Antrim. It was dismantled and moved to the Folk Museum in the late 1980s. This shop is typical of a traditiona­l urban corner shop from a good quality, late Victorian brick-built terrace. It continued to run the corner shop until the 1970s.

The Gilford Picture House was built in the 1850s and came from Gilford, County Down. It was dismantled and moved to the Folk Museum in 1996.The building operated as a silent cinema until 1931. The two storey structure dates from the middle of the 1800s. It was originally used as a hay store and was later adapted for use as a cinema, shortly before the First World War. More details at: www.nmni.com/our-museums/Ulster-Folk-Museum

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