Aerial View

The Ulster American Folk Park is a vast open-air museum in County Tyrone, dedicated to the story of emigration from the thatched cottages of Ulster to the New World homesteads of the American frontier in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

This open-air museum has developed to over 90 acres with approximately 40 exhibit buildings, reflecting the vernacular tradition of both rural Ulster and frontier America.  The original buildings are researched and assessed in detail, documented, and then transported brick-by-brick from various parts of Ireland for the ‘Old World’ exhibits – and from locations such as Pennsylvania and Tennessee for the ‘New World’ area of the museum.

One of the key strengths of the Folk Park is its ‘living history’ programme where costumed interpreters offer the visitor a unique insight into the family stories presented in the outdoor museum with displays of traditional crafts, agricultural machinery, and an array of farm animals.  The demonstrations that take place showcase day-to-day tasks and skills such as blacksmithing, candle-dipping, embroidery, spinning, printing, and open-hearth cooking.