Event
Bluegrass BBQ: Niall Toner Band & Gormacha
Sunday 21st June
This summer, our Bluegrass BBQs bring together live Irish music and great American BBQ for a celebration of music and food.
Book Ticketsthe stories of us
Date
Tuesday 2nd June to Sunday 27th September 2026
Time
10:00 to 17:00 (Closed Mondays)
This year is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 50th anniversary of the Ulster American Folk Park. To reflect these important occasions, we’re introducing a wide range of exciting events, exhibitions and activities for visitors.
The story of migration from Ulster to America that we tell here at the Ulster American Folk Park is not just history - it is a living connection between two nations and ‘the stories of us’.
Join us as we bring the diverse and compelling stories of Irish and Ulster-Scots emigrants and their impact on the development of the United States more vividly to life.
The STORIES OF US
These are the stories of historical figures, people from here, that the Ulster American Folk Park exists to tell - including Thomas Mellon, John Joseph Hughes and Robert Campbell.
It also tells the women's stories, of Thomas Mellon's mother, and remember our Bad Bridgets? And those of indigenous and enslaved peoples, impacted by migration.
STORIES OF US is also a chance to bring new stories to life, including James McGavock, who played a role in the move towards US Independence; Charles Thomson from Maghera, one of the first signatories of the Declaration; and John Dunlap, a printer from Strabane who later went on to print the first copies of the Declaration.
These are all our stories, and without them, our understanding of our history is incomplete.
Visitor experience
This is the time to explore the Ulster American Folk Park and its international connections through shared heritage and culture. As part of your general admission ticket, you can view a new Presidential Portraits display in our Emigrants exhibition, visit Under the Hawthorn Tree, which tells the story of the Great Famine, and discover more about the ‘Irish Wake’. Enjoy freshly baked soda bread and pancakes at the Mellon Homestead daily and sample cornbread, fritters and apple butter on the Frontier at the Log Cabin. There'll be even more demonstrations in our exhibit buildings - blacksmithing, printing, quilting and spinning. Plus, you can pick up a special anniversary souvenir in our gift shop.
RELATED EVENTS
Our STORIES OF US programme is part of the wider USA-NI250 commemorations and made possible thanks to funding from:
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