News & Press
2026
News
Classic Irish novel, Under the Hawthorn Tree, brought to life at Ulster American Folk Park
31.03.2026
Under the Hawthorn Tree, a new, immersive exhibition inspired by one of Ireland’s most beloved children’s stories, has officially opened at the Ulster American Folk Park.
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News
Hidden History: Harland & Wolff Ship Plans Archive Fully Accessible for first time
31.03.2026
National Museums NI has unlocked the archive’s potential as an innovation and heritage resource for future generations
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News
'Flying Figures' fly again as Ulster Museum installs iconic sculptures on its façade
24.03.2026
Elisabeth Frink’s much-loved Flying Figures - also known as the Airborne Men - have been installed on the outside of the museum building, marking their first appearance since being gifted to the museum by Ulster Bank in 2023.
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News
Volunteers 'leaf' their legacy at Ulster Folk Museum's long-established woodland
19.03.2026
A Tree Planting Challenge was supported by Woodland Trust Northern Ireland and The Conservation Volunteers.
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News
Ashes to Fashion exhibition opens
27.02.2026
After months of anticipation, the Ulster Museum has officially opened Ashes to Fashion, its first major fashion and textile exhibition in 15 years.
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News
Ashes to Fashion: Ulster Museum exhibition will celebrate a collection reborn
09.02.2026
A devastating fire at Malone House, caused by two firebombs planted during the Troubles in 1976, completely destroyed the Ulster Museum’s entire costume and textile collection. The tragic incident has become the starting point for a major new exhibition opening at the museum on 27 February.
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News
Communities Minister ‘reawakens’ the Ulster Folk Museum with £50m in funding
22.01.2026
The funding will support the delivery of the Reawakening project – a pivotal opportunity to improve the Ulster Folk Museum’s facilities, enhance access to collections and strengthen the museum’s role in helping people connect with their heritage.
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2025
News
From Ulster to America: The making of modern Christmas
22.12.2025
Ulster American Folk Park explores the origins of our festive traditions
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News
How Do You Create a Community? The Inspiring Story of Ireland’s First Urban Gaeltacht Comes to the Ulster Museum
12.12.2025
The Ulster Museum presents ‘How Do You Create a Community? The Inspiring Story of Belfast’s First Urban Gaeltacht’, an exhibition developed in partnership with Spórtlann na hÉireann’s GaelStair project, that explores one of the most remarkable linguistic and cultural revivals in modern European history.
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News
Makers selected for contemporary craft exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland and Ulster Museum
09.12.2025
New, contemporary craft works inspired by the collections of National Museums Scotland and National Museums NI will be displayed in a collaborative exhibition, opening at the National Museum of Scotland in summer 2027, then at the Ulster Museum in early 2028.
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News
National Museums NI enhances the visitor experience with LS Central and Microsoft Dynamics 365
04.12.2025
Working with Sysco Software, we are pleased to announce the launch of LS Central across National Museums NI sites, delivered in partnership with iDyam Solutions.
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News
CEDaR marks 30 years of evidence-led environmental action
25.11.2025
The Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) has marked its 30th anniversary with a conference and publication launch celebrating its long-standing role in advancing environmental monitoring and public engagement across Northern Ireland.
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News
£20,000 grant from Broderers’ Charity Trust helps preserve Ulster’s embroidery heritage
06.11.2025
National Museums NI has received a £20,000 grant from the Broderers’ Charity Trust to support the conservation and celebration of one of Ireland’s most significant textile collections, the Ulster Folk Museum’s renowned white work embroidery collection.
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News
Unveiling the traditions of Samhain and Halloween
20.10.2025
Ulster Folk Museum’s archives unveil the origins of Halloween
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News
£200,000 Project highlights power of collaboration in post-conflict Northern Ireland
27.06.2025
The National Heritage Lottery Fund is supporting the Conflict and Legacy Interpretive Network to deliver an exhibition, a conference and online resources to create greater understanding on legacy and reconciliation.
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Article
Landmark needlework collection donated to National Museums NI through Cultural Gifts Scheme
23.06.2025
Acclaimed antiques dealer Lanto Synge donates one of the UK’s most important private textile collections to Ulster Museum.
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Long Read
Side by Side: Ulster Museum explores the Troubles through three powerful exhibitions
18.06.2025
Akihiko Okamura: The Memories of Others joins Belfast Archive Project and The Troubles and Beyond exhibits, making it a trio of exhibitions on at once, in the Ulster Museum, to highlight the importance of museums in post-conflict Northern Ireland.
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News
Ulster Folk Museum site restoring woodland area larger than four football fields
02.06.2025
National Museums NI and Woodland Trust Northern Ireland’s partnership is aimed at boosting biodiversity. Northern Ireland's woodland cover lags behind European average at just 8.7 per cent.
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News
National Museums NI joins partnership backed by Art Fund to advance trans inclusion
19.05.2025
The University of Leicester's Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) has established a partnership supported by Art Fund – the national charity for art – with leading UK museums, galleries and heritage organisations to support a bold and ambitious step change in the capacity and confidence of the UK’s culture sector to advance trans inclusion.
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News
Preserving the Threads of History thanks to The Broderers’ Charity Trust
14.05.2025
Grant funding from The Broderers’ Charity Trust will support an ambitious and meaningful project at the Ulster Folk Museum, focused on conserving and showcasing a unique collection of white work embroidery.
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News
National Museums NI repatriates further ancestral remains to Hawaiʻi
29.04.2025
National Museums NI has returned further ancestral remains to Hawaiʻi, with an official repatriation ceremony at Ulster Museum.
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News
Communities Minister welcomes National Museums NI's Corporate Strategy 2025-2030
09.04.2024
National Museums NI has launched its Corporate Strategy 2025-2030, solidifying our role as a cornerstone of society in Northern Ireland.
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News
Exploration of Northern Ireland’s photographic heritage opens at Ulster Museum
4.04.2025
The Ulster Museum, in partnership with The Belfast Archive Project, has launched a series of photography exhibitions running throughout 2025. This trilogy of exhibitions explores the stories behind pivotal moments in Northern Ireland’s past, and the photographers who captured them.
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News
Walk on the wild side: Ulster Museum exhibition explores Ireland's life forms past and present
13.03.25
Over 60 paintings bringing Ireland’s natural history to life go on display at the Ulster Museum
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News
Further research suggests ancient human remains found in Bellaghy likely to be female
20.02.2025
The “Ballymacombs More Woman” is an exceptionally rare discovery of an Iron Age female bog-preserved remains.
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2024
News
National Museums NI recognised by Princess Royal Training Awards
29.11.2024
Now established as a prestigious and sought-after accolade, this year’s Princess Royal Training Awards attracted 127 applications from across the UK and Ireland with 52 winners - National Museums NI being one of them.
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News
Communities Minister commends engineering heritage at museum visits
15.11.2024
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has visited the Ulster Folk Museum and the Ulster Transport Museum. As part of the visits, Minister Lyons viewed the latest exhibit in the impressive transport collection.
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News
Voices of '74: Ulster Museum unveils powerful oral history project
25.10.2024
The online project draws on the importance of oral history to document the memories and experiences of the past, in order to encourage conversations about the future
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News
Leading UK museums collaborate in £1million cultural innovation supporting young children and families
18.09.2024
Ulster Museum is one of eight UK museums and galleries, all leaders in early-years engagement in the cultural sector, selected to receive part of £1million funding from Art Fund and Nesta to help develop and deliver new programme for families with young children.
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News
Ferguson Black Returns: Ulster Transport Museum plays host to the tractor that revolutionised farming
23.08.2024
The prototype to modern tractor engineering is now on display at the Ulster Transport Museum and highlights Harry Ferguson’s legacy as one of Northern Ireland’s leading innovators.
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News
Folk Museum Making Festival returns to honour Northern Ireland's heritage skills
23.07.2024
Ulster Folk Museum's annual celebration of heritage and craft skills takes place on 17 and 18 August.
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News
Exhibition highlighting experiences of international testimonies opens at Ulster Museum
21.06.2024
This new textiles exhibition, as part of our Troubles & Beyond work, is a collaboration between National Museums NI and Conflict Textiles, featuring 29 artworks from around the world.
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News
Rhymin Rab's Ramble: Ulster-Scots Trail introduced at Ulster Folk Museum
24.05.2024
Trail highlights importance of National Museums NI’s language archives and the cultural value of linguistic diversity.
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News
Historic motorsport festival gears up for return to Cultra
16.05.2024
First run in 1905, the prestigious Cultra Hillclimb is one of the world’s oldest speed hill climbs and it’s set to return on Saturday 8th June to the Ulster Transport Museum, taking in the grounds around Cultra Manor at the nearby Ulster Folk Museum.
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News
Two Caravaggio Masterpieces reunited as Ulster Museum exhibition opens
10.05.2024
National Museums NI, the National Gallery, London and National Gallery of Ireland collaborate on historic cultural moment. The Caravaggio paintings have rarely seen together since the 17th century.
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News
Ulster Museum and EY to connect more people to the arts
18.04.2024
EY to sponsor the upcoming 'National Treasures: Caravaggio in Belfast' exhibition at Ulster Museum, as well as primary schools’ engagement programme.
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News
Mural Support: Ulster Museum exhibition explores Bill Rolston's 40-year career in photography
12.04.2024
A new exhibition has opened at Ulster Museum exploring themes of identity, expression & conflict legacy, showcased through the work of Belfast-born mural photographer, Bill Rolston
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News
STEAM Studio set to inspire NI’S young tech talent of the future
9.04.2024
A new, STEAM-focused, collaborative education programme has been launched by Liberty IT and National Museums NI to inspire young people to develop their tech skills.
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News
Bluegrass Omagh 2024: Where music meets Ulster-American history
5.04.2024
Set against the backdrop of Ulster American Folk Park, Bluegrass Omagh is back, and this year’s festival promises an unforgettable weekend of music, culture and history.
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News
Caravaggio in Belfast: Two Masterpieces, One Unforgettable Exhibition
29.03.2024
Caravaggio's 'The Supper at Emmaus' and 'The Taking of Christ' will be reunited at a unique exhibition at the museum for the National Gallery's bicentenary – a first for Belfast.
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News
National Museums NI and Liberty IT announce new educational partnership
15.03.2024
The new multi-year partnership with Liberty IT will support STEAM learning for young people in the museum learning setting.
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News
Lavery On Location Celebrates ‘Homecoming’ at Ulster Museum
21.02.2024
Opening 23rd February until 9th June, this exhibition presents a rare insight into internationally renowned, Belfast-born painter Sir John Lavery, showcasing over 70 of his works.
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2023
News
Christmas Gift to the Nation
12.12.2023
Rare painting by the Italian artist Peruzzi - the only surviving work by the artist in the UK - goes on display at the Ulster Museum. The Nativity dates back to the 16th century and was acquired by National Museums NI in 2022.
News
CEDaR unveils 10-year business plan to combat environmental and biodiversity crisis
4.12.2023
CEDaR is the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording and is a longstanding partnership between National Museums NI, DAERA, NIEA and the recording community in Northern Ireland.
News
Ulster Folk Museum awarded the national Heritage Education Trust Sandford Award for the first time
10.11.2023
Ulster Folk Museum has been awarded the prestigious Sandford Award which recognises the high standard of our educational programme for schools.
News
Global Voices, Local Choices: Diversity of museums celebrated at Parliament Buildings event
31.10.2023
The event took place in Parliament Buildings on Saturday 28th October where primary event sponsor, Kate Nicholl MLA, highlighted museums as vehicles for good relations.
News
Road Racing Celebrated as Ulster Transport Museum's Driven Gallery Reopens
30.10.2023
Seven motorbikes once owned by local road racing legends make up a new display as part of the Driven exhibition.
News
Secretary of State announces appointment of a new Chair and Members to the Board of National Museums NI
30.10.2023
A new Chair and seven new Members have been appointed to the Board of National Museums NI.
News
Colin Middleton: ‘Among this Peace and Noise’ opens at Ulster Museum
13.10.2023
Showing until 14th January 2024, the exhibition examines the artist’s relationship with Belfast and his development through paintings and drawings spanning six decades.
News
6000-year-old burial tomb relocated to Ulster Folk Museum
25.09.2023
The Co Armagh tomb was excavated to save it from quarrying work in 1966.
News
Crowds Gather at Ulster Folk Museum for new Making Festival
21.08.2023
The two-day Making Festival celebrated Northern Ireland’s cherished crafts.
News
Northern Ireland's past still present as Folk Museum festival celebrates heritage traditions
11.08.2023
Ulster Folk Museum’s new Making Festival on August 19th and 20th will honour traditional craft skills.
News
National Museums NI awarded funding for Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships scheme
10.07.2023
Each year, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) awards fully-funded PhD studentships to museums and heritage organisations to support collaborative research projects.
News
Ulster Bank gifts Belfast’s ‘Flying Figures’ to Ulster Museum
28.06.2023
Ulster Bank has gifted an internationally significant piece of public art in Belfast to the national collection.
News
Museums and heritage organisations join forces to address legacy and conflict issues
28.06.2023
The Conflict and Legacy Interpretive Network has been established involving Bloody Sunday Trust/Museum of Free Derry, Ulster Museum and Healing Through Remembering.
News
Announcing the second cohort of artists to the 20/20 project
8.06.2023
Twelve emerging and mid-career artists with an extensive range of practices have been selected as the second cohort of 20/20 and Ulster Museum is one of the host partner museums.
News
Renoir masterpiece, L’allée au bois, acquired by National Museums NI
6.06.2023
This is a highly important acquisition for the Ulster Museum as it is the first Impressionist painting to enter a public collection in Northern Ireland.
News
Up to Speed: Cultra Motorsport Festival Returns to Ulster Folk Museum
30.05.2023
The Thoroughbred Sports Car Club (TSCC) NI, in partnership with Porsche Centre Belfast and supported by Ards and North Down Borough Council, will host Cultra Motorsport Festival at the Ulster Folk Museum on Saturday, June 10th 2023.
News
Fashion Icons Past and Present
16.05.2023
Fashion Photography from the National Portrait Gallery Collection, including portraits of Maisie Williams, Stormzy and Audrey Hepburn, go on display at Ulster Museum.
News
Ulster Museum and Belfast Photo Festival host new exhibition to coincide with 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement
7.04.2023
This new co-curated exhibition between Ulster Museum and Belfast Photo Festival captures the often untold stories of the women who were influential to peace building in NI.
News
BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland 2020 Plant Atlas, Northern Ireland launch
15.03.2023
Our Natural Sciences team hosted the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) to launch the 2020 Plant Atlas.
News
Ulster Folk Museum development plans set to be unveiled
13.03.2023
National Museums NI submits Proposal of Application Notice for major development project at Ulster Folk Museum.
News
Turner Prize-winning artwork opens at Ulster Museum
24.02.2023
Belfast-based Array Collective’s 'The Druthaib's Ball' was awarded the Turner Prize in 2021 and now it has a new home at the Ulster Museum.
News
Our Place in Space touches down at the Ulster Transport Museum
24.02.2023
Our Place in Space, a recreation of our solar system as a 11.8km sculpture trail, makes its homecoming to Northern Ireland following acclaimed UK tour travelling to four cities.
2022-2019
News
Ulster Museum to be gifted Peruzzi’s The Nativity
24.12.2022
The incredibly rare sixteenth century work has been acquired by National Museums NI, in Christmas gift to the nation.
News
Human Rights Day: Conflict textiles pieces acquired by National Museums NI
9.12.2022
Transnational textiles representing the personal experiences of those affected by conflict, including within Northern Ireland, taken into Ulster Museum's collection.
News
Art Unwrapped is back for its fifth consecutive year
9.12.2022
The annual ‘gift to the city’ will be on display at Ulster University’s new Belfast Campus.
News
Anything Goes: 1920s fashion goes on display at Ulster Museum
6.12.2022
Exhibition celebrates local talent alongside the roaring 20s’ contribution to design.
News
New theory for the Giant's Causeway's formations revealed
6.10.2022
A new theory for the Giant's Causeway's formations, the first since 1940, has been put forward by Curator of Natural Sciences, Dr Mike Simms.
News
Surfing exhibition makes waves at Ulster Transport Museum
16.08.2022
Explore the history of surfing in Ireland through our Celtic Wave exhibition at Ulster Transport Museum.
News
Exhibition dedicated to The Bloomsbury Group opens at Ulster Museum
11.07.2022
Ulster Museum and The Courtauld in London have collaborated on a new exhibition showcasing pieces from the Bloomsbury Group.
News
Exhibition at Ulster Museum celebrates young voices
24.06.2022
Power to the Young People has been co-curated by a group of 16 to 25-year-olds from across Northern Ireland as part of the Reimagine Remake Replay project.
News
A Collector's Story exhibition showcases former Lord Mayor's contribution
17.06.2022
An exhibition showcasing the contribution made to Ulster Museum's collections by Former Lord Mayor Tom Hartley, who has donated more than 2,000 objects over the last two decades.
News
Bluegrass Omagh celebrates 30th anniversary
1.06.2022
Ulster American Folk Park welcomed fans back to the legendary Bluegrass Omagh music festival to mark its 30th anniversary.
News
National Museums NI celebrates Volunteers' Week with special event
1.06.2022
We celebrate our some 170 volunteers for the invaluable contribution they make to our museums at a special event at Ulster Museum during Volunteers' Week.
News
National Museums NI acquires Turner Prize winner
30.05.2022
National Museums NI acquires 2021 Turner Prize winner for the national collection and will go on display in the Ulster Museum in early 2023.
News
National Museums NI repatriates Hawaiian ancestral human remains and sacred objects
9.05.2022
National Museums NI repatriates Hawaiian ancestral human remains and sacred objects at an official ceremony held in the Ulster Museum.
News
Bluegrass Omagh Music Festival returns for 30th year
29.04.2022
The Ulster American Folk Park will host the iconic music festival for its 30th anniversary on 28th and 29th May after a two year break due to the pandemic.
News
Ulster American Folk Park introduces first new exhibition in four years
15.04.2022
‘Bad Bridget’ highlights the adversities many women and girls faced when they migrated to North America from Ireland in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
News
New exhibition embraces Decolonisation
8.04.2022
'Inclusive Global Histories' represents a commitment to decolonisation, diversity and inclusion at Ulster Museum.
News
Museum of Innovation celebrates STEM innovator, Professor Andriana Margariti
8.03.2022
The 'Museum of Innovation' exhibition at Ulster Transport Museum, Cultra, has announced its first living ‘Innovator in Focus’ as Professor Andriana Margariti.
News
New trail launched at Ulster Folk Museum as part of Languages of Ulster project
24.02.2022
Cúl Trá-il launched as part of Languages of Ulster, which will explore language traditions associated with Irish-English, Irish and Ulster Scots.
News
Landmark Exhibition about Northern Ireland Launches on Valentine’s Day
14.02.2022
The exciting new partnership will see the Little Museum of Dublin host an exhibition of artefacts from the collections of National Museums NI.
News
Goddard's Blue Sky Thinking at Ulster Museum explores migration and climate change
27.01.2022
Patrick Goddard’s sculpture forms part of the Museum’s 'Blue Sky Thinking: New Art, New Themes, New Acquisitions' exhibition, addressing themes of migration, identity and the climate.
News
Ulster Museum marks 50 years since Bloody Sunday with new display in collaboration with Museum of Free Derry
27.01.2022
Ulster Museum unveils a new display within its ‘The Troubles and Beyond’ Gallery to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
News
New project to celebrate diverse cultures in NI’s Museums
17.01.2022
National Museums NI, in partnership with ACSONI and NIMC are among 10 UK museum applicants successful in a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund.
News
Museum of Innovation opens at Ulster Transport Museum
7.07.2021
Museum of Innovation showcases local pioneers and their feats of engineering and invention that have had a lasting impact across the world.
News
National Museums NI and Nerve Centre Announce Major Exhibition Exploring Centenary
18.05.2021
From Borders to Brexit and Beyond. New Exhibition Marks Partition of Ireland and Formation of Northern Ireland.
News
National Museums NI comes to aid of shipwreck operation in Canada
1.02.2021
National Museums NI’s collections staff supply crucial information to stem oil leak from ship built in Belfast.
News
Ireland’s Only Dinosaurs Discovered in Antrim
24.11.2020
Scientists laud 200-million-year-old fossil find led by National Museums NI and confirmed by University of Portsmouth and Queen’s University Belfast.
News
CultureLab Launch
21.02.2020
A new exhibition at the Ulster Museum looks at challenging stereotypes and building positive relationships.
News
First official museum visit for new Minister
15.01.2020
New Minister for Communities Deirdre Hargey embraces community outreach project in first official museum visit.
News
Ulster Museum acquires six etchings by Rembrandt
19.12.2019
The Ulster Museum has acquired six etchings by celebrated artist Rembrandt. Two of the etchings will go on display at the Ulster Museum from December 2019.