Minister confirms £50m for Ulster Folk Museum’s Reawakening project

The Ulster Folk Museum’s Reawakening project is to get a £50m investment from the NI Executive and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The funding was confirmed last week by Northern Ireland’s communities minister, Gordon Lyons.

It will support the delivery of the redevelopment, which is currently underway and aims to improve facilities, enhance access to collections and “strengthen the museum’s role in helping people connect with their heritage”.

Located at Cultra, three miles east of Belfast, Ulster Folk Museum is an open-air living museum that is home to a collection of traditionally built and replica buildings, along with a working farm.

Lyons said: “For more than 60 years, the Ulster Folk Museum has preserved, shared and celebrated the traditions, skills and ways of life of the people of Ulster, past and present, and this investment is vital to ensure our heritage is retained for future generations.

“The Reawakening Project will see the Ulster Folk Museum transform to a multi-layered heritage and environment resource, which sustains more relevant and active connections with its audiences.

“This marks a profound shift in the museum’s positioning. The Reawakening is not just about reinvestment – it’s about reimagining the museum’s purpose to ensure it thrives for the next 25 years and beyond as a vibrant, relevant and indispensable resource for society.”

The investment comprises £40m from the Department for Communities and £10m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the biggest grant made by the lottery funder in Northern Ireland for a decade.

National Museums NI, which manages the Ulster Folk Museum along with three other sites, is also working with a number of funding trusts and philanthropists to explore other sources of funding, “recognising the very significant benefits this project delivers and in line with the framework for the Department’s Heritage, Culture and Creativity Programme”.

Kathryn Thomson, the chief executive of National Museums NI, said: “The Ulster Folk Museum has had limited investment for decades, and some of its facilities are no longer fit for purpose.

“Our Reawakening project will deliver lasting and measurable social and economic value. We have been advocating Ulster Folk Museum’s potential as a heritage asset for a number of years.

“Today’s confirmation of support from the minister and his department is a significant and exciting milestone. We are also grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their instrumental support on our journey.”

Thomson described the Ulster Folk Museum’s collection as “a people’s collection”.

“It has never been more relevant to our lives than today,” she said. “These objects and stories reflect shared experiences and different traditions from across Ulster and help people better understand who we all are.

“This coordinated investment allows us to prioritise the themes of identity, the environment, and learning and skills, across the museum experience, ensuring Ulster Folk Museum will serve communities for generations to come.”

Paul Mullan, the Northern Ireland director at the Heritage Fund, said: “It’s wonderful to see National Museums NI bring together a funding package that will reawaken the much-loved Ulster Folk Museum.

“Thanks to National Lottery players we’re able to commit £10m that so far has helped lay the groundwork and will now deliver this visionary project that will connect people to heritage that is accessible, relevant, sustainable and valued.”