Minister Lyons Highlights Northern Ireland's Engineering Heritage

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has praised the engineering heritage of Northern Ireland during a recent visit to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

A particular highlight of the visit was the Ferguson Black Tractor, a groundbreaking piece of machinery that revolutionised agriculture worldwide. This iconic tractor is now on display at the Museum of Innovation, alongside other significant engineering achievements from Northern Ireland.

Minister Lyons emphasised the importance of showcasing such innovations to inspire future generations of STEM students. He believes that the Black Tractor serves as a powerful symbol of Northern Ireland's global influence in the field of engineering.

Minister Lyons also learnt about the new educational language trail, Rhymin Rab's Ramble at the Ulster Folk Museum, an addition to the museum's 'Languages of Ulster' programme which launched in 2022 with the introduction of Cúl Trá-il – a self-guided, educational Irish language trail.

Inspired by the work of local Ulster-Scots poet, Robert Huddleston, whose extensive collection of poems, writings and manuscripts are held at the archive at Cultra, the trail uses 18 buildings and places at the museum to present Huddleston's diverse combination of Scotch, English and Irish elements in his poetry. During the visit the Minister took the opportunity to hear more about the work of National Museums NI and its ambitions for the future, including plans which are currently underway to ‘reawaken' the Ulster Folk Museum and unlock its potential as a dynamic heritage and environment resource.

Kathryn Thomson, Chief Executive of National Museums NI, said: "At National Museums NI we want to ensure inclusive access to our museums and maximise the learning, wellbeing and economic benefits they bring to wider society. We have a fantastic opportunity to reawaken the Ulster Folk Museum and encourage people to reconnect with its heritage and environmental assets in new ways.

"We are delighted to have shared with Minister Lyons the rich cultural landscape and diverse collections preserved here at the Ulster Folk Museum. They have never been more relevant to our lives today, and with co-ordinated investment, we can help to bring people together and provoke new thinking about our shared and sustainable future. We were also grateful to have had the opportunity to showcase Ferguson's groundbreaking Black Tractor and demonstrate how the Ulster Transport Museum not only honours our heritage in innovation, but inspires a curiosity amongst our visitors and supports the next generation of STEAM leaders."