In the 18th and 19th centuries more than two million Ulster people left their homes to forge a new life across the Atlantic. Their story is told here at one of Ireland's best museums, which features a sprawling outdoor history park. Exhibits are split into Old World cottages and New World log cabins, with actors in period costume on hand to bring the stories to life.
The park is 8km northwest of Omagh. Last admission is 1½ hours before closing.
Original buildings from various parts of Ulster have been dismantled and reerected here, including a blacksmith's forge, a weaver's thatched cottage, a Presbyterian meeting house and a schoolhouse. The two parts of the park are cleverly linked by passing through a mock-up of an emigrant ship. In the American section of the park you can visit a genuine 18th-century settler's stone cottage and a log house, both shipped across the Atlantic from Pennsylvania, and a Tennessee plantation house, plus many more original buildings.
The Exhibition Hall explains the close connections between Ulster and the USA – the American Declaration of Independence was signed by several Ulstermen – and includes an original Calistoga wagon.
Costumed guides and artisans explain the arts of spinning, weaving, candle-making and so on. Various special events are held throughout the year, including American Independence Day celebrations in July and a bluegrass music festival in late August/September. At least half a day is needed to do the place justice.
Translink Goldline bus 273 from Belfast to Derry stops in Omagh, and will stop on request at the park gates.
