'We're really pushing the boat out': Double the party as Ulster American Folk Park hits 50th birthday on US Independence weekend
As America marks its 250th anniversary, it turns out to be a double celebration at the home of historical links between the US and Ulster.
That’s because this weekend is not only 250 years since the declaration of independence, it’s also the Ulster American Folk Park’s 50th birthday.
And while July 4 is always a big deal at the Omagh attraction, general manager John Paul Coyle said they’re certainly pushing the boat out this year.
“It’s a really important weekend for us to mark the 250th anniversary and the positive impact migrants who left Ulster made on the United States,” he told the News Letter.
“But we’re also celebrating the folk park itself – 50 years of telling amazing stories, creating long-lasting memories, and celebrating the fact that we’re one of the most popular tourist attractions on the entire island of Ireland.
“We know that we’re the premier destination in Northern Ireland that’s able to mark the declaration of independence, so we are going big.”
Events over the July 4 weekend include a restaging of the Boston Tea Party, Paula McIntyre of ‘Hamely Kitchen’ creating modern interpretations of classic Appalachian dishes inspired by Ulster migrants on the American frontier, a staged reading of the declaration, live music, a barbecue, historical re-enactors, and children’s games.
There will also be historical talks giving details of Ulstermen with ties to the declaration, such as Charles Thomson from Maghera, one of the first to sign it, and Strabane native John Dunlap who printed the first copies of the document.
And there’s a screening of a short film telling the story of the Fincastle Resolutions, in which Ulster-Scots emigrants in Virginia signed statements against British government actions in 1775 that proved to be an important force in the gathering revolutionary movement.
"Practically every exhibit that will can have somebody in it, will have somebody in it,” said John Paul, adding that re-enactors will explore the stories not just of Ulster migrants involved in the nascent United States, but the stories of soldiers from all over Ireland who fought in the British Army during America’s revolutionary war.
The weekend also sees new exhibits opening, one featuring original portraits exploring the ancestral links between 11 US presidents and Ulster drawn by Belfast artist Frank McKelvey, and one exploring the story of children during the Famine in Ireland, which drove so many across the entire island to emigrate to the States.
“It’s a good way for us to say we’ve been here for the last 50 years and with confidence we’ll be here for the next 50,” added John Paul. “We’re celebrating what we’re famous for, but marking what we want to do next.”
In America itself, festivities are ramping up all over the huge country – though with potentially record-breaking heat forecast to grip much of the mid-west and east coast, serious safety considerations are already being flagged.
Events are to see President Donald Trump travel to South Dakota to deliver a speech and watch fireworks at Mount Rushmore; in a novel twist, the Times Square Ball in New York City will drop at midnight on Friday to usher in the July Fourth holiday with much the same revelry typically reserved for its traditional New Year’s Eve showing.
The main event on Saturday will see fireworks will erupt in communities across the US. Mr Trump will deliver another speech at the National Mall in Washington before what is being billed as a historically massive fireworks show.
But with extreme heat forecast, officials have warned those celebrating the holiday to stay hydrated and take air-conditioned breaks as needed. Organisers of celebrations in Washington on Saturday said they were adding water stations along with cooling resources and medical support.
Other celebrations of Northern Ireland’s links to the creation of America include 14 new visitor experiences launched by Tourism NI in and around Belfast, as well as the North-West, Mid Ulster and counties Antrim and Down.
In Belfast, the Ulster-Scots Visitor Centre unpacks the stories of this area’s diaspora and its indelible mark on American identity.
And Arthur Cottage in Cullybackey offers an intimate look at the ancestral family home of US President Chester A Arthur, including a brand new interpretative centre.