Fodor's Expert Review Ulster Museum

University Area Free Fodor's Choice

Next door to the Botanic Gardens, the rejuvenated Ulster Museum is a big hit with visitors for its spacious light-filled atrium and polished steel. The museum's forte is the history and prehistory of Ireland, using exhibitions to colorfully trace the rise of Belfast's crafts, trade, and industry. In addition, the museum has a large natural history section, with a famed skeleton of the extinct Irish giant deer and a trove of jewelry and gold ornaments recovered from the Spanish Armada vessel Girona, which sank off the Antrim Coast in 1588. Take time to seek out the Girona's stunning gold salamander studded with rubies and still dazzling after 400 years in the Atlantic. The museum includes a first-rate collection of 19th- and 20th-century art from Europe, Britain, and America. The Modern History gallery tells the story of Ulster from 1500 to 1968 and shows a remarkable range of objects from the history collection, many on display for the first time. A permanent exhibition... READ MORE

Next door to the Botanic Gardens, the rejuvenated Ulster Museum is a big hit with visitors for its spacious light-filled atrium and polished steel. The museum's forte is the history and prehistory of Ireland, using exhibitions to colorfully trace the rise of Belfast's crafts, trade, and industry. In addition, the museum has a large natural history section, with a famed skeleton of the extinct Irish giant deer and a trove of jewelry and gold ornaments recovered from the Spanish Armada vessel Girona, which sank off the Antrim Coast in 1588. Take time to seek out the Girona's stunning gold salamander studded with rubies and still dazzling after 400 years in the Atlantic. The museum includes a first-rate collection of 19th- and 20th-century art from Europe, Britain, and America. The Modern History gallery tells the story of Ulster from 1500 to 1968 and shows a remarkable range of objects from the history collection, many on display for the first time. A permanent exhibition installed in 2018 presents a somber look at the history of the civil and political conflict in Northern Ireland. "The Troubles and Beyond" recounts in a graphic way the story of three decades of communal violence covering the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Through a wide variety of images, including reproduction of wall murals, maps, photographs, and propaganda ephemera, as well as videos, listening posts, and screens, the harrowing story of the conflict, which claimed more than 3,000 lives, is told in an engaging way. Look out for two poignant wall exhibits: the Peace Quilt, a red fabric with white birds representing the dove of peace and a teddy bear as a reminder of the children who suffered the loss of loved ones; and a powerful oil painting by the artist Jack Pakenham, Peace Talks, completed in 1992 as Northern Ireland moved slowly towards a resolution of the Troubles. In 2020, the museum received six etchings by the Dutch master Rembrandt which were gifted as a major acquisition by the Arts Council of England. The delicate etchings, which are on permanent display, date from 1630 to the 1650s. They include Dutch landscapes such as Six's Bridge which Rembrandt made in 1645 while visiting the country estate of Jan Six, a wealthy Amsterdam merchant who was his friend and patron.

The art, history, and nature discovery zones are packed with hands-on activities for children. Kids enjoy the Peter the Polar Bear exhibit and the famed Egyptian mummy, Takabuti.

Sunday morning is the quietest time to visit, but go early before the crowds. Afterward, lay out a picnic in the Belfast Botanical Gardens next door.

READ LESS
Free Fodor's Choice Family History Museum

Quick Facts

Stranmillis Rd.
Belfast, Co. Down  BT9 5AB, Northern Ireland

028-9044–0000

www.nmni.com/um

Sight Details:
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon., except for Northern Irish holidays

What’s Nearby