Festival of Making
Book TicketsAt the Ulster Folk Museum we are passionate about preserving and nurturing Northern Ireland’s unique heritage skills, customs and traditions. This August we'll be celebrating the Festival of Making in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board NI (CITB NI), a two-day event honouring traditional crafts & heritage skills!
Over the weekend we’ll be showcasing a wide range of Ireland’s unique building traditions such as thatching, stone masonry, limewashing and drystone walling. There'll also be talented makers sharing their crafts including signwriting, stained glass, and straw rope making; and our fantastic team of in-house craft demonstrators will be working in blacksmithing, willow, textiles, wood and more!
As well as a chance to see at-risk skills in action, we will also be hosting a craft fair in collaboration with Craft NI, where you’ll be able to purchase works from some of the high quality craft makers and applied artists working with heritage materials to make beautiful objects, homewares and decorative pieces.
We’ll have traditional music sessions, food trucks, screenings in our original picture house, and activities for all ages to get stuck into. So come along and be part of the revival of our treasured heritage skills.
Book your general admission tickets through the link at the top of the page.
Festival Layout
Same for both days
Heritage skills that will be on show | Location (Town) | Number on the map |
---|---|---|
Woodturning | Gillespie Carpenter’s Workshop | 6 |
The Conservation Volunteers | Kelly's Coal Yard | 10 |
Thatching | The Diamond | 11 |
Signwriting and gilding | Market and Court House | 14 |
Printing | Baird's Print Shop | 16 |
Paper quilling | Ballycultra Post Office | 18 |
Stained Glass | RIC Barracks | 19 |
Limewashing | The Old Rectory & Basketmaker's Workshop | 25 & 20 |
Musical instrument making | National School | 34 |
Wool weaving | Weaving Shed | 35 |
Built Heritage Hub Drop in and meet our Built Heritage Manager and the Construction Industry Training Board Times: 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-16:00 | Reawakening Project Hub | 27 |
Location (Countryside) | Number on the map | |
Baking | Hand and Pen Orange Hall | 52 |
Blacksmithing | Lisrace Forge | 54 (furthest point in the festival) |
Rag rugging | Coshkib Hill Farm | 43 |
Ploughing | Coshkib Hill Farm | 43 |
Silversmithing | Coalisland Spade Mill | 44 |
Stonemasonry | Corradreenan Farm | 45 |
Woodturning (pole lathe) | Meenagarragh Cottier’s House | 47 |
Saddler: Harness making | Drumnahunshin Farm | 51 |
Dry stone walling | Ballydown National School | 53 |
Activities to get involved in | Location (Town) | Number on the map |
---|---|---|
Crafts | RIC Barracks (upstairs - lift available) | 19 |
Rag frame weaving | Ballydugan Weavers | 39 |
Straw rope making | Cruckaclady Farmhouse | 46 |
Corn dolly making | Drumnahunshin Farm | 51 |
Ceramic tile making | Hand and Pen Orange Hall | 52 |
Meet the Makers | Location (Town) | Number on the map |
---|---|---|
Craft NI Makers' Fair | The Diamond | 11 |
Musical instrument making | National School | 34 |
Food demonstration | Parochial House | 36 |
Gintlíocht exhibition | Various locations throughout the site |
Music | Location | Number on the map |
---|---|---|
Armagh Rhymers | Roaming in the town | 11 |
Traditional musicians | Various locations | 26, 30, 45, 46 |
Eat, drink & shop | Location | Number on the map |
---|---|---|
Museum café | Ballycultra Tearoom | 28 |
Pub | McCusker's Pub | 30 |
BBQ | Courtyard | 30 |
Makers' Fair | The Diamond | 11 |
Sweet shop | W. Carruth Corner Shop | 2 |
Household items | McAlinden's Hardware Shop | 33 |
Museum gift shop | 1 |