NATIONAL Museums NI's new Languages of Ulster project will offer people the opportunity to explore the language traditions associated with Irish-English, Irish and Ulster Scots.
The project "aims to communicate that language belongs to everyone and that people from all backgrounds and traditions have a stake in its future" and will "challenge assumptions about local languages, dialects and those who use them".
Its new educational trail Cúl Trá-il derives its name from the Irish place name for Cultra, 'Baile Chúl Trá', and is a self-guided tour exploring the story of the Irish language through the places and people of the Ulster Folk Museum.
Visitors will explore Cúl Trá-il with the aid of an illustrated booklet and/or smartphone app, both of which will be available in English and Irish. The trail uses the 'living museum's' heritage setting to "demonstrate authentic links between language, buildings, people and places".
For example, it will be revealed that the 1900s residents of the local Ballycultra townland included Irish speakers from various counties, classes and denominations, such as an architect from Belfast and his wife from Louth, a mason from Donegal, a stationmaster's daughter from Antrim and a sculptor of Dutch parentage.
Also detailed is how Cluan Place in East Belfast, 'Cluan' meaning meadow, was named after the home of a British army surgeon.
Speaking about the trail, Donal McAnallen, library and archives manager at National Museums NI says: "Cúl Trá-il will be the first of many new language resources produced by National Museums NI.
"It has been designed to tell an inclusive history, revealing how language across Ulster formed a much more nuanced and interconnected weave than is often presumed.
"Language is a powerful tool when it comes to understanding our wider sense of heritage and identity. Having spent the past few years renewing our institutional knowledge of the vast language-based collections and archives we hold, we are excited to launch this trail and begin looking forward to new opportunities to work with a wide range of people, schools, volunteers and partners."
The project will see National Museums NI work closely with local universities, language bodies and local groups to develop new interpretations that bring languages to life in accessible ways for new audiences.
Research is already underway to introduce an Ulster Scots trail and it also plans to digitise several significant heritage assets, including the Ulster Dialect Archive manuscripts and new resources based on the Tape Recorded Survey of Hiberno-English, which contains 539 tapes of people in every county of Ireland recorded between 1972 and 1981.
"Language offers an important lens both on the history of this place and who we are today," explains William Blair, director of collections at National Museums NI.
"Through it, we can build greater mutual understanding and respect. Our museums and our collections are for everyone to share in and we are pro-actively working to unlock their potential to ensure that they can be accessed and utilised as a resource for language development.
"Our role is to offer people new ways of learning and the opportunity to consider new perspectives on our weave of diversity.
"National Museums NI has been a custodian and champion of the languages and dialects of Ulster and Ireland for many years, stretching back to the 1960s. Our new Languages of Ulster project will renew the significance of our museums and our unique language archives, and showcases the important civic function we play in promoting languages and local heritage."
For more information and booking visit nmni.com.
