Ulster-American Folk Park

Friday the 17th was a dark and dreary day to wake up to, only at the same time, it wasn't. It was my birthday and as we had had the usual midnight celebrations with bubbles, a cupcake and present opening, I was sleepy but feeling special :) Having slept in just a little we then dropped Toby at his granny's for the day = Massive squeeze for Mamma G for her beautiful gifts and for being so awesome.

After a visit to a favourite Belfast cafe of ours, we drove to the Ulster-American Folk Park in Omagh, Co. Tyrone. We enjoyed a few hours of loveliness, despite the rain, totally skipped the educational indoor museum (my day, my rules) and just seeing the fab buildings.

Photos of some favourites

 This single room cabin of a landless, poor, family was moved stone by stone from the slopes of the Sperrin Mountains. The house dates from the date 1700s, the windows and door only added in 1845. Before this date animal skins or bushes would have blocked entrances.

The blacksmith's forge is typical of that found in the countryside from the 1800s. The blacksmiths not only shod the horses but would have made valuable all sorts tools for farming and the home.

 The weaver's home is a great example of how most people homes would have workplaces as well. The man of the house would have spent long evenings weaving in a special room made to house the loom, the wife would have pun the flax, that the children carded, and turned it into yarn. Linen and tweed would both have been produced. 

This small farmhouse and land around it is standing on it's original site! A Tom Mellon was born here in 1813 and emigrated to America in 1818. In the first photograph the lady of the house is baking soda bread by the fire and the subsequent ones show a few of there farm animals and extra buildings.

  This is the sort of farmhouse (built in 1786) is an indication of the difference in farmhouses when you own your own land and rent out a considerable amount to others The Campbell's who lived in this house had 12 children! 2 of which moved to America.

In America now, in Pennsylvania where, beside a log cabin we saw a very familiar arrangement of growing the squashes and sweetcorn together. The crop here was doing excellently though it was scary just how many adults didn't know what the crops were! We loved the fence here too.

 The Pennsylvania Log farmhouse here is a replica of the one Tom Mellon (mentioned before) lived in when he arrived in America; the original still stands today in Export, Pennsylvania. There are many more rooms in the main house and many more lovely outbuildings and a huge barn. (My favourite)

A tie for favourite, I think, but maybe that was simply due to the sunflowers and the fact that they cheered the place up. This is a late 1800's Western Pennsylvania style log house with a very common American architectural feature of the porch front :)

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After more coffee to warm us and perk us up we headed back to Belfast. It was time for dinner and we had a date with a new restaurant... Buba. We loved it!

With love and hugs
Carrie (now a year older)
xx