Page 275 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

NOR THERN IRELAND  273

r The Wilson t Ulster-American The farmhouse is based on one
Ancestral Home Folk Park built by Thomas Mellon and his
father in the early years of their
Road map C2. 28 Spout Road, Road map C2. Co Tyrone. life in America.
Dergalt, Strabane, Co Tyrone. Tel 028 8224 3292. @ from Omagh. The Centre for Migration
n Tel 028 7138 4444. Open Jul–Aug: Closed Mon & public hols. &
2–5pm Tue–Sun (guided tour only). 0 = 7 ∑ nmni.com/uafp Studies assists descendants of
emigrants to trace their family
Visits at other times by arrangement.
∑ strabanedc.com One of the best open-air roots. Popular American festivals
museums of its kind, the Folk such as Independence Day and
Located 3 km (2 miles) south- Park grew up around the Hallowe’en are cele brated here
east of Strabane, off the road restored boyhood home of and there is an Appalachian-
to Plumbridge, is the ancestral Judge Thomas Mellon (founder Bluegrass music festival in
home of US President Thomas of the Pittsburgh banking early September.
Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924). dynasty). The Park’s permanent
Woodrow’s grandfather, Judge exhibition, “Emigrants”, examines
James Wilson, left this house for why two million people left
America in 1807 at the age of Ulster for America during the
20. Today, a visit to the thatched 18th and 19th centuries. It also
whitewashed house on the shows what became of them,
slopes of the Sperrin Mountains with stories of both fortune and
provides valuable insight into failure, including the grim lives
the history behind Ulster-American of indentured servants and the
ties. The carefully conserved 15,000 Irish vagrants and
rooms contain original furniture convicts sent to North America
including curtained beds, kitchen in the mid-18th century.
utensils and farm implements. The park has more than
A portrait of James Wilson hangs 30 historic buildings, some of
over the traditional hearth fire. them original, some replicas.
There are settler homesteads
Environs (including that of John Joseph
Just outside the village of Hughes, the first Catholic Worker at the Belleek factory making a
Newtownstewart, 12 km Archbishop of New York), Parian ware figurine
(7 miles) south of Strabane, is churches, a schoolhouse and
the medieval ruin of Harry a forge, some with craft y Belleek Pottery
Avery’s Castle. This 14th-century displays, all with costumed Road map C2. Belleek, Co Fermanagh.
Gaelic stone castle consisted of interpretative guides. There’s Tel 028 6865 9300. @ Open Jan–Feb:
two storeys fronted by vast also an Ulster streetscape, a Mon–Fri; Mar–Dec: daily. Closed 1
rectangular twin towers. These reconstructed emigrant ship week at Christmas. 8 7 - =
towers are still visible today. and a Pennsylvania farmstead. ∑ belleek.com
The little border village of
Belleek would attract few
visitors other than anglers were
it not for the world-famous
Belleek Pottery, founded in
1857. The company’s pearly
coloured china is known as
Parian ware. Developed in the
19th century, it was supposed
to resemble the famous Parian
marble of Ancient Greece.
Belleek is now best known
for its ornamental pieces of
fragile latticework decorated
with pastel-coloured flowers.
These are especially popular
in the USA. Several elaborate
showpieces stand on display
in the visitors’ centre and
small museum. There’s also
a 20-minute audiovisual pres-
entation on the company’s
history, a gift shop and ample
Pennsylvania log farmhouse at the Ulster-American Folk Park parking space for tour buses.

272-273_EW_Ireland.indd 273 08/03/17 3:57 pm