About

National Museums NI preserves, protects and promotes Northern Ireland’s cultural assets, knowledge and collective memory. We create shared and trusted spaces to explore who we are, where we have come from, and where we might we be going.

The organisation comprises four museums – the Ulster Museum, the Ulster Folk Museum, the Ulster Transport Museum and the Ulster American Folk Park – and serves as a custodian for 1.4 million objects in Northern Ireland’s national collection.

Our vision is to:

Celebrate who we are; telling the stories of our past, challenging our present, shaping our future

We do to this by fulfilling our mission of:

• Developing, managing and caring for the collections
• Playing a leading role in the economic and social wellbeing of this place
• Making collections accessible to the widest possible audience
• Building an organisation where people feel valued

The Ulster Museum is the focus for National Museums NI’s work on the conflict and its legacy today. It is a safe and trusted space in which diverse voices can be heard and multiple perspectives and experiences explored.

Heritage

The Modern History collection at the Ulster Museum covers the period from 1500 to the present day. It is a multi-disciplinary collection that illuminates themes of social and cultural history, war and conflict, politics and economic history. In doing so, it offers diverse perspectives on local, national and international events and experiences.

The history of Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to the present day has been dominated by the civil and political conflict known as ‘the Troubles.’ The traumatic events of the years after 1968 touched almost everyone who lived here and many others from further afield. Inevitably, the interpretation of these events is contested in terms of significance, meaning and responsibility. The Ulster Museum collection covers themes of politics and conflict, and the impact of both on everyday life, people and communities.We are also home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of artworks that relate to the Troubles. Throughout the 30-year period and up until today artists from Northern Ireland and beyond have responded to the conflict through their artistic practice.

Access to the collection is provided through our permanent The Troubles and Beyond gallery at the Ulster Museum, and through temporary exhibitions, events, programmes and digital cotent. Stored collections may be viewed on request by contacting us via this link https://www.nationalmuseumsni.org/research