Rhymin Rab’s Ramble: Ulster-Scots trail introduced at Ulster Folk Museum

The manuscripts of Ulster-Scots writer, Robert Huddleston (1814-1887), also known as the ‘Bard of Moneyrea’, have been used as an inspiration and invaluable resource to create a bespoke 48-page colour-illustrated trail booklet. The new Ulster-Scots Huddleston trail joins Cúl Trá-il – a self-guided, educational Irish language trail whose name is derived from the Irish place name for Cultra (Baile Chúl Trá) – which was successfully introduced to the museum in 2022.

The Robert Huddleston papers form part of the Ulster Language and Dialect Archive, which is housed at National Museums NI Library & Archives, Cultra. This archive contains thousands of manuscript documents relating to native forms of speech in Ulster, including wordlists, maps, and pioneering research notes and correspondence.

Donal McAnallen, Library & Archives Manager at National Museums NI, said: “Ulster Folk Museum, from before its opening in 1964, has been the region’s leading centre of preservation and research into the languages and dialects of Ulster including Ulster Scots, Hiberno-English or ‘Irish English’ and Irish (Gaelic). Rhymin Rab’s Ramble enriches the museum experience not only by illuminating the linguistic diversity of this place, but by revealing how central language is in exploring heritage, identity and enabling cultural expression.

“We’re very proud of this trail booklet. Building on years of prior research, we have collaborated and consulted with representatives across Ulster University and the Moneyrea community to create an adventurous but authentic sample of the life and works of Robert Huddleston.

“The trail uses 18 buildings and places of the museum as prisms to present aspects of Huddleston and his poetry. Each profile cites his verse, with accompanying prose written in the first person, as if Huddleston is speaking directly to the reader. What began as a showcase for an Ulster-Scots poetry collection has become ‘meby mair’, as Huddleston would say. His reams of writings serve almost as an historical diary of rural north Down in the Victorian era, and capture the rich fusion of Scotch, English and Irish elements in local speech.”

Dr Frank Ferguson, the director of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at Ulster University, and co-author of the trail, said: “To continue to celebrate and develop language for future generations, collaborative interventions like the trails at Ulster Folk Museum are hugely important. At Ulster University, we welcome this major opportunity to partner with Ulster Folk Museum to deliver this fantastic Ulster-Scots resource.”

William Blair, director of Collections of National Museums NI, said: “The collections at the Ulster Folk Museum reflect all traditions, making it a valuable shared space to celebrate both our common heritage and diversity. Initiatives like this Ulster-Scots trail, and our wider Languages of Ulster programme, provide an important platform to forge new connections, enrich our programming and broaden and deepen our connections with audiences.”

He added, “The rich curated landscape and diverse collections preserved at the Ulster Folk Museum have never been more relevant to our lives today.”

For more information visit ulsterfolkmuseum.org