Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Museum Service launch new history resources by Ballycastle Museum

The resources have been designed to help support Key Stage 3 history teaching in Ballycastle and beyond as part of a wider project to restore, extend and refurbish Ballycastle Museum with the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Ballycastle Heritage Trail introduces locals and visitors alike to 15 historic locations in the town. From Bonamargy Friary to the Ballycastle Workhouse, the booklet gives an overview of the more than 500 years of local heritage.

Papers, Pots and Past Lives is a resource booklet which explores how we study and understand the past. The resource outlines key written, visual, oral and physical types of evidence useful for understanding local history. It shows how each piece of evidence has its own strengths and weaknesses, but stresses that they are all useful in helping us to build a better picture of how people lived in earlier times.

Mayor Ciarán McQuillan welcomed the new resources saying: “On behalf of council, I would like to thank both Ballycastle High School, Cross and Passion College, the volunteers from the Friends of Ballycastle Museum and council’s Museum Services for their contributions to the project and for bringing these booklets together.

“Resources like these are so important to help our young people, locals, and visitors find out more about the heritage that is on their own doorstep. I would also like to thank The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their ongoing support and for enabling our Museum Service team to bring this key project to life.”

Stella Byrne, Head of Investment at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “It's so encouraging to see the commitment of the schools to working in partnership with the museum to explore what is unique about the area and uncover local stories. This heritage project is providing young people with new opportunities to think about the world around them in different ways.”

Janice Elliot, Head of History at Ballycastle High School, added: “It has been a pleasure collaborating with the museum service to develop these invaluable resources. These materials will greatly benefit our pupils, enriching their learning experiences both now and in the future.”

Principal of Cross and Passion College, Mrs Duffy, said: “This collaboration highlights our commitment to preserving and sharing the rich history of our community and we are very proud to support this initiative and look forward to the educational opportunities it will provide to our students and the wider community.”

Copies of the booklets will be available from Ballycastle Museum during its opening season or from Ballymoney Museum.

Digital copies of the booklets can be found on the Northern Ireland Community Heritage Archive online at https://bit.ly/3FojQCm

More information on the wider Ballycastle Museum project can be found at www.niarchive.org/ballycastlerestoration