Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh

First day on the tour. The countryside reminded us of Tasmania, especially the road through the midlands. The main difference was all the hedgerows. Apparently there are no large fields here - all the land is divided into small fields. It's so green everywhere, dotted with beige coloured cows & sheep, some with black faces. Crossed the 'border' (you wouldn't know it was there!) into Northern Ireland and continued on before crossing back into Ireland and then eventually back into Northern Island again to the Folk Park outside Omagh. The Park brings the story of Irish emigration to life, starting with the thatched cottages of Ulster, to boarding a full-scale emigrant sailing ship and on to the log cabins of America. The first cottage was the single room cabin that housed a family with 12 children. It dated from the late 1700s with the windows and door being added in 1845. We worked our way around the park including the school house, meeting house and various other buildings until we reached the 'docks'. Ulster Street, a street of original shops, led to the dock, where we 'boarded' the ship to see the conditions people lived in on board. We left the ship and were in the American Street, a street typical of those the emigrants saw when they arrived in the new country. The last house we saw was a Pennsylvania Log House which is a replica because the original is still in the US and is actually occupied.
First shot is one of the early cottages, second is a peat bog (peat is burned in the fireplaces in the parks buildings), Next two are looking down Ulster Street & one of the shops, next is on the docks and the last is the Pennsylvania Log House.Read more