The Ulster Folk Museum, situated in Cultra near Holywood, is a unique heritage and environmental resource. It preserves the traditions and ways of life of Ulster people.
The museum offers a chance to reconnect with heritage, the land, the seasons, and local languages. One way to do this is through Rhymin Rab’s Ramble, an educational trail exploring the rich and diverse language traditions of Ulster Scots. This is part of Ulster Folk Museum’s wider Languages of Ulster project that celebrates local languages and culture.
The Rhymin Rab’s Ramble trail is inspired by the manuscripts of Ulster-Scots writer Robert Huddleston (1814–1887), known as the Bard of Moneyrea. His work has been used to create a bespoke, 48-page, full-colour illustrated booklet that brings his words and the voices of Ulster to life.
Rhymin Rab’s Ramble enhances the museum experience by highlighting the linguistic diversity of Ulster and showing how language is central to exploring heritage, identity, and cultural expression.
Huddleston’s papers are part of the Ulster Language and Dialect Archive, housed at the National Museums NI Library and Archives. This collection includes thousands of manuscripts documenting native speech in Ulster, such as word-lists, maps, pioneering research notes, and correspondence. The archive and research library are open to visitors by appointment (office hours only).
Learn more about this self-guided tour and the story of the Ulster-Scots language at Rhymin Rab’s Ramble | Ulster Folk Museum
