Voices Across the Atlantic: The Ulster Legacy in America

Event type: Exhibition

The signing of the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776 marked the birth of a new nation. People from the island of Ireland, particularly those from the nine counties of Ulster, made significant contributions to the creation and development of the new republic. Since the eighteenth century, millions have left Ireland – including hundreds of thousands from Ulster – to seek new opportunities overseas. Their descendants helped shape the political, economic, and cultural development of the United States. 

Through the prism of documents loaned for the first time from the United States and the United Kingdom, this exhibition tells the stories of those who sought to cross the Atlantic. These exhibits are complemented by material from the PRONI archives.

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence provides an opportunity to explore the many connections that have linked Ulster and the United States over the past three centuries.