Lyons Announces Projects Receiving Usa-ni250 Funding

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons Has Announced Funding for Projects That Will Promote Northern Ireland's History, Heritage, Arts Sector and Tourism Offering As the Us Marks the Th Anniversary of the Us Declaration of Independence.

The Projects, Spread Across Northern Ireland, Will Also Commemorate the Crucial Role That People of Ulster-scots Heritage Played in the Signing of the Declaration and the Strong Links That Endure Today Between the Us and Northern Ireland.

Minister Lyons Made the Announcement During a Visit to the President Arthur Homestead in Cullybackey, the Ancestral Home of Chester Alan Arthur, the St President of the United States.

The Minister Said: I Am Delighted to Announce This Funding, Which Will Enable Local Organisations to Tell Their Stories and Commemorate the Deep Historic Connections That Exist, Ensuring That Northern Ireland's Role Is Marked As Well As Delivering Benefits for Our People, As We Approach the Semiquincentennial of the Us Declaration of Independence.

The Key Roles Played by Those from Northern Ireland in the Formation of the United States Have Become Much More Clearly Understood on Both Sides of the Atlantic in the Last Few Years.

The Usani250 Funding Scheme, Administered by the Ulster-scots Agency, Clearly Shows the Breadth and Depth of Those Links, and How They Continue Today.”

The Projects Cover All Parts of Northern Ireland and Highlight Many Individuals and Places Which Are Important to This Story. They Include Well-known Institutions Such As the Ulster American Folk Park, stories of Francis Hutcheson, of Benjamin Franklin, of the Journey from the Glorious Revolution to Us250, and the Role of Women in Us250. The Events Include Concerts, Exhibitions, Cultural Displays, Theatre Productions and the Development of Immersive Experiences for Visitors.

The Minister Added: It Is Wonderful to Make This Announcement from the President Arthur Homestead and Learn of the Plans of the Cullybackey Community Partnership. The Partnership's Project Will Explore the Cultural and Historical Links Between Cullybackey and the Declaration of Independence and Include the Development of an Exhibition, a Booklet, a Series of Talks and a Short Video – All Mapped to the Educational Curriculum.

More Announcements Will Follow As We Approach the Anniversary, and I Encourage Everyone to Look out for More Information and Get Involved.”

The President Arthur Homestead Is Owned by mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Providing a Reminder of the Ongoing Linkages Between Northern Ireland People and Those in America, with President Chester a. Arthur's Family Having Farmed in the Bann Valley Before Emigrating to North America in the Early Part of the Nineteenth Century.

Notes to Editors:

The Funding Has Been Allocated As Follows:

National Museums – Stories of Us - £50,000 

Programming at Uafp June–september 2026 with a Strong Focus on Sharing Diverse Stories of Irish and Ulster-scots Emigrants and Their Influence on the Usa. To Include Well-known Figures and Others, Including Women's and Indigenous People's Experiences. Will Include a Reimagined Bluegrass Festival

Ulster University – Us250 Celebration Project - £50,000

In Partnership with Ulster-scots Broadcast Fund and Linenhall Library. Showcasing and Providing Curated Access to Relevant Material to Film, Broadcast and Archival Material. To Include 20 School Workshops, Symposia in Belfast and Boston, Creating a Travelling Exhibition, a Poetry Competition, and Establishing a Trans-atlantic Cultural Outreach Programme.

Tourism Ni – Experience Development - £21,500

Working with Tourism Providers Across Ni to Develop and Enhance Their Experiences Which Are Linked to Us250. Plan to Work with 10 Providers, Developing Immersive Experiences. Will Include Mentoring of the Businesses – so Will Create Wider Benefits for Those Businesses Also; and Assist in Creating a Portfolio of Experiences with Proven Appeal to Both North American and Domestic Audiences

Usa – City Hall Conference - £30,000

A Flagship Concert in the Grounds of Belfast City Hall on 4 July 2026. To Include a Range of High Profile Acts, with Us Artists Joining by Video Link.

Historic Royal Palaces – Franklin and Hillsborough - £33,300

Public Exhibition and Engagement Programme Marking Us250 and Ni Connections to It, with a Particular Focus on Franklin's Visit to Hillsborough. Exhibition to Run Feb 2026 – Feb 2027, and Include a Copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Schomberg Society Kilkeel Limited - £20,000

Celebrating Usa 250 in the Kingdom of Mourne – a Community Showcase of the Links Through a New Drama Production, Educational Resources and Learning Materials and School Heritage Workshops.

Maiden City Festival - £20,000

Maiden City Festival Usa 250 – Forming Part of the Wider Maiden City Festival Will Be 4 Bespoke Elements Showcasing the Links with the Us. The Events – a Historical Talk, a Newly Commissioned Drama, Living History Characters and a Celebratory Concert – Will Place Usa 250 at the Heart of the Festival During August.

Feinics Education & Heritage Ltd - £20,000

Project Pioneer; Linen to Liberty – an Educational and Cultural Pilot Programme Between Four Ni Post-primary Schools and One in the Us the Schools Will Work Together to Explore the Role of Ulster Founding Fathers.

Entertainment Events Organisation Ltd - £11,002

Fife & Drum at the Belfast International Tattoo – Hosting a Historically Authentic American Revolutionary-era Fife & Drum Band to Appear at the Belfast International Tattoo in 2026 in Full Period Dress, As Well As Delivering Community Workshops on Their Drumming Techniques Here in Northern Ireland and Performing at Hillsborough Castle.

Bready & District Ulster-scots Development Association - £20,000

The Unfinished Broadside – Delivery of a Newly Developed Theatrical Performance Due to Take to the Stage in March 2026, Telling the Story of Ulster-scots Migration and the Role of Ulster People in the American Revolution.

Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland - £15,700

1688 & 1776: Declarations of Liberty – an Exploration of How the Values That Drove the Glorious Revolution of 1688 Were Embedded in the Communities That Went on to Leave Ulster for America and Many of Whom Then Played a Pivotal Role in the American Revolution. The Project Will Feature a Conference and a Publication About the Links Between the Bill of Rights and the Foundational Documents of the Usa Decades Later.

Francis Hutcheson Institute - £14,853.93

Liberty, Equality, the Enlightenment, Ulster-scots and the American Declaration of Independence – the Project Will Deliver a Conference with Specially Prepared Papers on Topics Including Liberty, Equality, Self-government, Resistance to Injustice and the Ideas That Shaped American Democracy.

Armagh Robinson Library - £7,824

Armagh and Usa 250 – a Series of Lectures and an Exhibition Highlighting the Links Between Northern Ireland and the United States Including Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, John Locke and Thomas Paine.

Evolve Northern Ireland - £12,700

Ulster-scots Women Making American History in 1776 – This Project Will Explore the Role of Ulster-scots Women During the American Revolution. Linking in with the Maine Ulster-scots Project and Local Community Groups There Will Be a Series of Community Workshops, Genealogical and Historical Research Culminating in a Conference Which Will Also Be Streamed to Participants in the United States.

Ulster-scots Community Network - £12,000

The Charles Thomson Collection: Scriever of the Continental Congress – Aimed at Conserving a Series of Artefacts Belonging to Charles Thomson and Digitising Them for Future Generations. The Project Will Also Look to Develop Direct Links with Locations Associated with Them Including Upperlands, Lurgan, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and the Museum of the American Revolution. 

Cullybackey Community Partnership - £8,350

Celebrating 1776 - Cultural and Historical Links Between the Cullybackey Area and the Declaration of Independence – an Exploration of the Links Between the Bann Valley and the Role of Those People Played in the Development of the United States Leading to an Exhibition, a Colour Booklet, a Series of Talks, Website Updates, and a Short Video. All Content Will Be Mapped to the Educational Curriculum.

Belfast Bands Forum - £12,150

Beating the Drum: Musical Links Between Ulster and America, Today – a Project Celebrating the Shared Cultural and Musical Heritage, Leading to the Production of a Book Exploring the Musical Traditions Carried Across the Atlantic by Ulster Migrants and How They Shaped some of the Musical Traditions.

Belfast Library & Society for Promoting Knowledge - £10,496

Patriotism, Protest, Perspectives – Using the Culturally and Historically Significant Archives of the Library the Project Will Provide Curated Access to the Archives, Exhibitions, Events and Creative Responses to Tell the Story of People from Here' and the Role They Played Over There'.

Small Steps - £14,730

America 250 Ulster-scots Liberty Quilt – Bringing Together Crafters from 5 Groups to Design and Develop a 30 Panel Quilt Depicting Stories of the Role Played by the Scotch-irish in the Development of America. The Quilt Will Be Available for Touring to Community Venues and Accompanied by a Commemorative Booklet.

Saintfield Community Association - £7,650

Saintfield, Hutcheson & America – a Look at the Historical Influence of the Teachings of Francis Hutcheson and His Impact on the Political Thought of the Leaders of the American Revolution Including Educational Talks About His Philosophy and the Importance of Democracy Today.

Donaghmore Historical Society - £14,200

Donaghmore to the New World: Ulster Links to the Spirit of 1776 – an Exploration of the Historic Links Between Ulster and America by Looking at Connections Through Trade and Emigration Leading to an Exhibition, an Illustrated Booklet and a Schools Resource and Digital Map.

Donaghadee Community Development Association - £19,830

Voices of Liberty: Donaghadee and the Spirit of 1776 – a Look at How the Ideals of 1776 Were Part of a Longer Tradition Dating Back to the Glorious Revolution and Leading to an Exhibition, Drama and Film Performances, Talks and Educational Resources and a Floral Display Along the Seafront.