There's plenty for Christmas at Lisburn Museum

AS the Festive Season gets underway there's plenty to entertain visitors to Lisburn Museum.

Santa has already set up his very own Postbox inside the museum and all children can post their letters to him in it. Santa's helpers will ensure that every child receives a personal reply.

The last date for posting letters to Santa at the museum is Thursday December 18.

The Museum Shop has an attractive range of gifts and goodies perfect for that special present or simply a bit of self indulgence. Opening hours will be as usual Monday to Saturday 9.30am � 5.00pm. The shop will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Museum staff would like to wish everyone in Lisburn all the compliments of the season.

James Davidson, who spoke to the November meeting of Lisburn Historical Society on the history of the Royal School Armagh shows an old school register to David Twigg and Olive Campbell. The Society met in the Museum again on Wednesday (December 3). The speaker was Dr Cormac Bourke, Curator of Medieval Antiquities, Ulster Museum who presented an illustrated lecture on `Medieval Treasures from the River Blackwater'.

Special exhibitions held this month

LISBURN Museum will stage two special exhibitions this month.

The first 'Belfast 1911: a Day in the Life of a City' is a display of community history using photographs, newspapers and the census household returs to show a slice of life in Edwardian Belfast.

The display has been compiled by Belfast Family and Community History Project. It opened last Friday and will continue until the end of December.

Next Friday (December 12) the Flight of the Earls Exhibition will open at Lisburn Museum and run until the end of February 2009.

This is a touring exhibition which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the flight from Ireland in September 1607 of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell.

The exhibition has been organised jointly by Donegal Museum and Heritage Service, Donegal County Council and Derry City Council Heritage and Museum Service.

The Flight of the Earls paved the way for the Plantation of Ulster by English and Scots settlers in the reign of James I. Settlers such as Sir Fulke Conway were granted land by the king as reward for their military service.

In spring 2009 the museum will open its own exhibition about the growth of 17th century Lisburn, commemorating the granting of Lisburn's charter in 1609 by King James 1.

New series of lectures underway

LISBURN Museum hosted the first of the annual series of lectures organised by the Follies Trust yesterday (Thursday).

It was given by the eminent architectural historian, Professor Alistair Rowan, University College, Cork. His subject was 'NeoClassical death: the case of Robert Adam's mausolea.

Formed in 2006, the Follies Trust seeks to encourage conservation, restoration and protection of 'follies' and other unusual buildings in their original settings.

The Trust's first project includes the restoration of the mausoleum of the wealthy Greg family in Knockbreda parish churchyard, Castlereagh. This is the family burial place of Thomas Greg, who was connected with Lisburn.

He was one of the two business partners behind the construction of the first stretch of the Lagan Canal which opened in 1763.

With his partner, Waddell Cunningham, he set up, the vitriol works at the Island which was made by the cut of the canal and is now the location of the city's Civic Centre.

Ulster Star
05/12/2008