From Cullybackey to Capitol Hill: New funding highlights Ulster’s role in America’s founding
- Love Ballymena
- 4 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Pictured at the President Arthur Homestead in Cullybackey are David Gilliland, Ulster-Scots Agency; Richard Hanna, Cullybackey Community Partnership; Jonathan McGrandle, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council; and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.
A major heritage project in Cullybackey, centred on the ancestral home of a former US President, has been awarded funding as part of a wide-ranging programme to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced the funding during a visit to the President Arthur Homestead, also known locally as Arthur Cottage, in Cullybackey.
The site is the ancestral home of Chester Alan Arthur, the 21st President of the United States, whose family farmed in the Bann Valley before emigrating to North America in the early nineteenth century.
The Cullybackey Community Partnership has received £8,350 to deliver Celebrating 1776, a project exploring the cultural and historical links between the local area and the Declaration of Independence.
Plans include an exhibition, a colour booklet, a series of talks, website updates and a short video, all mapped to the educational curriculum, ensuring the story reaches both local communities and future generations.
Announcing the funding, Minister Lyons 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.”
He 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.”
Owned by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, the President Arthur Homestead stands as a tangible reminder of the enduring transatlantic connections between Northern Ireland and the United States — connections that continue to shape cultural, political and family ties on both sides of the Atlantic.
Northern Ireland’s role in America’s founding
Beyond Cullybackey, the funding supports a broad programme of projects across all parts of Northern Ireland, highlighting the significant role played by people of Ulster-Scots heritage in the formation of the United States and the values that underpinned American independence.
Minister Lyons noted:
“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.”
Projects span concerts, exhibitions, theatre productions, cultural displays and immersive visitor experiences, with themes ranging from the influence of Enlightenment thinkers such as Francis Hutcheson, to the role of women, migration stories, music and political ideas carried from Ulster to America.
The Minister confirmed that further announcements are expected as preparations continue towards 2026, adding:
“More announcements will follow as we approach the anniversary, and I encourage everyone to look out for more information and get involved.”
Full list of funded projects
The funding allocations include:
National Museums – Stories of Us – £50,000
Programming at the Ulster American Folk Park (June–September 2026), including a reimagined Bluegrass festival and stories of emigrants, women and indigenous experiences.
Ulster University – US250 Celebration Project – £50,000
School workshops, symposia in Belfast and Boston, a travelling exhibition, poetry competition and transatlantic cultural outreach programme.
Tourism NI – Experience Development – £21,500
Development of immersive US250-linked visitor experiences with 10 tourism providers.
USA – City Hall Conference – £30,000
Flagship concert at Belfast City Hall on 4 July 2026, featuring high-profile acts and US artists via video link.
Historic Royal Palaces – Franklin and Hillsborough – £33,300
Public exhibition (Feb 2026–Feb 2027) focusing on Benjamin Franklin’s visit to Hillsborough, including a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Schomberg Society Kilkeel Limited – £20,000
Community drama production, educational resources and heritage workshops.
Maiden City Festival – £20,000
Four bespoke USA 250 events including drama, talks, living history and a celebratory concert.
Feinics Education & Heritage Ltd – £20,000
Project Pioneer; Linen to Liberty linking NI and US schools exploring Ulster Founding Fathers.
Entertainment Events Organisation Ltd – £11,002
Revolutionary-era Fife & Drum band at the Belfast International Tattoo and community workshops.
Bready & District Ulster-Scots Development Association – £20,000
The Unfinished Broadside theatrical production on Ulster-Scots migration.
Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland – £15,700
1688 & 1776: Declarations of Liberty conference and publication.
Francis Hutcheson Institute – £14,853.93
Academic conference on Enlightenment ideas shaping American democracy.
Armagh Robinson Library – £7,824
Lectures and exhibition on Armagh’s links to US independence thinkers.
Evolve Northern Ireland – £12,700
Project exploring the role of Ulster-Scots women in the American Revolution.
Ulster-Scots Community Network – £12,000
Conservation and digitisation of the Charles Thomson Collection.
Cullybackey Community Partnership – £8,350
Celebrating 1776 – Bann Valley links to the Declaration of Independence.
Belfast Bands Forum – £12,150
Book project on musical links between Ulster and America.
Belfast Library & Society for Promoting Knowledge – £10,496
Archive-based exhibitions and creative responses on Ulster links to America.
Small Steps – £14,730
America 250 Ulster-Scots Liberty Quilt touring community venues.
Saintfield Community Association – £7,650
Project examining Francis Hutcheson’s influence on democratic thought.
Donaghmore Historical Society – £14,200
Exhibition, booklet and schools resources on Ulster-American links.
Donaghadee Community Development Association – £19,830
Voices of Liberty exhibition, drama, film and seafront floral display.