Press Release ~ Our Book Is Published!

After an exciting year of exploration, events and learning, the Ballysally-based heritage team has celebrated the ending of its highly successful project with a range of events. The project, generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was hosted by Focus on Family. The project’s aims were to explore the story of the Plantation in Coleraine.

The mayor comes along to lend his support!

On Monday the 24^th March, Sally Cupples (one of the project members) led a fascinating trail through Coleraine, explaining to participants what Coleraine would have been like 400 years ago. Each participant was given a camera to record the parts of the trail which piqued their interest the most.

The group then took part in a thought-provoking mapping workshop at Coleraine Leisure Centre. Using the photographs they took, newspapers, maps and images from various sources, the participants built their own maps of Coleraine.

“Each map was so different and so creative,” said Jane Talbot, Project Co-ordinator. “It’s what history is all about : we each have our own take on events!”

On Tuesday 25^th March, a special assembly was held at NCIC to thanks the young

There was a chance to great creative in the mapping workshop!

people who were involved in the Plantation Graffiti Wall project. The graffiti wall is now being exhibited at Focus on Family.

“The young people worked really well on the art project. The wall is something they can all be proud of : they had to learn new skills to create the wall and many of the team put in a lot of extra work,” said Lorna Gough, Education Community Development Worker

On Tuesday 25^th March, celebrations peaked with the launch of the project team’s book “1613 And All That! ~ A Little Book Of Plantation”. People from across the community were invited to celebrate the achievements of the project team and to take the opportunity to get their own copy of the book.

“The project team has put in a huge amount of work over the last 12 months. The

The talented graffiti artists from NCIC!

book is a fantastic legacy : we are proud of everyone who has been part of this,” said Brendan Patterson, Focus on Family’s manager.

If you’d like a copy of the book, you can get it directly from Focus on Family by calling 028 7032 9550. Keep your eyes out for the publication in local shops too! For more information about the project, check out http://www.1613andallthat.wordpress.com

 

We launched our book!

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Press Release : Local Heritage Project Is Ready To Go Walkabout!

Members of the project team at Dunluce Castle earlier this year.

The 1613 And All That! Project Team based at Focus on Family in Ballysally has been researching the history of the Coleraine Plantation for a whole year – and now it’s time for us to start sharing the fascinating story of our home town.

If you are interested in finding out more about your town, we warmly invite you to take part in a guided walking tour of Coleraine followed by a fascinating interactive mapping workshop on Monday 24th March.

The mapping workshop helps you to  think about everyday spaces and places in new ways.  By the end of the workshop you will have created a multi-dimensional map of Coleraine which reflects the perspectives of all workshop participants.

11:15 – 11:30   – Meet outside Coleraine Town Hall

11:30  – 12:15   – Heritage  Walking Trail

12:30 – 13:00   – Buffet lunch at Coleraine Leisure Centre

13:00  – 16: 00  – Interactive mapping workshop at CLC

Spaces are limited to 20 for this event. You must book your space in advance and by  Tuesday 18th March.  Spaces will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis.  This is a free event supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

You can book your place by contacting Jane Talbot, our Project Coordinator, here 7032 9550 or here 07739 046943 or here sixteenthirteenandallthat@hotmail.co.uk

Sally Leads Our First Heritage Trail!

Sally walks her talk!

The 23rd September was a big day for the Ballysally-based heritage project, 1613 And All That!

To support the official opening of the Coleraine 400 exhibition in the town hall, the intrepid heritage crew were invited to lead their very first heritage trail in Coleraine.

Generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the local history enthusiasts have been very busy over the past few months putting the finishing touches to their book. Leading heritage walking tours was always part of the plan but the invitation to lead a trail at this stage came a little earlier than expected!

“Helen Perry from the Causeway Museum Service thought it would be a great idea for us to lead a trail on the 23rd September – especially since the opening of the exhibition coincided with the opening day of “The Heritage Practice In Contested Spaces” seminar in Limavady, ” said Sally Cupples, a key project member (who also attended the Limavady seminar).

John Hamilton (Causeway Museum Service) attended the walk!

“We were thrilled that Helen asked us to do this and Sally, who led the first trail, put an incredible amount of work into developing a route that would appeal to local people and to some of the international delegates who were attending the seminar,” said Jane, Project Co-ordinator.

Around 20 people attended Sally’s “Walking The Walls” guided walk around the Coleraine Town Centre. There was quite a buzz as Sally shared some of her very interesting research findings.

“The rest of the project team were there to support Sally – and it was good to see people there who have been part of our journey. Milne Rowntree from Ulster University came to take pictures which we’ll have time to squeeze into our book before it goes to the printers and Brendan Patterson, Focus on Family, came to lend support too,” enthused Elaine Milican, another project member.

Sally, the Mayor of Coleraine and Edward Montgomery of the Honourable, The Irish Society

“We are all very proud of Sally. She did an incredible job : she’s a natural!” added Jane.

After the walk, the group joined the opening of the Coleraine 400 exhibition in the town hall.

To find out more about the heritage project, please visit www.1613andallthat.wordpress.com

We Made A Video Of The Plantation Rap!

At our Plantation Party in August (you can find more out about this here ), young film-maker, Daniel Gough, recorded some of the highlights of the day. He turned the highlights of that day into a short film (the one above!)

The film shows some of the rehearsals of our Plantation Rap and a short performance at the end.

We achieved all this in less than 2 hours : so the young people involved can be really proud of themselves!

Plantation Rocks!

Local Heritage Team Gets Ready To Go To Press!

The project team learn the professional tricks of the publishing trade!

The 1613 And All That! Project team from Focus on Family have had a very busy summer writing their book about the Coleraine Plantation.

“After all our visits to local heritage sites and our trip to London at the beginning of the summer, it was then time to start writing our book,” said Sally Cupples, a key member of Ballysally’s very own Time Team.

“We all wrote something for the book, we all did a bit of research too and I took most of the pictures,” explained Lauren Cupples, the official team photographer . Keen young artist, Ellen Millican, supplied some illustrations too.

This group of local history enthusiasts is being helped by Dr Bob Curran. He is acting as the historical consultant in the book-writing phase of this exciting project which is being generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Over the past couple of weeks, the project team has been working closely with Milne Rowntree of the School of Media, Film and Journalism at UlsterUniversity. Working with the university has been an important part of the book-writing process. The team learned about professional page design and some of the technical aspects of publishing a book.

“We really appreciated the fabulously warm welcome given to us by both Milne and Dr Colm Murphy, Head of School,” said Jane Talbot, the Project Co-ordinator.

The Ballysally-based team is now busy “tidying up” the book ready to submit to the printers. “We’re aiming to have an official launch event in early December – so our next steps are all about planning and marketing the launch. We don’t get to take our foot off the pedal!” exclaimed Sally.

If you want to find out more about the 1613 And All That Project! you can visit their website here www.1613andallthat.wordpress.com

 

Press Release 5 : Plantation Rocks!

The Plantation Party is in full swing!

On August the 14^th, 30 young people from the Coleraine area got together at the North Coast Integrated College to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of the granting of the town’s Royal charter in an exciting way!

 Young people from NCIC, St Joseph’s, Coleraine College and Dunluce High School were invited to join a “Plantation Party”. The event formed part of a Summer Scheme programme organised by Lorna Gough, Education Community Development Worker.

The day provided an opportunity to get involved in all sorts of inspiring activities that were designed to help gain an insight into the story of the Coleraine Plantation.

The programme, generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, kicked off with a presentation about the history of the Plantation . This presentation was designed and delivered by the 1613 And All That! Project Team ~a community heritage project based at Focus on Family in Ballysally.

 Next up, Dr Bob Curran helped the young people to explore the realities of life in the seventeenth century.

The rapping crew are rocking!

 The rest of the day had fabulous appeal for those with an artistic interest or a talent for performance. Some of the group spent time creating “bricks” for a seventeenth century graffiti wall, whilst the rest of the group rehearsed and performed a Horrible Histories-style rap about the Plantation.

 Lorna will continue to work with the young artists to create a final version of the graffiti wall for an exhibition later in the year. Meanwhile, camera man Danny Gough (who was ably assisted by his brother Lewis) is putting the final editorial touches to a video of the rap.

“It was fabulous working with the young people on the rap,” said Jane, Project Co-ordinator for 1613 And All That! “They were extremely creative : they made some great suggestions and brought really positive energy to the activity.”

Getting word perfect!

If you want to learn more about the 1613 And All That! Project, please visit their website www.1613andallthat.wordpress.com

Press Release 4 : Ballysally Heritage Team Makes The London Connection!

The group take a tour of the Mansion House!

“The 1613 And all That!” project team is coming back to earth after a fabulous heritage trip to London at the end of June.

The Ballysally-based project, generously supported by both the Heritage Lottery Fund and The Irish Society,  aims to explore the story of the Coleraine Plantation. The trip to London was all about bringing the links between London and Coleraine to life.

“It was a fabulous experience from start to finish!” said Sammy-Jo, a key project member. “Not only did we get to see places that we’d only heard about up until now but we also had a whole heap of new experiences that have opened up new avenues of possibility for us!” she enthused.

Navigating their way through Heathrow airport and negotiating London’s notorious “Tube” were all part of a day’s work for this intrepid bunch who boldly went where many Plantation historians would love to venture over the course of 3 days.

Sammy-Jo and Lauren take their own evening tour!

Accompanied by local historian, Dr Bob Curran, the budding researchers (who would give Time Team a run for their money!) checked out the Museum of London, the Clothworkers’ Livery Hall, the Lord Mayor’s Mansion House, Guildhall, an evening Gresham Lecture about the Plantation and the London Metropolitan Archives.

“It was lovely that the Lord Mayor was in residence – and remembered us from the photoshoot at Cloonavin,” said Elaine (whose daughter is the project illustrator) “And John Davies ,who gave us a private guided tour of the Mansion House, was really funny and engaging!” she went on to say.

“The warm welcome by Kathryn , the archivist, at the Clothworkers’ Hall was lovely. She told us all about the Clothworkers’ Company and then gave us a guided tour of the opulent hall – including seeing the actual signature of James 1st!” said Sally, a natural historian with an incredible eye for detail.

The Guildhall tour was led by Rob Jeffries. “He was so enthusiastic and he really made sure that his tour was relevant to our project. As we looked upwards in the Great Hall and saw all the crests of the Livery Companies, it was like being transported back to the very beginning of the story!” exclaimed Lauren, the project photographer (who had a definite “love- at- first- sight” experience with London!)

Lauren checks out documents at the Clothworkers’ Hall

After their tour of Guildhall, the group were looked after by Candya Farmer of The Honourable, The Irish Society . “We were so glad to see Candya on Wednesday afternoon! We were exhausted and we really appreciated a good London cuppa!” said Jane, the Project Co-ordinator. “We can’t thank Candya Farmer and Edward Montgomery from the Irish Society enough for their support. Candya gave lots of brilliant advice about organising our itinerary and the wonderful grant we received allowed us to see very special places and experience a once-in-a-lifetime window on our own heritage,” Jane went on to say.

After taking in the evening Gresham Lecture in the Old Library at the Guildhall (delivered by Professor Ian Archer about the early years of the Plantation), there were big smiles all around as a very big penny dropped. “We know this stuff!” exclaimed Sally.

The group’s final day was spent with Howard Doble at the London Metropolitan Archives. They saw transcripts of the Coleraine Charter, maps and very old books which gave the team a really good feel of what life was like in Coleraine at the time of the Plantation. “We went into a special room where documents and books are restored. It was a real privilege to see “behind closed doors”. I love maps and the intricacy of the artwork – I could have spent days in that room!” added Elaine.

Rob guides the group through Guildhall!

The project team are now back at base at Focus on Family in Ballysally. “We’ve our sleeves rolled up for a full-on summer of activity : writing our book , developing a heritage presentation to take on tour and working with Ulster University to learn all about professional publishing!” exclaimed the Project Co-ordinator.

For more information about the project – or to get involved – visit www.1613andallthat.wordpress.com or email here sixteenthirteenandallthat@hotmail.co.uk or call Jane, the Project Co-ordinator, here 028 7032 9550

Press Release 3 : Ballysally’s Plantation Heritage Project “Gets Real”!

Members of the project team at Dunluce Castle

Launched in April 2013, Focus on Family’s innovative heritage project (which is all about exploring the Coleraine Plantation story) is now well underway!

Generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, project members are busy undertaking an intensive learning programme whilst simultaneously working their way through a hectic heritage tour schedule.

“Our local heritage tours are geared towards really bringing the Plantation story to life,” said Jane Talbot, the project’s co-ordinator. “During this phase of the project, local historian (the lively raconteur, Dr Bob Curran) is helping us to gain a deeper understanding of the role Coleraine  played in the wider Plantation story by taking us to all sorts of inspiring places,” added Jane.

Dr Curran brings the history of the town of Coleraine to life!

So far, the project team has visited Dunluce, Bushmills, Coleraine town and the Irish Society. They also enjoyed a fabulous visit to the “Project of Plantation” exhibition in the Town Hall. Expertly guided through the Plantation story by Causeway Museum’s John Hamilton, members of the project team consolidated their learning through listening to fascinating stories about the lead-up to the Plantation and beyond.

“We’re also going to the Linen Hall Library in Belfast to view important documents – that’s before going on a tour of Macosquin, Ballykelly, Dungiven and Garvagh where we’ll see the wider impact of the London Livery Companies,” said Sally Cupples (a key project member).

All these activities are building up to one of the most exciting parts of the project : a 3-day trip to the City of London at the end of June.

“We’ve had a great deal of support in organising our trip to London from both The Honourable The Irish Society and the Causeway Museum Service. We’re off to Guildhall, the Clothworkers’

Jane and Bob look very studious at the Irish Society lecture!

Livery Hall, the Lord Mayor’s Mansion and the London Metropolitan Archives. We’ve had to learn all about how to get documents out of storage at the LMA and how to organise London Guides! London will bring the whole story together for us as we begin to explore the “cradle” of the “the Project of Plantation” and how the links between London and Coleraine are still alive today,” Jane went on to say.

When the group returns from London, they have a full programme of summer and autumn activities to look forward to as they begin work on their book about the Coleraine Plantation.

Edward Montgomery gives the group a tour of Cutts House.

For more information about the project – or to get involved – visit www.1613andallthat.wordpress.com or email here sixteenthirteenandallthat@hotmail.co.uk or call Jane, the project co-ordinator, here 028 7032 9550

Press Release 2 : Ambassador Programme Gets Underway!

One of the programme members takes the helm!

Hot on the heels of the recent launch of Focus on Family’s exciting heritage project “1613 And All That! ~ An Exploration Of The Plantation Of Coleraine”, the first strand of this Heritage Lottery funded project is now well underway.

On Monday 22^nd April, project members began an innovative learning programme which, over the life of the heritage project, will help participants to :

1. Develop a real sense of pride in Coleraine and its heritage.

2. Develop competency in facilitating both local heritage tours and information sessions.

3. Increase levels of self-awareness.
4. Support the development of relationship- management skills.
5. Build self-confidence.

6. Develop communication and presentation skills.
7. Build basic coaching skills.

Aptly called “The Ambassador Programme”, this course is designed to help participants to get the most out of the wider heritage project.

Whilst project members build a growing sense of pride in Coleraine through connecting to their heritage – and to themselves – in new ways, it is also clear that Coleraine can be proud of its people and communities who, through projects like this, keep the vibrant, ongoing story of Coleraine alive and kicking.

“The learning programme is helping me to learn more about who I am and I’m feeling really upbeat about the rest of the project. It’s giving a whole new meaning to the word “home” for me,” said Sally Cupples, project member.

Elaine Millican, another project member, added “The Ambassador Programme is not only giving me the skills to get the most out of the heritage project, it’s also giving me the skills and support to deal with issues from my own past. The group is open and welcoming : the project team is already gelling really well.”

For more information about the project – or to get involved – visit www.1613andallthat.wordpress.com or email Jane here sixteenthirteenandallthat@hotmail.co.uk or call Jane here 028 7032 9550

 

Our Summer “What’s On” Guide!

We’re getting ready to publish a book!

Over the summer , we will be spending time developing materials for our book, thinking about layout and design ~  and preparing for our trip to the University of Ulster.

Heritage Tuesdays @ Focus On Family “Heritage Tuesdays” will run 10am – 1pm on Tuesdays throughout the summer (unless Focus on Family  is closed ). These sessions will be facilitated by Bob Curran (local historian) and/or  Jane Talbot (Project Co-ordinator).

Sessions will run on the following dates :

16th July
23rd July
30th July
6th August
13th August
20th August

On Wednesday 21^st August 10am-4pm there will be a special  1-day event to make our final preparations for the trip to Ulster University.

Learning How The Professionals Do It!

By the end of the summer we will have learned ALOT and created ALOT of material for our book! Now we will be ready to learn the technical aspects of publishing a book with the help of our friends at Ulster University. Here’s what’s happening:

Tuesday 27th August : Storyboarding Our Book

We are going to learn some professional techniques for structuring our book in a way which tells the story of the Coleraine Plantation in a way that reflects the spirit of our project AND connects with all those who will be reading our book. This is a fun, creative and challenging process which will put all our teamwork skills into action!

Pick-up from Focus on Family at 9:30am , returning at 4:30pm

Tuesday 3^rd September and Tuesday 10^th September : Design And Production Days

Based on our storyboard for our book, we are going to try our hand at professional page design (we’ll be using print-industry standard techniques!). By the end of these 2 days, we’ll have enough material to hand onto our printers to ensure the final design and printing of a book that reflects all the fabulous work we have done over the life of the project.

Pick-up from Focus on Family at 9:30am , returning at 4:30pm on each day.