Under the Hawthorn Tree: Famine Exhibit at Ulster Park

0:00It's April 5, I'm Cory with the story. This is Europe News Today, driven by AI and built for the continent. Ireland's classic kids' book, Under the Hawthorne Tree, just got a major upgrade at the Ulster American Folk Park in County, Tyrone. This story by Maria Conlon McKinna, out since 1990, follows three siblings, Ily, Michael and Peggy, surviving the great Irish famine. The new exhibit pulls you right in with soundscapes, smells, interactive setups, and rare objects from museum collections. At the heart is a huge handcrafted Hawthorne Tree, made by Willowiever Bob Johnston, decked out with copper birds and doubling as a cozy reading spot. For the book, in English, and Irish, you'll spot everyday famine items too, like a potato basket, a simple shawl, and natural history specimens that ground the tale in harsh reality. The authors showed up for the opening with their family and school kids, saying she never dreamed her world would come alive like this. Senior curator Victoria Milar designed it all from the kid's viewpoint, mixing uncertainty,

1:04hope, and grit through spades, blankets, and even animal. Displays like Badgers and Quarmer ants. This marks the park's first big exhibit in four years, and ties into its 50th anniversary this July, right around the 250th, anniversary of America's Declaration of Independence. It builds on past shows about Irish immigrants, highlighting how famine drove folks to the states. National museums, NI's chief exec, calls it a smart way to link tough histories across oceans, making them real for families, schools, and tourists. Who's storytelling that builds understanding and resilience?