Exhibition: Planting a parliament: partition and the foundation of Northern Ireland, 1920-22

“You cannot knock Parliaments up and down as you do a ball, and once you have planted them there, you cannot get rid of them”

Sir Edward Carson, December 1919

To mark the centenary of Northern Ireland we have launched a new online exhibition.  ‘Planting a parliament: Partition and the Foundation of Northern Ireland, 1920-22’ tells the story of the birth of Northern Ireland, and is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Shared History Fund.

The exhibition examines the early history and foundation of Northern Ireland, through objects, photographs and images from the museum’s collection.  The story of Lisburn, a thriving market town at the heart of the Lagan Valley is set against the momentous events of 100 years ago, which led to the transformation of political, economic, civic and cultural life on the island of Ireland.