Crafts & Trades
The complex relationship between the maker, the material and the significance of the object produced are the subject of research in this area of our collections. Many traditional crafts, including blacksmithing, carpentry, basket making and letter-press printing, using traditional tools and methods, are demonstrated in the Museum on a regular basis.
The Museum's collections place a special emphasis on the topic of crafts and occupations. We hold an important and wide-ranging collection of hand and machine tools relating to people's working lives over the last 200 years.
A high proportion of the Museum's entire collection consists of examples of traditional craftsperson's work, with objects in stone, iron, wood, leather and associated materials. These are supported by audio, visual and documentary archival materials.
Leatherwork
In the early 1900s the north of Ireland supported a range of leatherworking activities. These ranged from the initial processing and tanning of many different locally sourced hides, to the manufacture of leather goods, primarily shoes.Leather was used for saddlery and harness making. ...
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Metalworking
The north of Ireland has a rich tradition of metalworking - from the earliest days of iron-ore smelting, to ground breaking steel shipbuilding and specialized aircraft metallurgyHowever in the early 1900s most people’s acquaintance with the use of metal was at the blacksmith's forge. Blacks...
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Basketmaking
Baskets were the cardboard packaging and plastic crates of their day. They provided a cheap, practical, disposable and readily renewable range of containers for industry, home and farm (get closer by clicking the images).Baskets were used to store and transport, apples, potatoes, coal, textiles, ...
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