Relic trails launched at Museum!

The Relic programmes are part of A History of the World, a partnership between the British Museum, the BBC and museums across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In the TV series a ghostly tour guide called Agatha sets challenges for children at the British Museum.

Now Ballymoney Museum has its own version of the trail. Families are invited to take on a series of challenges based on some of the museum’s most important objects and test their skills in five areas: memory, discovery, physical, reasoning and riddles.

Those who take the challenges will also discover a second trail, based on the Ballymoney objects on display at the Ulster Museum. Museum Assistant Shirin Johnston says, ‘There are some really fascinating artefacts from the Ballymoney area on display at the Ulster Museum. When we were invited by the BBC to develop our own trail for Ballymoney, we realized that this would be a perfect opportunity to encourage people from this region to explore and appreciate the wonderful local objects on display in Northern Ireland’s Flagship Museum. We are also grateful for the support the Ulster Museum has given us in developing the trail’.

The trails are contained in a booklet which can be picked up in the museum gallery. Those who successfully complete the trail can take home a certificate awarding a qualification as a Guardian of the Museum.

Ballymoney Museum has been involved with A History of the World since it launched in January 2010. The historically significant Derrykeighan Stone was chosen as one of the 25 original objects to represent Northern Ireland on project’s website bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld.

Ballymoney Museum opening hours are Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm, closed Sunday.