iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 25/09/2026

Calling all Key Stage 3 educators! Do your students enjoy gaming, creating, problem solving, and learning new digital skills? We’re now accepting expressions of interest for STEAM Studio workshops for the 26/27 academic year!

Two students work on their laptops, coding artworks to create digital experiences.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 24/09/2026

Today’s #OnlineArtExchange theme ‘gold, silver & bronze’ Horses first appeared in Elisabeth Frink’s work when she moved to Camargue in France, known its for herds of semi-wild horses. It was the anatomy and wildness of the Camargue horses that she returned to for inspiration in her work.

A horse sculpture rendered in bronze. It is a very tactile piece, with lots of rough and worked marks across the horse.

A fuller view of the horse sculpture, showing strong legs, a small body, and a short neck.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 17/09/2026

Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'rural' for The Argyll Collection on Tour 🖼️ This view was painted by Dermod O'Brien near his birthplace, Mount Trenchard, in Co. Limerick. O'Brien depicts a rich landscape of cornfields with newly-harvested stooks stretching down to the wide grey Shannon.

A painting of a field with hay gathered in piles. The day is bright, with blue sky peaking through clouds, and in the distance we can see the sea.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 10/09/2026

🌊Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'life by the sea' for 'John Bellany: Anchored' at Scottish Fisheries Museum! This small seascape, 'Surge of the Sea, Ardglass', is atmospheric and full of movement. Painted by Hans Iten, the fluent Impressionistic manner is typical of his style.

A painting of the sea as it meets a rocky coast. In the foreground we see a small inlet with two rocky cliffs, the waves going from deep blue to white as they smack against the rocks.

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Reposted by Ulster Museum

Barnsley Museums @barnsleymuseums.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

We're getting close to 2,000 followers. If you share this post we will share something from our collections. We'll do the same for any new followers too.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 03/09/2026

Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'reflections' 🪞 Sir John Lavery’s full-length portraits usually have an air of theatrical formality - however, the warm firelight and Hazel’s unadorned shoulders make 'The Green Coat' a tender and intimate study of his wife.

A portrait of a woman in front of a fireplace. She has bare shoulders, a floral purple dress, and a long green coat.

A close view of a purple floral dress and green coat, showing the myriad of intricate brushstrokes.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 27/08/2026

Possibly the most relatable painting in our collection: 'Boy with Dog', Giacomo Ceruti 🐕 'Boy with Dog' was painted in the 1700s, proving that the instinct to be immortalised with your best mate - whether in a painting or a selfie - has not changed. #OnlineArtExchange #InternationalDogDay

A painting of a young boy, dressed in fairly ragged clothes, with his arm wrapped around his dog, holding his paw. The dog holds a horn in his mouth.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 20/08/2026

This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'holidays and travel' 🧳 'Wet Evening on the Riva, Venice', by Emily Murray Paterson, was captured in Italy around the 1920s - though is perhaps a familiar sight to us today in Northern Ireland too!

Against a blue background, a rather abstract painting of a very rainy night in Venice, with the pale light from the lampposts and buildings shimmering and people walking depicted only as black silhouettes.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 17/08/2026

The work it takes for a conservator to make sure our objects remain un-Sullied... Object Conservator & punmaker Shannon Campbell documented an unusual day rescuing Sully from a breech block from ‘La Girona’, a Spanish Armada warship that sank off the cost of Co. Antrim in 1588.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 13/08/2026

This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is ‘forms of portraiture’ for "Who am I to you?" at @lulgalleries.bsky.social! Margaret Clarke was a highly skilled portraitist and artist. Born in Co. Down, she was the second woman to be elected to the Royal Hibernian Academy.

Against a blue background, a woman with short brown hair is painted in a portrait. Her gaze is soft yet direct. She wears a bright red waistcoat rimmed with gold, and three notable rings.

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Reposted by Ulster Museum

Art UK @artukdotorg.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Read about how Elisabeth Frink's commissions shaped the modern cathedral 👉 artuk.org/discover/stories/from-cov… 🧑‍🎨 F. E. McWilliam (1909–1992) © FE McWilliam Estate. 📷 Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 06/08/2026

This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'Scottish art' 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Agnes Miller Parker was born in Ayrshire & studied at the Glasgow School of Art. Skilled at painting and drawing, she became interested in printmaking and taught herself wood engraving - the medium in which she would find acclaim.

A print made by woodcutting. On parchment in black and white, a cat is poised to attack, snarling at something just out of our sight.

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Reposted by Ulster Museum

Ulster Folk Museum @ulsterfolkmuseum.org · 04/08/2026

Valerie Wilson, Curator of Textiles, takes us behind-the-scenes to look at some of the most impressive items in our Irish Dance Collection! ☘️ To celebrate the #Fleadh coming to Belfast, this beautiful velvet costume is now on display at our sister museum @ulstermuseum.org for the month of August!

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 30/07/2026

We were delighted to welcome Amber Butchart to Ashes to Fashion today! Her work as a fashion & textiles historian centres the stories of the people behind the clothes, humanising and bringing complexity to garments.

In the forefront of this photograph, a mannequin wears a bold, frilly pink dress with dress sparkles. In the background, two women regard the dress, smiling and looking on thoughtfully.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 28/07/2026

"We Should All Be Feminists" Newly on display, this t-shirt featured in Maria Grazia Chiuri's debut collection as the first female creative director at Dior. It was inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essay and TEDx talk of the same name.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 23/07/2026

'A Tale about a tail—a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin.' This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'nature and animals' for 'An A to Z of Beatrix Potter' at The Armitt 🦔

A watercolour of a lush green forest, with a red squirrel nibbling on some red berries on a branch.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 09/07/2026

Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is sacred symbols, chosen with Liverpool Cathedral. Colin Middleton (1910-83) is one of NI's most treasured painters. 'Christ Androgyne' (1943) uses Surrealism to express his deep unease at the events of the Second World War & the suffering of those caught up in it.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 22/06/2026

What's rarer than a tropical rainforest? A #TemperateRainforest, which makes up less than 1% of global land cover. 🍃 Today is #WorldRainforestDay, so put on your wellies, grab a hand lens, and step into one of the rarest rainforest ecosystems in the world → bit.ly/4xoSG55

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 11/06/2026

⚽ Who's ready for the #FIFAWorldCup? Who's your team? This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'football for the FIFA World Cup' 🏆 To celebrate, we've taken a deep dive into our archives to find some of our favourite football related photographs. @artukdotorg.bsky.social

Group of five girls playing football together

Girl playing outside by herself kicking a football against the wall

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 08/06/2026

It's #WorldOceanDay, let's look at sponges! 🧽 It's hard to identify species of sponges by eye. Spicules, which make up the sponge's skeleton, are the most accurate indicator of species.

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Reposted by Ulster Museum

Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 05/06/2026

This small bronze disc is one of the most iconic pieces of early Irish metalwork. It was dredged from the River Bann at Loughan Island, near Coleraine, in 1939. It is delicately decorated in the La Tène style, dating to the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age. You can see it on display in @ulstermuseum.org

A bronze, circular artefact on display at a museum. The artefact itself is decorated with a La Tène-style triskelion, or triple spiral motif.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 28/05/2026

Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'wallpaper' to mark 'The Art of Wallpaper' at the Watts Gallery. This painting's use of pointillism brings an incredible vibrancy, from the wallpaper to the carpet to the clothing, that reflects the excitement of the titular arrival.

A bright and vibrant scene of a group of younger adults in a living room. They sit in a circle reading and talking, while a man joins them, his coat being removed by one of the party-goers.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 14/05/2026

Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is myths and legends to celebrate 'Cornish Myths & Legends' at Cornwall Museum! Dhruva Mistry was born in India & spent illustrious years in the UK. Much of his work has been concerned with the idea of animal-human hybrids to suggest creatures of fabulous power.

A scuplture of a strange creature - the hooved body of a giraffe, with a shortened neck and a human's head. The colouring is almost of a cheetah, with golden fur and deep golden spots, and a tail that whips out behind the body.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 12/05/2026

"If you had 30 seconds to sum up your whole time as a nurse, what do you think you would say?" Today is #InternationalNursesDay ❤️‍🩹🩹🩺 Curator of Modern History, Rebecca Laverty, spent time with nurses who spent their careers at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, Co. Down.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 07/05/2026

🖼 This week's #OnlineArtExchange is ‘urban landscapes’ for the exhibition 'Underground (And Surface)' @ Guildhall Art Gallery. 🏗 'Cranes, Baker Street' was drawn and painted by Kenneth Shoesmith, who travelled the world and designed travel posters for the Royal Mail Line and for Southern Railways.

At the bottom of a watercolour painting, an early 1900s street scene goes past, with a Victorian lamppost and a horse and cart. In the background, the future stretches towards the sky, with a large number of cranes and scaffolding about to progress with work.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 01/05/2026

Our Fashion and Textiles collection holds around 5000 objects, from 16th century needlework to today's fashion - painstakingly rebuilt from the ashes of a collection destroyed by a fire in 1976. Join Curator Charlotte McReynolds in retracing the journey from ashes to fashion → bit.ly/4d4u4pS

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 30/04/2026

'Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art' opens today at penleehousegallery.bsky.social, and to celebrate, this week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'women artists'. What an excellent opportunity to share 'I Overslept Until the Evening' (2014) by Makiko Kudo!

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 17/04/2026

💃 Have you ever danced so hard that you've melted your dress? Watch as Bethany Skuce, Object Conservator, works on a dress made from gelatine sequins → bit.ly/4vzIVQo #AshesToFashion #FashionConservation #FashionHistory

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 15/04/2026

On this day 85 years ago, Belfast suffered the second of four air raids that have come to be known as the Belfast Blitz. In 1941, Belfast played an increasingly important role in the war effort - but it was not well defended against an attack from the air.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 10/04/2026

Have you had a look at this astonishing little box in #AshestoFashion? 🔍 On Saturday 18th April, Dr Lynn Hulse examines the environment in which girls from middle & upper-class backgrounds learned to ply their needle, the training they received & the images they chose to stitch → bit.ly/3O6StBH

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 09/04/2026

Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is ‘ancient art’ for Gladiators of Britain & Uncovering Roman Carlisle at @tulliecarlisle.bsky.social! Inniscaltra, also called Holy Island, is an island in Lough Derg. The monastery was founded by St Caimin in the 600s, but was burned by Vikings in 836 and 922 AD.

A painting of an ancient monastery, in ruins, as the sun sets behind it. There are sheep grazing amind the ruins, which are on an island in the middlge of a lough.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 02/04/2026

"Anyway, here's Wonderwall." Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'music' for 'A Grand Chorus: The Power of Music' @ the Foundling Museum. Judging by her cherubic friend's face, we can only assume the sitter was a beginner. @artukdotorg.bsky.social Lady with a Guitar (c.1600s), unknown. BELUM.U210

An old painting showing a woman dressed in rich fabrics playing an instrument similar to a guitar. A goat sits to her left, while a cherubic figure sits to her right, gazing up at her. The woman's shoes have big pink bows on them.

A close up of an oil painting showing just the face of a cherubic young figure. His eyes, gazing upward, appear out of context to resemble an eye roll.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 27/03/2026

Takabuti has become an iconic resident at the museum. But who was she? How did she come to be in Northern Ireland? And what is her future? This video features some of the perspectives we’ve been listening to regarding ways of honouring and respecting Takabuti, a mummified woman from Ancient Egypt.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 26/03/2026

This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'tiles'. The tiles of this renaissance church is just one impressive feature captured by Dirck van Delen. Architectural painting reached its peak in the work of seventeenth-century Dutch artists, who notably used architecture as a subject in its own right.

A vast renaissance church with symmetry in its large columns and arhces. People mill about the church, and some animals - dogs and maybe a cat - wander freely. A statue is in the centre of the room, and stretching out in the background we can see a sunny courtyard through the open doors.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 25/03/2026

Last weekend was the highlight of Monaco’s social calendar: the 70th edition of the Rose Ball. This beautifully cut outfit was worn to the 1988 #RoseBall by Princess Caroline of Monaco. It was designed by Marc Bohan, whose tenure at Dior was marked by classic elegance and tailoring. #AshesToFashion

A shiny red floor-length strapless evening dress. It has a fairly body-hugging silhouette from the top down to the hips, where two large panels flaring out add a dramatic effect.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 17/03/2026

✋The Shrine of St. Patrick’s Hand dates from the fourteenth or fifteenth century. It is still used to hold a relic believed to belong to Saint Patrick. ☘ 600 years later, the shrine is still in use today during St. Patrick’s Day mass at St. Patrick’s Church, Belfast. Learn more → bit.ly/4s8lFaj

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 13/03/2026

You can now read a new page of the Catalogue of The Native Plants of Ireland by #JohnTempleton (1766-1825), on loan from @rialibrary.bsky.social Paper Conservator Harriet Gillespie shares with us why she turns the pages of books on display. #UlsterMuseum #Botany

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 12/03/2026

This week’s #OnlineArtExchange is ‘books’ for 'Lady Chatterley’s Cover: The Book Designs of Stephen Russ’ at Chippenham Museum @chippenhammuseum.bsky.social It felt only fitting to share some photographs in our collection of the Old Linenhall Library 📚

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 08/03/2026

Throughout Ashes to Fashion and Discover Fashion, the artistry, creativity, skills and vision of women are on display. This International Women’s Day, take a closer look at the female designers behind some of our most stunning pieces 🧵:

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 05/03/2026

This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is art that explores the home, to mark the exhibition 'Catherine Opie: To be Seen' at National Portrait Gallery. 'Medical Students' by Gerard Dillon presents the everyday of shared student rooms - spaces where study, conversation and sleep happened side by side.

A brightly coloured room. Three young men lie sleeping in bed under a patchwork quilt. The room is scarce - one jug, one seat, one bucket - but the colours suggest that life is not such a hardship when facing things together.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 27/02/2026

ASHES TO FASHION | NOW OPEN 👗 Enjoy this sneak peek of the sewing together of the exhibition 🧵 Book your tickets to Ashes to Fashion now → www.ulstermuseum.org/temporary-ex... #UlsterMuseum #AshesToFashion

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 26/02/2026

Today’s #OnlineArtExchange theme is ‘renewal’ to celebrate our very own exhibition opening tomorrow, ‘Ashes to Fashion’ 💃 Just next door to ‘Ashes to Fashion’ you’ll find ‘Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Joscelyne: The Second Marriage’ (1972) by Anthony Green. @artukdotorg.bsky.social

A stylised painting of a couple in their drawing room. The scene is bright and sunny, with yellow furniture, floral carpets, and plants and flowers. Outside, the garden is verdant. The couple are dressed in fancy clothes.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 29/01/2026

This week’s #OnlineArtExchange is ‘light and dark’ 🌗 Looking furtively out from under the brim of his hat, a somewhat raffish young man - 'The Tipster', his face partly in shadow - seems to be offering the spectator a tip (presumably at a price). @artukdotorg.bsky.social

Looking furtively out from under the brim of his hat, a somewhat raffish young man holds a newspaper. In the background, a painting of a horse and jockey hangs on a green wall.

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Reposted by Ulster Museum

Library of the Royal Irish Academy @rialibrary.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

We are thrilled to share this new blog post by Rebecca Cairns about Irish botanist, John Templeton (1766-1825), and his seminal manuscript catalogue of native Irish plants, which we have loaned to @ulstermuseum.org for a special display celebrating 200 years of his legacy. www.ria.ie/blog/the-cat...

Dried plant specimen on aged paper, overlaid with text: "New Blog Post! Catalogue of the Native Plants of Ireland. Read Now." Background is green.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 19/01/2026

It's hard to feel blue in a room full of yellow - especially when there's a cat involved! 'Yellow Bungalow' depicts a cottage interior on Inishlacken, an island off the Galway coast where Gerard Dillon lived during 1950-51.

A painting of a cottage interior. The walls are bright yellow, with a cat, traditional furniture, and fish on a side table. A couple sits apart, separated by a cooker.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 15/01/2026

This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'bold and colourful art' to celebrate the exhibition 'Colour: A season of shades, tints & tones' @tulliecarlisle.bsky.social! 'Untitled' by Alice Berger Hammerschlag is a stunning example of her abstract work.

An abstract painting with vibrant vivid colours. Reds, oranges, and pinks dominate the canvas in a circular, swirling pattern, layered atop one another. Deep purples and light blues occasionally peek through from beneath.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 08/01/2026

Today's #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'angels and guardians'🪽 Phoebe Anna Traquair was a Dublin-born artist known for her contributions to the Arts and Crafts movement in Scotland. Skilled in mediums incl. painting, manuscript illumination & embroidery, she also had an interest in jewellery design.

A vibrant, colourful pendant of painted enamel. The imagery shows an angel with bright orange wings and halo embracing a weaver at a loom. In the upper left, a sun sets over a teal sea.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 18/12/2025

This week's #OnlineArtExchange theme is, of course, Christmas! It looks like we won't be having a white #Christmas this year, so enjoy 'Winter above Ligoniel' by Frederick W. Hull instead. #UlsterMuseum #Art @artukdotorg.bsky.social

A painting of a snowy scene in the Northern Irish countryside. A small row of houses sits, some chimneys lit, while people walk on slushy roads uphill. The sky is grey, with a streak of low sunlight peeking through.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 09/12/2025

🌼 New display alert 🌼 John Templeton (1766–1825) was a Belfast-born and based pioneer of Irish botany. He advanced our understanding of plant biodiversity at a time when Irish flora was not well-known, methodically observing, recording, and illustrating the plants of this place.

A photograph of a display showing books and documents relating to the botanist John Templeton.

An open catalogue of Irish plants showing handwritten pags in cursive.

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Ulster Museum @ulstermuseum.org · 04/12/2025

This week's #OnlineArtExchange is 'the natural world' to mark the exhibition 'The Nature of Gothic' at Blackburn Museum 🌅 'Nature Rhythm - Dawn (Sunrise Meditation)' (1930), by Art O'Murnaghan, is an exquiste work of ink & gouache on card. #UlsterMuseum #Art @artukdotorg.bsky.social

An ink and gouache artwork of a sunrise over the ocean. The ocean is a delightful mix of purples, blues, and yellows, while the sun's golden rays stretch over a morning sky. At the top of the artwork, the purple and black night sky is chased away by the rising sun.

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