Voices of '68

On the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland, and in collaboration with National Museums NI, this multi-facetted project seeks to re-examine the events of the time, providing a critical new dimension to visitors’ experience of contemporary history. The ‘Voices of 68’ exhibition encourages a fresh look at this crucial period in Northern Ireland’s history. It is told in the words of some of those most directly involved at the time.

The project contains a range of elements that include the following:

  • A travelling exhibition that is currently booked into the following locations:
    • Northern Ireland
      • Dungannon Library: 1-30 September
      • Derry, Guildhall: 5-7 October
      • Belfast City Hall: 22-29 October
      • Ulster University (Magee Campus): November (TBC)
      • Queen’s University Belfast: December (TBC)
    • England
      • Irish Cultural Centre, London Hammersmith: 1-15 October
      • Victoria Gallery & Museum, Liverpool: 19 November – 17 December
      • Irish World Heritage Centre, Manchester: 1 February – 17 March
      • University of Bath: November (TBC)
      • Cardiff University: March 2019 (TBC)
    • The travelling exhibition uses Augmented Reality to enhance its mobility and provides an immersive, interactive experience for the visitor.
    • The travelling exhibition is accompanied by a digital version that can be downloaded that enables visitors to explore the material before and after a visit. Download the Travelling Exhibition digital version.
  • An extended, temporary exhibition to be hosted at the Ulster Museum from 5 September to 15 October that will culminate in a threeday event marking the 50th anniversary of this seminal period on 1113 October.
    • Day 1: The fourth in our series of GCSE study days that will include a series of talks from academic experts on the period, a tour of the temporary exhibition and the new Troubles exhibition, and a series of talks from protagonists from the time.
    • Day 2: A series of panel discussions led by protagonists from the period and who have been interviewed for the project.
    • Day 3: Women, 1968 and beyond… a series of panels discussing the invaluable contribution of women from 1968 until today.
  • To date the project has resulted in the following outputs that may be of interest to colleagues.
    • A redevelopment of the coverage of 1968 in the permanent gallery of the Ulster Museum.
    • A bespoke set of GCSE educational resources that are available online and provide a whole series of activities for before, during and after a museum visit, specifically tailored to the needs of the curriculum.
    • A series of extended videos that allow visitors to further explore the current section of the Ulster Museum’s gallery that deals with this seminal moment in Northern Ireland’s recent history. View extended videos of the Ulster Museum's gallery.

Further Information

If there are any questions, you can email chris.reynolds@ntu.ac.uk.