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family · Saturday 1 August 2026 · Various 
Ulster Museum Workshops in Belfast Libraries - Big Summer Read 2026
At Libraries NI branches across Belfast · Various, Belfast, Co. Antrim
At Libraries NI branches across Belfast · Various, Belfast, Co. Antrim
The Ulster Museum is taking its teaching collection out of the building this August, bringing free hands-on workshops to Belfast libraries as part of the Big Summer Read 2026. Delivered by the museum’s own education officers and curators, these sessions give children the chance to handle real objects - fossils, meteorites, bird specimens, historical artefacts - in a local library rather than a formal museum setting. It is a good fit for families with younger children who might find a full museum visit overwhelming, and the topics span a wide enough range that there is something genuinely absorbing for different ages and interests.
Each workshop is led by a named Ulster Museum specialist. Natural Sciences Education Officer Nigel Gilmore-Cook runs “Where Did the Dinosaurs Go?” at Newtownbreda Library on 12 and 14 August - children aged 4 and up handle actual fossils, meteorites, and bird specimens and learn how modern birds connect back to the dinosaurs. Art Education Officer Colleen Watters leads a sea-inspired painting session at Cregagh Library on 5 August, drawing on the seascapes of Belfast-born artist Sir John Lavery. At Ballyhackamore Library the same day, Discovery Centre Coordinator Jacqueline Barker explores Thomas Edison’s inventions using museum objects, with children producing a replica patent - aimed at ages 8 and up. History Education Officer Sharon McKibbin visits Grove Library and Chichester Library on 8 August with two Ancient Egypt sessions: one on mummification and pigment-making, the other on personal care, both involving decorating a papyrus bookmark in the role of an Ancient Egyptian scribe. Assistant Curator Agrippa Njanina also visits Chichester Library that day with a World Cultures session investigating the meanings behind cultural objects.
All sessions are free. Booking is essential - contact the specific library branch directly to reserve places. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Belfast is well served by road and rail from across the island. From Dublin, Enterprise trains run directly to Belfast Lanyon Place in just over two hours. Translink Metro buses connect the city centre to most of the participating library branches - Cregagh, Newtownbreda, Ballyhackamore, Grove, and Chichester are all reachable by Metro or Glider services. If you are driving, each library has on-street or nearby car parking, though Chichester Library in the city centre is easier to reach by public transport during summer. Check the Translink journey planner for the most direct route to your chosen branch.
The libraries are spread across different parts of the city, so depending on which branch you visit you will be passing through residential neighbourhoods, the east of the city, or close to the centre - each with its own local cafés and parks worth a stop. There is more to see in Belfast and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to Libraries NI branches across Belfast in Belfast? Antrim has plenty more to see. Read the Belfast area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.