ABSTRACT
This chapter tries to reconcile what appears to be the paradox of the UAFP's popularity as a tourist attraction and its somewhat unfavourable reputation in cultural heritage literature. The UAFP, which is today one of the National Museums of Northern Ireland, began when descendants of the Mellon family decided to commemorate their Ulster heritage. The initial layout of the park included very few buildings. Apart from the Mellon homestead, the only original building was a school, transferred from the nearby village of Castletown. In 1994, the next specifically Catholic building to be re-erected was the Tullyallen Mass House, donated to the park by the Catholic parish and priest. Buildings re-erected in museums have been considered to carry a different meaning than traditional museum artefacts. The CMS is located in the building adjoining the Visitor Centre and its mission is to serve the community as a leading international institution for the study of human migration.
