Migration Museums Network

Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster-American Folk Park

The Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) was established in its present form in 1998. It developed from the previous Centre for Emigration Studies at the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, bringing together and building on 3 main elements: the Library, established in the early 1980s; the Irish Emigration Database Project, begun in 1988; and the Masters degree in Irish Migration Studies, taught since 1996.
The Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) was established in its present form in 1998. It developed from the previous Centre for Emigration Studies at the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, bringing together and building on 3 main elements: the Library, established in the early 1980s; the Irish Emigration Database Project, begun in 1988; and the Masters degree in Irish Migration Studies, taught since 1996.
The Centre for Migration Studies vision is that of 'an informed community, confidently and creatively engaged with its migration history, culture and heritage'. The CMS mission is 'to serve the community as a leading international institution for the study of human migration, focusing on the peoples of Ireland world-wide'.
The CMS is managed by the Scotch-Irish Trust of Ulster through a sub-committee called CMS Management Committee. The following partner institutions are represented on the Management Committee: Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (formerly the Department of Education); LibrariesNI; The Queen's University of Belfast; The University of Ulster and Enterprise Ulster.

Library Collections

The Research Library is the central focus of the Centre for Migration Studies. It currently houses a specialist collection of some 13,000 volumes, approximately 50 periodical titles, a selection of maps and audio visual material and the Irish Emigration Database, a collection of primary source documents relating to Irish-American emigration, which is keyword searchable on computer.
The collection is for reference only and is open to all who wish to use the facilities. The material is on open access. Study tables, a microfilm/fiche reader printer, a photocopier and 4 computers to access the Irish Emigration Database are available for public use. Internet and email facilities are also available.

The Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster-American Folk Park,
2 Mellon Rd,
Castletown,
Omagh, Co Tyrone, N.Ireland, BT78 5QY.
Tel: .028 8225 6315
Fax: 028 8224 2241
Email: cms@librariesni.org.uk

Visit the website

library