Killyleagh people and places exhibition

Killyleagh people and places exhibition

28 July 2021

A NEW exhibition about people and places in the Killyleagh and Shrigley area opened at the weekend.

The People, Potential, Prosperity exhibition opened on Saturday in the Sir Hans Sloane Centre in High Street and reflects the community spirit of the area.

Put together with the assistance of funding from the European Union PEACE IV programme, the exhibition demonstrates how new people coming to an area can have a long-lasting, positive impact on community life in a variety of ways.  

A series of panels, a PowerPoint presentation and a world map display provide an opportunity for visitors to learn about people, past and present, who have moved to the area and how they have influenced life in the community.   

Project co-ordinator Shirley Lennon said: “I am pleased and relieved to see this exhibition being officially launched and I would like to thank those who helped in bringing it together.

“The selection of stories, I hope, reflects different aspects of people’s lives in the Killyleagh and Shrigley areas over different periods. It was difficult to choose who to include and other valuable and entertaining stories could fill many more walls.

“It was fantastic to see descendants of those whose stories are told, alongside and enjoying the exhibition panels. To see people engaging with the exhibition and taking pride in their family history is very special.”

Shirley said her favourite quote came from from Vivienne Vermes, a descendant of a Hungarian Jew, Nicholas Vermes, who fled from Nazi persecution and worked at the tannery in Shrigley. 

‘To all who roam, who dream who flee, who arrive in a new country, let us be warm-hearted, for one day we too may be glad of welcoming words and open arms when we are wanderers in a foreign land.’ 

Shirley added: It sums up what we were aiming to do with the exhibition in its focus on encouraging communities to welcome newcomers.”

The exhibition is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2-5pm, Thursdays from 10am-12noon, Saturdays from 12-2pm and other times announced on the centre’s Facebook page. 

Dr Elizabeth Crilly, the CEO and founder of the centre, is a recent arrival to the community of Killyleagh. With her role in developing the Sir Hans Sloane Centre, she is also an example of the potential new people can bring to the area. 

The exhibition is part of a Newry Mourne and Down Council Animation Programme, a project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).