Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Group 28 Stay on top of the headlines from Belfast and beyond by signing up for FREE email alerts Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. More info Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice St Patrick has been given a new lease of life in Co Down as Belfast-born
Actor Ciarán Hinds lends his voice to the saint's writings. It's all part of a new £300,000 exhibit detailing St Patrick's life at the St Patrick Centre in Downpatrick. "St Patrick's Day is the biggest cultural festival in the world and it belongs to us here in Northern
Ireland and particularly in Downpatrick, Co Down ," said Dr Tim Campbell, Director at the centre. Read more: Guide to St Patrick's Day parades and events happening across
Northern Ireland "The exhibition has been three years in the making, so it's taken a long time for us to be able to come together. "Of course
Coronavirus came in the middle of everything but finally, finally, we've been able to completely refresh everything that's here." Dr Campbell said they have tried to use as many innovative methods as possible to tell the story of Ireland's patron saint. "The interesting thing about St Patrick is he tells his own story, the history of Ireland, the written word, begins with St Patrick," he said. "When you think of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' and all these genealogical programmes, people think it's great to get back to that elusive ancestor in the 1800s, the 1700s if you're lucky. "Imagine having a voice from the 400s and we do, we have the voice of Patrick through his writings. "What we've done is we've used his voice through actually Ciarán Hinds, the famous
Irish actor, he is the voice of St Patrick as you go around the exhibition." Dr Tim Campbell Audio and visual displays combine to tell the story of St Patrick and there are also features woven in in to keep children interested too. "All of your storyboards are new, we've got a really exciting light table which is the shape of Ireland," said Dr Campbell. "That tells the story of the snake, so there's lots for kids to do. "We've updated all the audio-visuals, we now tell the story of St Colmcille and St Colmbanus. "We also have got an incredible IMAX show - back in the day it took us an awful long time to get a helicopter with five cameras on it. "Nowadays you can just get drone and send it up and go face to face with St Patrick's statue, the tallest statue of St Patrick in the world, which is here at Saul. "So we're here to celebrate everything St Patrick, we own this, this is all about Northern Ireland, it's all about Co Down and we want people when they come to Ireland, to come and visit the St Patrick Centre." READ NEXT: Belfast St Patrick's Day road closures, city centre parking, traffic and travel St Patrick's Day 2023: Translink announce timetable changes for holiday travel NMNI strike to close Co Down museum on St Patrick's Day St Patrick's Day parade in Derry: Tens of thousands expected on city streets For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here. Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow BelfastLive
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