About
The Green Lane Museum in Limavady occupies a historic building in the heart of this market town in the Roe Valley, County Londonderry, preserving and presenting the heritage of one of Northern Ireland's lesser-visited but historically rich landscapes. The museum documents the long history of Limavady and the surrounding Roe Valley from prehistoric times through the Plantation of Ulster, the agricultural and domestic life of rural Londonderry, and the town's development as a linen and market centre.
Limavady's history stretches back many centuries. The original settlement took its name — meaning 'leap of the dog' in Irish — from a dramatic crossing point on the River Roe. The town's modern form dates largely to 1613 when Sir Thomas Phillips received a plantation grant and laid out the current street plan on rising ground above the river valley. The resulting town, with its broad main street and grid of secondary streets, is typical of the Plantation towns of early seventeenth-century Ulster.
The museum's collections reflect the life of the Roe Valley as an agricultural landscape shaped by the linen industry, Presbyterian culture, and the great estates of the Protestant Ascendancy. The Ievers family, associated with the area for generations, are among the notable local families documented in the collection, which includes furniture, agricultural implements, domestic objects, photographs, maps, and documents tracing the social and economic history of the district.
The Roe Valley is renowned beyond its historical associations for the legend of Jane Ross (1810–1879), a Limavady woman who in 1851 transcribed a tune played by a wandering fiddler on the town's main street. That tune — which she titled 'The Londonderry Air' — became one of the most beloved melodies in the Irish and international repertoire, known worldwide as 'Danny Boy'. The museum explores this musical legacy alongside the broader history of the town and valley.
The Roe Valley Country Park, managed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, provides a dramatic natural setting of river gorges, waterfalls, and woodland immediately south of Limavady. The museum serves as an introduction to the cultural and historical dimensions of this landscape, complementing the natural heritage of the park and offering visitors an understanding of the human layers of the Roe Valley before or after exploring the countryside.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Verify opening hours by phone before visiting — the museum operates with volunteer assistance and hours can vary.
- Combine your visit with a walk in the Roe Valley Country Park (1 mile south of town), which has beautiful river gorge scenery and the remains of historic linen mills.
- The Londonderry Air (Danny Boy) connection makes the museum of particular interest to Irish diaspora visitors tracing their heritage.
- Limavady is a useful base for the Causeway Coast: the Giant's Causeway is about 20 miles to the north-east.
- Dungiven Priory (8 miles up the Roe Valley) has an impressive O'Cahan tomb and is one of the finest medieval church ruins in Northern Ireland — well worth combining with a museum visit.
- The town has a pleasant main street with cafes and shops — allow time to explore before or after the museum.
- Public parking is available in the town centre a short walk from the museum.
Highlights
The Londonderry Air and Jane Ross
Limavady's most celebrated cultural legacy is its association with 'The Londonderry Air' — the melody universally known as 'Danny Boy'. In 1851, Jane Ross (1810–1879) of Limavady transcribed the tune from a street fiddler playing on the town's main street and submitted it to George Petrie for his Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland.
The tune's subsequent journey — set to 'Danny Boy' lyrics by Fred Weatherly in 1913 — made it one of the most recognised melodies in the world.
The museum explores this remarkable story and Jane Ross's role in preserving it.
The Plantation of Ulster and Limavady's Foundation
Limavady's modern street plan dates to 1613, when Sir Thomas Phillips received a Plantation grant and laid out the new town on rising ground above the River Roe. The Plantation of Ulster — the systematic colonisation of six Ulster counties by English and Scottish settlers after the Flight of the Earls in 1607 — transformed the landscape and society of the region.
The museum documents this period of intense change, examining the lives of both settler and native communities in the Roe Valley during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Roe Valley Agricultural Heritage
The Roe Valley was shaped by centuries of small-farm agriculture, with linen weaving as a cottage industry supplementing farm income through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The museum's agricultural and domestic collection documents this way of life through tools, implements, household objects, and furnishings representative of rural Londonderry.
Butter-making equipment, spinning wheels, looms, and blacksmith's tools are among the objects that bring to life the material culture of working families in the valley.
The Ievers Family and Local Gentry
The Protestant Ascendancy families who owned the land around Limavady shaped the town and valley for two centuries. The Ievers family — associated with estates in the Roe Valley area — are among those documented in the museum's collections through estate papers, portraits, furniture, and associated objects.
The relationship between the gentry estates and the wider community of the valley — linen workers, tenant farmers, craftsmen, and merchants — forms an important thread in the museum's account of local social history.
Collections
The Green Lane Museum's collections focus on the heritage of Limavady town and the Roe Valley, covering the period from prehistoric occupation through to the twentieth century. The core collecting areas are the agricultural and domestic life of rural County Londonderry, the Plantation-period and post-Plantation history of the town, the linen industry of the Roe Valley, and the cultural heritage of the area, including its association with the Londonderry Air.
Documentary collections include estate papers, maps, photographs, and oral history recordings relating to local families and communities.
The museum also holds material relating to the notable families of the area including the Ievers family and other landed gentry whose estates shaped the landscape and economy of the valley.
History of the Roe Valley
Permanent displays covering the history of Limavady and the Roe Valley from prehistoric times to the twentieth century
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.