Dan Winter's Cottage

09/10/2026

A group of people from across the UK, brought together by one shared passion – community heritage and regeneration.

We were delighted to welcome them to Dan Winter’s Cottage as part of their Heritage Network Conference 2026.

It was a pleasure to share the history and heritage of our cottage with people who are equally passionate about preserving and celebrating our shared heritage for future generations.

27/09/2026

It was a pleasure to welcome Sharon Zolper from Beverly, Massachusetts, who is back home visiting family in Carryduff and Ballygowan, County Down.

Sharon was joined by her sister Rosemary and her husband, Steven Lappin, along with her brother Robert Bamford and his little son, Kieran.

You were all so very welcome, and we hope you enjoyed your visit, including the talk and demonstration on the weaving loom. Sharon and Rosemary even had a go on the spinning wheel themselves!

Thank you for coming to see us, and we hope to welcome you all back again sometime soon.

21/09/2026

20/09/2026

An amazing visit from Carrickfergus Temperance 1537!

The group were very interested in learning about the significance of the cottage and its importance as a focal point in the Battle of the Diamond.

During their visit, they were shown two of the original guns used in the battle, one of which belonged to Colonel William Blacker.

It was a pleasure to welcome you all. Thank you very much for your support and for your incredibly kind donation towards the ongoing upkeep and preservation of the cottage.

We hope you enjoyed your visit as much as we enjoyed having you!

17/09/2026

🧵 Gathering the Threads at Dan Winter’s Cottage, Loughgall

📅 Saturday 17th October at 10.30am

Join us for a special gathering celebrating rural heritage, local stories and the linen industry, set within the historic surroundings of Dan Winter’s Cottage — a 17th-century listed, vernacular mud-walled cottage.

Come along, meet others with an interest in our rural heritage, share stories and explore the history and traditions connected to this unique place.

This event is part of the Rural Community Network’s ‘Heritage Threads’ project and is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

⚠️ Spaces are limited, so booking is essential.

☕ Tea and coffee and a light lunch will be provided.

To book your place, please complete the form below 👇

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/67LbpBfkiF

13/09/2026

Welcome Andy and Theresa Tanner from Grimsby, Ontario, Canada to Dan Winter’s Cottage! 🇨🇦☘️

Andy and Theresa have been travelling around Ireland and made their way to Dan Winter's Cottage.

We had a wonderful day in their company. They were fascinated by the cottages history and enjoyed seeing the loom and spinning wheels in action.

Andy and Theresa, you’ll both be very welcome back to see us next year when you return for your family wedding and thank you so much for your very kind invitation to Canada! 🇨🇦

30/08/2026

A warm welcome to the Brun family from Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷 who are currently enjoying a holiday in Northern Ireland and staying with their relatives, the Cornett family, in Hamiltonsbawn.

We had a wonderful time chatting, exchanging stories and sharing a little of the history of the cottage. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you all!

We hope you enjoyed your visit to Dan Winter’s Cottage, and you’ll always be very welcome back.

23/08/2026

We recently had the pleasure of welcoming a group of friends from England to Dan Winter’s Cottage.

Judith and Cliff Gilbert from Stafford have been holidaying around Ireland with their good friend Karen Birchall from Sutton Coldfield and stopped by to pay us a visit.

It was a pleasure sharing the history of the cottage with you all, and a special thank you to Judith for sharing some of her own knowledge and experience of spinning and flax it made for a very interesting visit!

We hope you enjoyed the rest of your day and your travels around Ireland. It was lovely to meet you all, and we hope to welcome you back again someday.

19/08/2026

We had a visit today from Robert Love, who was passing through the area on his way home from Dublin.

Originally from Donegal, Robert told us he simply couldn’t pass through without stopping in for a visit. With a great knowledge of the history of the area, there was plenty of interesting conversation to be had.

Before he continued on his journey, we couldn’t resist snapping a photo of Robert with his beautiful classic convertible Porsche certainly a stylish way to travel!

16/08/2026

Andreas Thurau-Koslitsch and his partner from Holland have been touring Ireland by motorcycle for the past three weeks.

During their visit up North, they were especially interested in coming to see Dan Winter’s Cottage and learning more about its connections to the Battle of the Diamond, as well as the cottage linen industry.

They were given a demonstration on our traditional weaving loom and shown our extensive collection of spinning wheels and Irish linen.

It was a very interesting visit and a wonderful exchange of history. We also learned a great deal about the area where Andreas and his partner live, as Holland has many fascinating historical connections with Ulster’s weaving and linen industry.