Blue Plaque Approved To Honour Coleraine Folklorist Sam Henry

A blue plaque commemorating Coleraine-born folklorist and musician Sam Henry has been formally approved after the decision was ratified at a full meeting of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council on Tuesday evening. 

Henry, who was born in Coleraine in 1878 and educated at Sandelford School, is being recognised for his outstanding contribution to preserving the traditions, folklore, music and history of Northern Ireland.

He is best known for compiling Songs of the People, a collection of almost 690 traditional ballads and folk songs gathered between 1923 and 1939 while working for the Coleraine Constitution. The collection is regarded as one of the largest and most comprehensive archives of Irish folk music.

The plaque will become the third to be installed as part of the council's partnership with the Ulster History Circle.

Previous recipients honoured through the scheme include physicist James Sayers in Corkey in 2024 and pioneering golfer May Hezlet at Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2025.

Further details, including the location of the blue plaque and arrangements for its installation, are expected to be announced in due course.