Sam Henry Blue Plaque Approved By Committee And Set For Full Council Ratification

A proposal to honour Coleraine-born folklorist Sam Henry with an Ulster History Circle blue plaque has taken a significant step forward after receiving approval from councillors.

Members of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council's Leisure and Development Committee approved the recommendation at their meeting on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, paving the way for the installation of the plaque. The decision will now proceed to the full council for ratification.

Henry, who was born in Coleraine in 1878, is widely regarded as one of Ireland's most important collectors of traditional music, folklore and local history. He is best known for his Songs of the People series, published in the Northern Constitution between 1923 and 1939, which preserved hundreds of folk songs and stories gathered from communities across Northern Ireland.

During his career as a Pension and Excise Officer, Henry travelled extensively, recording songs, customs and traditions from people throughout the region. His daughter, Olive, later recalled that he often carried a tin whistle to help strike up conversations and build trust with those he met.

Beyond his folklore work, Henry was also a writer, lecturer, genealogist and broadcaster, beginning his radio career in 1925 and becoming actively involved in numerous organisations and community initiatives in the Coleraine area.

Today, Coleraine Museum cares for Henry's collection of more than 15,000 objects, documents and photographs. His work has gained recognition locally, nationally and internationally, with his song collections also held by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The songs were first published in book form by the University of Georgia in 1990.

If formally ratified by full council, the plaque will become the third installed under the council's current 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 in 2025.

Council officers are expected to review the council's initial three-year partnership with the Ulster History Circle later this year, with options for its future due to be presented to councillors in September.