Unknown Artist, Printed by SC Allan & Company Ltd, Belfast-London

Come to Ulster, c. 1934

This travel poster promoting holidays in Northern Ireland features a couple hiking through the dunes at Murlough, County Down, looking towards the Mourne Mountains. It was commissioned by the Ulster Tourism Development Association which was set up in 1923 as part of a joint initiative involving local authorities, businesses, seaside resorts and transport companies. The voluntary association opened the first tourist information office in Belfast in 1929 and created the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in 1948, which was the first such organisation established in the UK or Ireland, and which continues to operate today.

This poster is typical of many printed at this time featuring the work of prominent artists such as Paul Henry and Norman Wilkinson. This design may have been inspired by the formation of the Youth Hostelling Association of Northern Ireland in 1931. The poster exists in various forms with overprinted text providing information on travel to Northern Ireland by boat and train, and the various attractions on offer.