Guid Forder

25/12/2024

Alister McReynolds 1952-2024

Everyone at the Ulster-Scots Agency has been deeply saddened to learn of the sudden and unexpected passing of our good friend Alister McReynolds.

Alister made an enormous contribution to our current generation's understanding of Ulster-Scots, in particular our relationship with the United States.

He challenged received wisdom by highlighting the importance of New England as the place where the Ulster-Scots first made landfall in America, chronicling our shared stories in his book Kith and Kin; and the remarkable story of how our Ulster-Scots language travelled to America in his study, with Frank Ferguson, of Robert Dinsmoor, the Rustic Bard of New Hampshire.

He was also the first to establish a relationship between Ulster-Scots in Ulster and Ulster-Scots in Maine, USA, which endures to this day.

Alister served for several years on the board of the Ulster-Scots Community Network and was an enthusiastic supporter, speaking at many events over the years.

More recently he has also played an important role within the Ulster History Circle, championing the recognition of key Ulster-Scots figures, including Rev William Tennent, the educational pioneer regarded as the father of Princeton University, whose blue plaque was unveiled at Vinecash Presbyterian Church just a couple of weeks ago.

Alister would have played a vital role in the forthcoming programme of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026, when he would have been in his element. We will all be much poorer for his absence, but he will be remembered as we mark the important milestones to come.

Sincerest condolences to Alister's wife Eileen and his children Kirsty, Michael and Alex.

Ulster-Scots Community Network West Tyrone Ulster Scots - Derry & Raphoe Action Schomberg Mourne UlsterScots Small Steps Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland The Linen Hall U.S. Consulate Belfast Union Theological College, Belfast Maine Ulster Scots Project

25/12/2024

28/11/2024

"Whut's tha differs atween Ulster-Scots an 'The Doric' onieroad?"
Jeg N Brammle presents an introduction to Scots Leid words for parts of the body using a comparison of two different modern day educational graphics designed to teach Scots language body parts; one from Schomberg Mourne UlsterScots and the other created by a native Northeastern Scot and Doric dialect speaker.


Ulster-Scots Community Network Discover Ulster-Scots Scotch-Irish
UlsterScot FM Ulster-Scots Agency Ulster Scots of Colorado Maine Ulster Scots Project Fermanagh Ulster Scots Society

27/11/2024

Ulsther-Scotch Leid Week 20an24 / Ulster-Scots Language Week
HEIRSKIP DIALECK Wurd o tha Dey: Nummer Twa
'Heritage Dialect' Word Of the Day Number Two
HANTLE
Our 'Heirskip Dialeck' (Heritage Dialect) project seeks to map the historical and living history of the Scots and Ulster-Scots language in the American and greater Ulster-Scots/Scottish diaspora while also promoting the teaching of/study and use of broad Scots/Ulster-Scots within Scotch-Irish/Scottish-American diaspora.
Discover Ulster-Scots Ulster-Scots Community Network Maine Ulster Scots Project Scotch-Irish Scots Radio Ulster Scots of Colorado Schomberg Mourne UlsterScots

25/11/2024

Ulsther-Scotch Leid Week 20an24 / Ulster-Scots Language Week
'Heritage Dialect' Word Of the Day Number One
HEIRSKIP DIALECK Wurd o tha Dey: Nummer Yin
GLAIKIT/GLAKID
Jeg N Brammle's longterm 'Heirskip Dialeck' (Heritage Dialect) project seeks to map the historical and living history of the Scots and Ulster-Scots language in the American and greater Ulster-Scots/Scottish diaspora while also promoting the teaching of/study and use of broad Scots/Ulster-Scots within Scotch-Irish/Scottish-American diaspora.
'ach Daenae be glaikit noo, Scots *tha leid* is fer aabodie,Ay yer far-oot kinfowk skailt roon tha warl in Canadae, Yenkee Americae an Australie an mair asweel. See, y'ins nivver ken, aiblins them'uns knaas a bittae o tha owl tung lernt aff thair grans forbye, er mebbes thay wus rared in a holler*, a wee bit glen/airt o Appalachie whar fowk spakes a bit tha owl 'Scotch-eerish' moontin tawk yit...mebbes a 'wheen o wurds' ye micht uise anaa'
Ulster-Scots Agency Fermanagh Ulster Scots Society West Tyrone Ulster Scots - Derry & Raphoe Action Schomberg Mourne UlsterScots Maine Ulster Scots Project Ulster-Scots Community Network Scotch-Irish

23/09/2024

13/06/2024

Catch myself saying "wee" in every sentence these days 😁🥰

13/06/2024

In this week's Podcast Episode, Lolly Spence talks to us about George Francis Savage Armstrong.

As mentioned by Discover Ulster-Scots "This episode, filmed on and around Scrabo Hill in Newtownards, is about George Francis Savage Armstrong, a 19th century writer who loved the North Down and Ards Peninsula area. His mother grew up near Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula and spoke in her authentic Ulster-Scots tongue. It was primarily the memories she shared of this time which inspired George’s interest in the area, its history, people and storytelling. He gathered up many local tales and verses and crafted them into a collection of 92 songs and poems – Ballads of Down, published when he was 56 years old."

Watch the full episode of the 360° video series here: https://scots-irishtoday.com/2024/06/02/george-francis-savage-armstrong-the-woven-word/


Virtual Visit Tours

05/05/2024

y'ins wantin mair Bagpipes?

01/05/2024

✨ ULSTER-SCOTS WORD OF THE DAY ✨

▪️ Carfuffle
▪ Commotion

"Thon was a wile carfuffle tha ither nicht."

19/04/2024

PIEST, n. A discontented, peevish child, a grumbling complaining person (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.).
[Back-formation from Peester, to whine, complain, q.v. Cf. also Norw. dial. pist, a cowardly or miserly person, of the same orig.]
https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/piest
piesle ~ n. an ineffectual, clumsy worker. v. work in a fiddling, ineffectual way. (Ba,Br,C,G,L,O) (See pintle.) [prob. Sc. peist (orig. obsc.: f. CSD) work lethargically, etc. + -le (as in pachle, pintle)]
http://www.ulsterscotsacademy.com/.../hamely.../p/piesle.php

✨ ULSTER-SCOTS WORD OF THE DAY ✨

▪️ Piesle
▪ Clumsy person

"I wud be nae guid at that fer a’m a real piesle."

31/03/2024

As we say goodbye to March and hello to April, here's the different Ulster-Scots words which featured on our socials over the past month.

10/03/2024

"Caw tha Yowes tae tha Knowes.."
wee see here how Scots forms of related English words can often drop/swap an "L" sound for a "w" or omitted completley>
as in "Fa" (Fall) "Baw"(Ball) etc
"Know, n. Also: knowe, cnow, knou; (pl. knoys).
[Var. of Knoll n., with the regular change of -ol(l. The usual Sc. form, and also in the mod. Sc. and north. Eng. dial. as knowe.]"
https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/know_n

✨ ULSTER-SCOTS WORD OF THE DAY ✨

▪️ Knowe
▪ Hillock

09/03/2024

sapple ~ soak; have a squelching sound. sappled thoroughly soaked. sapplin waterlogged; sopping. [f. Sc. sap sop (CSD)]
http://www.ulsterscotsacademy.com/.../hamely.../s/sapple.php
[Freq. form of Sap, v.2. The n. is developed from the v.]
SAPPLE, v., n. Also saple.
[sɑpl]
I. v. 1. To soak, saturate with water, rain, etc.
https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sapple

✨ ULSTER-SCOTS WORD OF THE DAY ✨

▪️ Sapplin
▪ Soaking

"The weans were caught in a plump an came hame sapplin."

02/03/2024

02/03/2024

gunk ~ v. shock, mortify. n. a shock of disappointment; a jolt to one’s pride. gunked taken aback, mortified (esp. al gunked; badly gunked). (Also begunk; begunked.) [perh. f. OSc. guk foolishness, behave foolishly, w. infl. f. gowk (SND)]
http://www.ulsterscotsacademy.com/.../hamely.../g/gunk.php

✨ ULSTER-SCOTS WORD OF THE DAY ✨

▪️ Gunk
▪ Shock

"We got a quare gunk."

21/02/2024

Today is International Mother Language Day. It's observed every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

It is thought that a language disappears every two weeks, taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage, while at least 45% of the estimated 7,000 languages spoken in the world are said to be endangered.

At the Ulster-Scots Agency, we work to identify, interpret and animate the Ulster-Scots language, heritage and culture. The growth in the use of the Ulster-Scots language is evident in the results of the 2021 census, where some 190,000 people declared an ability of Ulster-Scots.

While the areas of strongest Ulster-Scots speech can be found in the coastal arc of Northern Ireland which encompasses counties Down, Antrim and Londonderry; everybody kens a wee bit o’ Ulster-Scots and most people in Northern Ireland speak the language every day – often without realising.

To learn more about the Ulster-Scots language, read our wee guide ‘Aye!’ at the following link: https://ow.ly/ALO650QG5zH