Is there any such thing as an Ulster Scot? The emergence of ‘Ulster Scots’ as a language, and as an ethnic group, has been controversial to say the least. Critics have alleged that Ulster Scots is a made-up language, manufactured so that Northern Ireland’s Protestants would have a language and an identity that could compete (i.e. be funded in a parallel manner) with Catholics’ Irish language and identity.
That’s a crude representation of Ulster Scots, admittedly. But the results of a Northern Ireland Omnibus survey, released last week, demonstrate that Ulster Scots seems to have gained some currency in Northern Ireland’s public consciousness.
The Belfast Telegraph reported that 1,212 people were surveyed, with 18 per cent of those saying they identified as Ulster Scot. 29 per cent of people over 65 identified as Ulster Scot, while just 5 per cent of those between 16-24 identified as Ulster Scot.
Among Protestants, 31 per cent said they were Ulster Scot.
31 per cent seems to me an impressive figure, given the derision that Ulster Scots has endured.
Also, it is generally thought that the population that might identify with Ulster Scots would be concentrated among the descendants of Scottish Presbyterians, naturally eliminating the descendants of English settlers, who are more likely to have an Anglican or other Protestant heritage.
So to me, this survey indicates that the idea of ‘Ulster Scots’ has caught the imagination of more of Northern Ireland’s Protestants than might have been supposed.
Admittedly, people responding to a survey about Ulster Scots might be more likely to identify with it as a language and as an identity, because the very act of participating in the survey would get them thinking about it.
But these survey results prompt me to ask if it is possible to evaluate if, on the whole, the promotion of Ulster Scots has been good for community relations in Northern Ireland?
I have seen some of the positive effects.
For instance, in July Mark Anderson, who freelances for the Ulster Scots Agency, provided my students with a Lambeg drum demonstration as part of our Summer School on Understanding Loyalism. The impressive, handmade drum that he used was named ‘The Ulster Scot.’
Anderson is a part of the movement that wants to promote benign, creative aspects of Ulster Scots culture, for instance, highlighting the craftsmanship that goes into making a Lambeg drum and participating in joint musical demonstrations with Irish traditional musicians.
On the other hand, there’s a suspicion that the work that Anderson and others like him do is just a drop in the bucket, not really having an impact beyond a select few.
That said, I was surprised that 55% of Protestants and 31% of Catholics agreed that the Ulster Scots language was a valuable part of Northern Ireland culture.
Again, those figures seem to me surprisingly high. If we can believe that those surveyed were not just being polite, could this indicate that the manufacture of an Ulster Scots identity has had some positive public impact?
The full report on the survey can be downloaded here.
[I was away last week, so I’d like to thank Chris Morris for alerting me to this story]
Photo: Students on the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin at Belfast’s Summer School on Understanding Loyalism, with Mark Anderson and his Lambeg drum, the Ulster Scot.