The North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said this week that the new tourism drive to attract the Irish Diaspora to visit Ireland in 2013 should be expanded to encourage those with Ulster Scots roots to also make the trip.
According to the Irish Independent some unionists have rejected calls for the Dublin government-endorsed 'The Gathering' tourism drive to be promoted by the Northern Ireland Executive.
The unionist politicians claimed that the initiative was 'too green and relied too heavily on images of leprechauns and donkeys.'
Responding to their concerns the Deputy First Minister told the Northern Assembly that the 2013 initiative should still be considered by Executive ministers, as long as it reflects all traditions. McGuinness added that he understood unionist concerns about the campaign.
'If there was some opportunity to expand the whole concept of The Gathering in a way that would see the Ulster Scots people of North America included for example and indeed many others in different parts of the world, be it in Australia, Canada or elsewhere, I think that's something that's absolutely worthy of consideration,' he said.
'I think what we have to do is recognise that whenever this project was first mooted I think it is understandable that there may have been some concern among some of our colleagues in this Assembly about how that would be used.'
McGuinness added that it was 'hugely important' to gain mutual benefit out of tourist initiatives.
'I like to approach these things in a way that sees us gain mutual benefit for all of us but to do it in a way that everybody's comfortable with,' he said.
'And I think if we were to consider the prospect that the whole concept of The Gathering could be expanded then of course this is something I would have to discuss with ministerial colleagues and seek their support for, and if that could be done in a way that's inclusive, that everybody is comfortable with, then I think it's certainly worthy of consideration.'
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.canadianirish | May 16, 2012, 09:44 PM EDT
sorry, that should read 'terrific'
canadianirish | May 16, 2012, 09:42 PM EDT
A teriffic idea, Martin McGuinness.
Seanmor | May 16, 2012, 09:10 PM EDT
citizen69: Sme people seem to think that all Protestants in the U.S.who have Irish ancestry are Scots-Irish. One example of this is Clare native Roland Curtin who emigrated to Penn. around the 1830s and married a daughter of Senator Andrew Gregg. The couple's son Andrew Gregg Curtin was Governor of Penn. during the Civil War. The Governor's father (a Clareman) has no known connection with Ulster or Scotland, yet he is sometmes described as Scots-Irish.
citizen69 | May 16, 2012, 01:18 PM EDT
@oldboreen: a couple of corrections. the Scots & English planters weren't placed in Ulster to displace the Irish (as few were displaced) but to even up the numbers with those who would be loyal to a Protestant crown. Yes they proudly acknowledge their origins to be Scottish but that doesn't mean many don't regard themselves as Irish. Remember the United Irishmen was founded by and predominately consisted of Protestant Scot planters from Ulster. There's nothing misleading about regarding oneself as an Ulsterman. I'm a proud Ulsterman myself and also regard myself as Irish. @Seanmor: Strangely enough, most northern Protestants are more willing to describe themselves as Irish while outside of Ireland than they are while in Ireland! It loses it political connotations when outside of the Island and is more of a geographical reference.
citizen69 | May 16, 2012, 12:43 PM EDT
The term 'Ulster Scots' has been in use in Ireland since at least the 1880's and there are plenty on books from these times that use it. There is also a well known Anti-home rule poster from 1901 entitled 'The Ulster-Scots' showing a historic Scottish warrior claiming the right of Ulster-Scots to defend Ulster from 'Rome Rule'... 'Scotch-Irish' is an older term and has been used in America from before the mass immigration of Catholic Irish around the 1840's. But SeanMor is correct in saying that most Scotch-Irish referred to themselves as simply Irish or less commonly as simply Scottish. Yes the Northern Ireland football team referred to themselves as Ireland up until the 70's. The Republic was the break-away team after partition and played under the name Irish Free State. The northern team were regarded as the national team for all Ireland until 1950. A FIFA ruling stated that neither team could be officially called Ireland, the decreed the northern team should be known as Northern Ireland, while the south would be known as Republic of Ireland. Back to the main article, Ulster Scots should definitely be included in 'the Gathering' campaign as there are probably as many, if not more people of Scots-Irish decent in America as there are Catholic Irish, most just don't know it!
IrelandNorth | May 16, 2012, 09:30 AM EDT
BTB! You missed SM's double entendre, (Hic!) OB! SM is Irish-American. He quite probably doesn't need a condenscending lecture. EK! Now that peace has been declared and broken out on the island of Ireland, I trust you will gather with us soon. As a Lenster unionists, I urge the Irish Government to subsidise such travel arrangements of diaspora. BTB! "IRA terrorists" (sic) are less likely to blow anything up in an athmosphere of mutual inclusion. DOL! Spot on old chap. Spoken like a gentleman. SOM! An older brother is reading an interesting book by some woman called Mc Carthy called "The Other Irish: The Ulster-Scots in the United States" or some such title. Many notables. Davy Crokett - King of the Wild Frontier - had a cousin who fought at the Siege of Derry on the Williamite side. Both traditions on this island produced many good men and women. Why not celebrate them?
wdwrkr371 | May 16, 2012, 07:50 AM EDT
bythebay are you related to Ian Paisley or something???
DanOLoingsigh | May 16, 2012, 04:15 AM EDT
Seanmor - That would be Wembley, just up the road from Wembleton...tennis anyone?
Seanmor | May 15, 2012, 09:39 PM EDT
Oldboreen: I'm American by citizenship, English by birth and Irish by heritage and everything else - an Irishness that applies to all of Ireland, the country in which I was raised. I first met a Northern Protestant as a teenager in Sussex in the late 50s. Freddie never said he was Ulster Scots, Scots-Irish or anything else but Irish. His English co-workers often called him Paddy but he didn't seem to mind. In Nov. of 57, a soccer tean called Ireland beat England 3 goals to 2 at Wembleton. The victorious team represented only the North, but Freddie and I were jumping for joy at the results. My first trip to the North was in 2006,accompnied by my wife, a New England Methodist who has family connections near Belfast. Our hostess was a member of the Church of Ireland, the only denomination that takes its name from the country. Before wse left N.Y. my wife phoned the British Tourist office for info on the North, but she was referred to an Board Fáilte, who sent a tour book for all of Ireland. I now hold in my hand a leaflet issued by the Orange Order and its official title is The Orange Instution of Ireland. Not a word about Ulster Scots, Scots-Irish or any other hint of 'racial' differences between Orangemen and Nationalists in the Emerald Isle. In closing, I'd like to say that the true Scots are more Gaelic than the average Irish Nationalist.
Bythebay | May 15, 2012, 08:17 PM EDT
seanomelb, the term Ulster Scots has been used for decades, must have escaped the news in Australia.
aloistmartin | May 15, 2012, 07:59 PM EDT
Ireland`s Green Hills need Tourists, like Mars needs Women. Like England needs to Free Tibet. Like Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton need C.I.A covert Global Humanization. Like January Jones needs a Sports Illustrated Wet Suit Centerfold ? Like ......
seanomelb | May 15, 2012, 07:24 PM EDT
"Ulster Scots" is a relatively new phrase used by a section of the population to find an identity and to hide their Irishness and their bigotry.
DanOLoingsigh | May 15, 2012, 07:21 PM EDT
Oldboreen – You make a few sweeping statements…first you claim that the term 'Northern Ireland' is not strictly accurate…how can this be? I guess you were given a name by your parents, as it is the right of parents to choose a name for their children…similarly the people of an area are allowed to give that area a name …and the name chosen in this case was 'Northern Ireland' – or are you like the Greeks who don’t like the Macedonians calling their state Macedonia? And how can they not be Ulstermen, if they were born in a part of Ulster?...I know a number who do consider themselves as Irish, as well as Ulstermen..and carry an Irish passport…
DanOLoingsigh | May 15, 2012, 07:20 PM EDT
Oldboreen – You make a few sweeping statements…first you claim that the term 'Northern Ireland' is not strictly accurate…how can this be? I guess you were given a name by your parents, as it is the right of parents to choose a name for their children…similarly the people of an area are allowed to give that area a name …and the name chosen in this case was 'Northern Ireland' – or are you like the Greeks who don’t like the Macedonians calling their state Macedonia? And how can they not be Ulstermen, if they were born in a part of Ulster?...I know a number who do consider themselves as Irish, as well as Ulstermen..and carry an Irish passport…
Bythebay | May 15, 2012, 06:26 PM EDT
EphraimKibbey, if they come they take their changes don't they? The big thing in the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland now is the Olympics and trying to assure the IRA terrorists don't blow anything up. Far more are expected to travel for the Olympics than any pseudo Gathering.
EphraimKibbey | May 15, 2012, 04:44 PM EDT
I've only been able to afford one trip to Ireland and so my family toured the whole island. I would think the same would be true of many people returning for the Gathering. I had a chance to visit the Ireland in 1967 as a student but my parents forbade it because of the newspaper articles about the Troubles. I think that current stories about new unrest in the North would be the only thing that would keep visitors from enjoying all parts of your beautiful home.
oldboreen | May 15, 2012, 01:08 PM EDT
Seanmor, I appreciate that as an American, you can be forgiven for not undersanding the term 'Ulster Scots.Allow me to enlighten. The majority of people in the north east of Ireland,ie the six counties, or 'Northern Ireland',or 'Ulster'(neither of the latter two designations being stricly accurate by the way-but we'll let that go for the sake of brevity),are largely descended from inpoverished Protestant Scots (and a much smaller number of poor English) settled there by the British, as a deliberate policy to displace the native Irish. It follows therefore, that the incomers, and their descendants, did not, and do not, consider themselves to be 'Irish'. They regard themselves as being 'Ulsterman'-a misleading term since three of the nine Ulster counties are in the Irish Republic-Eire-(formerly 'The Irish Free State')They proudly acknowledge their origins to be Scottish,indeed, be in Northern Ireland on 12 July, and you're left in little doubt as to where they came from!!! With respect, you may not have heard the term 'Ulster Scots', but that is precisely what they are. I hope this provides some explanation.
Bythebay | May 15, 2012, 11:49 AM EDT
Northern Ireland, eg. the United Kingdom is having its own gathering this year for the Olympics. Scotland had homecoming last year.
Bythebay | May 15, 2012, 11:19 AM EDT
Seanmor, Scotch is a whisky. The correct terminology in areas where Ulster Scots settled in the US is Scots Irish. Ulster Scots terminology is the terminology used this side of the pond, fyi.
Seanmor | May 15, 2012, 10:51 AM EDT
McGuinness has a very good idea about tourism, but the term "Uster Sots" is unfamiliar to mmost people. During my fifty plus yeras in this country -2½ years in military bases in the Carolinas - I mever met or heard of an Ulster Scot. The most famous of this group was probably President Andrew Jackson, who became a member of The Hibernian Society (not to be confused with the AOH). Jackson never identified with the British, as he proved at New Orleans. Some historians claim that the tern "Scots-Irish" hardly existed befor the arrival of the Famine victims in the late 1840s. Prior to that, immigrants from all parts of Ireland seemed to consider themselves Irish. However, there is no shortage of SCOTCH IRISH an either side the pond nowadays.