The Ullans Academy: 9

In November 2014, on the Feast of Columbanus, the Ullans Academy, in accordance with its Memorandum of Association, published two initial volumes of the Bible in Plain Scots or standard Ullans. Until this time the Bible has not been completely translated into Plain Scots. In Scotland, prior to the Reformation Parliament of 1560, church services were usually conducted in Latin. The Vulgate version used was also a Latin translation, because using the vernacular languages was regarded as heresy by the Roman Catholic Church, particularly so after the attack by Martin Luther on the Papacy from 1517. The register chosen was defined by the fact that Ullans, by a process called “colonial shift”, is a purer form of Scots than that spoken in Scotland itself, but readily useable throughout the Scots-speaking world. It is therefore not a dialect, but a unique and precious remnant of the language itself.

Sometime before 1539, Murdoch Nisbet, from the parish of Loudoun in Ayrshire, produced a Scots translation of the New Testament. Nisbet was associated with a group of Lollards and worked from John Purvey’s 1520s revision of the famous John Wycliffe version of the fourteenth century. However, because of initial fears of religious persecution, that work remained an unpublished manuscript known only to his family and Bible scholars until it was edited and printed by the Scottish Texts Society in 1901-5, under the auspices of Lord Amherst of Hackney.

The Scottish Parliament briefly enacted in 1543 that people were permitted to own a Bible in Scots or English, but that dispensation was repealed soon after. Only in 1560, when Scotland became Calvinist, did a vernacular Bible finally become legal. The new Scottish Church adopted the English Geneva Bible because it was the only full translation available which was ideologically acceptable to them, and also since it was in a language so close to the vernacular that it could be commonly read. Nisbet’s Bible would in all probability not have been acceptable to Calvinists, and that is the reason why it remained unknown outside his family. In 1579 the Scottish Parliament passed an Act which said that every householder of substance should own a Bible in the vernacular, and the Bible in English, with a preface in Scots, was reissued.

In 1601 the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland met at Burntisland, and discussion took place regarding a new version of the Bible being produced in the vernacular of Lowland Scots. However, that came to nothing because in 1603 King James VI succeeded to the British throne as James I. James was keen to bring about conformity in culture, language and religion across his kingdoms, based on court practice in London. Instead of Scots, therefore, he commissioned the King James (Authorised) Version (KJV), in English. That is not to say, of course, that Scottish sermons and preaching were conducted solely in English from 1560. Indeed, there is evidence that Scottish Presbyterian ministers commonly preached in Scots well into the nineteenth century.

On occasion, there were complaints about the drawbacks of using texts in English. In the 1630s the Church of Scotland wrote to Charles I about his new Prayer Book. Objections were made to many of the terms which were unknown to the ordinary people. Later, after 1703, the Reverend James Kirkwood commented “Does not everybody know that in our English Bibles there are several hundred words and phrases not vulgarly used nor understood by a great many in Scotland, who have no other Translation?” However, because Scottish ministers often paraphrased texts, and because of the increasing impetus towards Anglo-Scottish political union, the idea of a Bible in Scots did not seem an important enough issue, especially among the aristocracy.

Indeed, by the 1750s the so-called Moderate Party, which now dominated the Scottish Church, chose to preach in English. Certainly, by 1800 the idea of a Bible in Scots would have seemed increasingly irrelevant to many among the upper classes. Despite that, academics and others continued to take an interest in Scots translations. For instance, Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte (1813-91), nephew of the former French Emperor, was a keen linguist who commissioned translations of parts of the Bible into various languages, including Scots, during the 1850s and 1860s. However, those translations were made from English rather than Greek, and the largely literary translators would often choose to retain many features which were not Scottish.

It was William Laughton Lorimer (1885-1967), a native of Angus and celebrated classical scholar, who finally translated the New Testament from the original koine Greek (and other sources) into Scots during the 1950s and 1960s (though when Satan speaks, he is quoted in Standard English). Lorimer’s son completed revisions, and the result was finally published in 1983 to instant acclaim. It has justly been recognised as one of the great works of literature in Scots in the modern era, during which time the beautiful language of the KJV has become increasingly archaic.

Most Scots Bible translations have traditionally taken English texts as their source. A translation of Old Testament texts from the original Hebrew would require a substantial investment of money, time and expertise over as long as a generation, probably involving generous state backing and the expertise of one or more university departments. It is a distinct possibility that no such translation will ever be completed, and it was to plug the resulting gap that the present project was conceived.

The source text for the current translation was the Bible in Basic English (BBE), which first became available in the 1940s. Published without any copyright notice, it immediately and irretrievably fell into the public domain and is today available to download freely from the Internet.

In this translation, the word order has in many cases been changed, and the core 1,000-word vocabulary used in the BBE greatly expanded. Circumlocutions used to reduce the number of distinct lexemes (for example, using phrasal verbs or combinations of verb and noun) have been replaced with fewer words but employing a larger vocabulary (for example, a single less common or higher-register verb). For those reasons, the text now being published bears only limited relation to the BBE and may stylistically be regarded as a translation in its own right.

The Ullans Academy was formed prior to the Ulster-Scots Language Society in July 1992, following a meeting between the linguist Professor Robert J. Gregg and myself in Vancouver, British Columbia. One of its prime objects was the undertaking of a Bible translation into Scots supportive of and appropriate to the other language development work of the Ullans Academy. I have outlined the history of this movement in three articles, viz.: “The Ullans Academy” in Legislation, Literature and Sociolinguistics: Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Scotland, edited by John Kirk and Dónall P. Ó Baoill (Belfast: Cló Ollscoil na Banríona 2005); “The Ulster-Scots Movement. A Personal Account” in Language Issues: Ireland, France, Spain, edited by Wesley Hutchinson and Clíona Ní Ríordáin ( Brussels: P.I.E. Peter Lang 2010); and “Common Identity” in Ulster-Scots in Northern Ireland Today: Language, Culture Community / L’Ulster-Scots en Irelande du Nord aujourd’hui: langue, culture, communauté, by Wesley Hutchinson (Rennes, Presses Universitaires 2014).

We were highly honoured that Gavin Falconer and Ross G. Arthur had chosen us to act as sponsors of their superlative and historic translation of the Bible in Plain Scots. There could be none better than they for the task of bringing to the Scottish people such an inspirational work during this time of renewed interest in cultural expression. We are grateful to the former Ministerial Advisory Group on the Ulster-Scots Academy of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure for their financial support for these Volumes I and III, to my friends and colleagues in the Ullans Academy, to Professor Wesley Hutchinson of the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3 and to Helen Brooker of Pretani Associates Ltd. , Consultants in Common Identity, and to Wordzworth printing services for their invaluable assistance in producing the Old Testament in Scots, which we distributed free throughout the community.

Concluded

Dr Ian Adamson OBE

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The Ullans Academy: 8

It remains difficult to see how the damage done to the Ulster Scots movement and the establishment of a statutory Academy can be rectified at this stage. But the blame must surely lie with those who were embued with narrow sectarian and political attitudes, often bizarrely so, particularly though British Israelite theories, who achieved high status in government and stifled any attempt to promote the true ideals of the movement.

As for the original Ulster Scots (Ullans) Academy which we established in 1992, it has continued to promote aspects of shared heritage, common identity and community relations between the nationalist and unionist sections of our community in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to Belfast. The group was established with the idea that bringing people together through their shared cultural heritage would raise awareness of those things that bind us together rather than divide us and thus foster a sense of mutual tolerance and respect, and this it has achieved.

The management committee of the Ullans Academy consists of a core of hardworking and dedicated volunteers who meet on a weekly basis and this committee is completely inter-community in its nature. Members of the management committee have significant experience working in the sphere of community development, education and researching the history, heritage and common identity of Northern Ireland. Indeed the make-up of the committee has a number of politicians, professional personnel and community development workers within its ranks.

We feel that having an experienced and proactive committee is key to our future success and ultimately the ability of the Ullans Academy to have an impact upon a greater awareness of the shared cultural heritage, both of Ulster Scots and Ulster Gaelic. Furthermore the promotion of awareness of those aspects in our heritage and culture which bind rather than divide our communities will lead to the development of stronger inter-community relationships in future years.

Thus the key objectives of the group are:To encourage and promote the shared Ulster Gaelic/Ulster Scots heritage and to raise awareness throughout Northern Ireland for our shared cultural heritage through delivery of high quality and engaging events and activities particularly our Saint Patrick’s Breakfast and the Feast of Columbanus. To go into the community and encourage inter-community activity and exploration of the diversity of community learning as an extension of education.

As Northern Ireland moves further into the post conflict period there are still a large number of people who are struggling to develop and are still experiencing minimal inter-community contact. These “hard to reach” areas, both nationalist and unionist, Protestant and Roman Catholic, are some of the key areas that the Ullans Academy has sought to engage and will continue to do over the next number of years to facilitate the ongoing development of a more prosperous and peaceful society in the local community across Northern Ireland.

Furthermore the educational and capacity building programmes which the Ullans Academy have delivered within and between some of the most affected areas as a result of the Troubles, will improve the confidence, self esteem and personal development of participants. Additionally the programmes help to build upon skills that are paramount to other aspects of life such as employment and education. We wish the MAGUS group well but doubt that it will eventually deliver us a statutory Ulster- Scots or Ullans Academy.

To be concluded

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The Ullans Academy: 7

The remit of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Ulster Scots (MAGUS) appointed by the former Minister Nelson McCausland in March 2011 was  “to produce a coherent strategy for supporting the development of the Ulster-Scots sector”. The group was then invited, however, to advise the then Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Carál Ní Chuilín, on the use of her department’s academy budget ” to complement the activities of established organisations”. “Members were thus afforded the opportunity to contribute to widening and deepening knowledge, understanding and celebration of our Ulster-Scots heritage; to maximising its economic benefits; and to reinvigorating the pride and confidence of the Ulster-Scots community”.The MAGUS members met for the first time on May 12, 2011 and they agreed on the broad aims and principles which were to guide their work.

“We will promote excellent research, authentic information and good appreciation of the Ulster-Scots tradition, including its international and contemporary impacts. We will identify and support actions which will make a lasting difference.

“We strongly believe in the importance of culture in a shared society such as ours. We are working not only to record the ways and values of our ancestors but also to grow mutual respect between the various cultural traditions in this place; to challenge damaging myths and misunderstandings; and to play our part in building a pluralist, egalitarian society.

“We are committed to strong community engagement; full and open collaboration with the Ulster-Scots Agency and our other partners; and making the outputs from our investments widely accessible.

“Our vision is to retain the language priority at the heart of the Academy approach, but not at the expense of the attendant tradition, history and heritage. Down through the years the Ulster-Scots have contributed enormously to social, cultural and economic development in Ireland, the United States and elsewhere – arguably beyond their numbers – and it is imperative that this contribution is recognised and understood.

Over the next four years, we want to see a transformation in the standing of the sector.”

Success will be judged by:

• The sector’s confidence, credibility and capacity;
• Progress with the language agenda;
• The quality and quantity of translations and publications;
• The development of a substantial Ulster-Scots tourist trail and quality visitor attractions, including ancient settlements;
• A growing and accessible archive of documents and artefacts;
• A greater focus on authentic music and dance;
• An expanding research agenda;
• Eight quality educational products for all ages;
• The quality of our partnerships with other bodies and research institutions which share our strategic objectives;
• The quality of our community and international connections;

The role of the Ministerial Advisory Group would be:

• to produce a development and research strategy for the sector;
• to oversee the implementation of the strategy;
• to progress the Ulster-Scots Academy approach;
• to identify and support discrete projects under three streams of activity: language and literature; history, heritage and culture; education and research.,

The group would pursue these strategic objectives:

• to contribute to building broad understanding of the Ulster-Scots tradition in Ireland, Scotland and further afield;
• to maximise the impact of the resources available to the Ulster-Scots sector;
• to promote coherence in the sector;
• to secure the broadest possible support for its work across the community.

The group’s actions would include:

• commissioning research into all aspects of the Ulster-Scots tradition;
• supporting projects which carry the strategy forward and which cannot be fully funded elsewhere;
• supporting the translation, publication and promotion of significant texts in relating the Ulster-Scots story;
• supporting work to catalogue and improve access to archives, significant collections, and historical sites;
• supporting the development and promotion of innovative educational products and services.

To be continued

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The Ullans Academy: 6

On 23rd March 2010, the  then Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister Nelson McCausland unveiled his plans for the way forward of the Ulster-Scots Academy. Speaking at North Down Museum in Bangor – home of the Raven Maps, a key artefact from the 1600s –  in a speech cleverly written in Departmental language, Nelson emphasised how important Ulster-Scots is as one of Northern Ireland’s main cultural traditions. I attended on the invitation of the Ulster Scots Agency, of which I was a member.

“Last year, a major independent survey showed that Ulster-Scots continues to be widely recognised, across both sections of our community, as an integral part of the cultural fabric of Northern Ireland,” Nelson said.

“As such, and as part of a shared future, it is only right and proper that we continue to support and promote this important aspect of our culture.”

He outlined “a number of measures to ensure the evolution and enhancement of Ulster-Scots, as well as ways of recognising and maintaining its history and heritage.”

“Among a range of plans are the establishment of a Ministerial Advisory Group to develop an Academy strategy and priorities for the CSR period. Alongside this there are various Ulster-Scots projects which reflect the diversity of the sector. My aim has always been to build confidence, capacity and credibility within the Ulster-Scots community and the way it is perceived in the wider society. I believe these plans are the way to secure mutual respect and growth at the wider community level.”

“The initiative has three strands: Language and Literature; History, Heritage and Culture; and Education and Research. I believe great damage has been done to the development of the sector by opponents who have sought to characterise this as being all about the status of the Ulster-Scots language. Clearly, it is about much more than that – this is a rich and vibrant culture which has shaped many aspects of life in Northern Ireland.”

And so it came to pass that Nelson announced the appointment of a Ministerial Advisory Group for the Ulster-Scots Academy.

Following open competitions for the appointment of a Chairman and four new Members, these were appointed with immediate effect for a period of up to four years. Yet another four members to “represent the Ulster-Scots Sector” were appointed by the Minister himself. As it turned out, however, the group was actually a very good, indeed excellent, one, although whether it was capable of producing a statutory Ulster-Scots Academy remained to be seen.

The Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Group was Dr Bill Smith, and the Members of the Ministerial Advisory Group were Dr Caroline Baraniuk, Dr John McCavitt, Dr David Hume MBE, Dr Ivan Herbison, Tom Scott OBE, Iain Carlisle, and John Erskine. The Ullans Academy, of course, did not get a look in.

At the launch of the “ MAGUS”, the Minister thanked the Chairman and Members for agreeing to sit on the Ministerial Advisory Group, and added: “This group has been established to provide advice on the strategic development of the Ulster-Scots sector and to rapidly build confidence within the sector by progressing projects under the three streams of activity for the proposed Ulster-Scots Academy, i.e. Language and Literature; History, Heritage and Culture; and Education and Research.

“Each of the new appointees has skills and experience which will make a valuable contribution to the work of the Ministerial Advisory Group.” Appointees are to serve for a period of up to four years with immediate effect.

Bill Smith was an independent professional adviser on issues of public policy, strategic planning and governance. He has worked extensively with a range of organisations in the public and voluntary sectors. He was a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast, and has recently completed a major research project for the US Institute of Peace. He was a member of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland; Board Chairman of Early Years, the organisation for young children; and a non-executive Director of Volunteer Now. No political activity was declared.

Dr Caroline Baraniuk had a doctorate in Ulster- Scots literature, from the University of Glasgow, which focused on the poetry of James Orr. She worked in the Ulster- Scots Curriculum Development Unit at Stranmillis University College for four years. The Unit produced school curriculum materials designed to teach Ulster- Scots language, history and culture. She had also published essays on Ulster-Scots literature in academic journals. Dr Baraniuk had taught extra mural courses on the history of the Ulster- Scots community, contributed to radio and television programmes and had presented papers on Ulster-Scots literature at academic conferences. No political activity was declared.

Dr John McCavitt was a teacher with almost twenty five years experience. He has engaged in research on early seventeenth century history, a “formative period” for the “Ulster Scots”. He was historical consultant to the Ulster Scots Agency for the Hamilton and Montgomery commemoration, 2006. Dr McCavitt’s first book was a biography of Sir Arthur Chichester, often referred to as the ‘Architect of the Ulster Plantation’. He had since authored books on The Flight of the Earls and was an historical consultant to BBC N.Ireland’s three part television series on the subject. His current research focused on General Ross, a famous British soldier from Rostrevor, who fought with and against many of his fellow countrymen in the USA during the War of 1812. This conflict highlights the extraordinary contribution of the “Ulster Scots” during what has been termed as the ‘Second War of Independence’. He had also worked with a number of councils on cultural heritage. No political activity was declared.

Dr David Hume had been involved in Ulster- Scots community activities for many years and was co-founder of the Broadisland Gathering Festival in Ballycarry, Co. Antrim, the longest established Ulster- Scots festival. He had published books and research papers on Ulster- Scots history, people and events as well as contributing to radio programmes and journal and delivering talks on Ulster- Scots language and heritage. These include the Plantation of Ulster and Ulster- Scots emigration to America among others. Dr Hume had devised and delivered courses on the Ulster- Scots history and related topics, including community development in Ulster- Scots communities. In 2007 Dr Hume was awarded an MBE for services to the community in Larne and Ballycarry, including Ulster Scots activities. No political activity was declared

Dr Ivan Herbison had nearly thirty years experience as a university lecturer. Dr Herbison had been engaged for many years in researching the poetic traditions of Ulster- Scots, with particular reference to the work of the weaver poets.He had a special interest in the revival of the Ulster- Scots literary tradition, including contemporary poetry. He had written extensively on Ulster- Scots poets and their expressions of cultural identity. Dr Herbison had worked collaboratively towards the establishment and refinement of an orthographic policy for Ulster- Scots and had contributed to an elaboration of the principles upon which it is founded. No political activity declared.

Tom Scott was the Chair of the Board of the Ulster-Scots Agency. He was until 2005 a Northern Ireland senior civil servant latterly with Department for Employment and Learning with responsibility for skills, management development and youth training policy. In November 2005 he became Chairman of the Greater Shankill Partnership Board in Belfast leading the partnership on neighbourhood regeneration strategy. Tom was a board member of Ormeau Enterprise Ltd, a local enterprise agency, a board member of Intertrade Ireland and is involved with several private and public sector bodies. He was also involved in youth issues through Scouting, Belfast Activity Centre and the Gerry Rogan Initiative Trust. Tom was awarded an OBE in the 2008 New Years Honours List for services to the community in Northern Ireland. No political activity was declared.

Mr Iain Carlisle was currently the Acting Director of the Ulster-Scots Community Network. He had acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the Ulster-Scots community through close involvement with a wide range of projects and events. No Political activity was declared.

Mr John Erskine was currently the Acting Head of Library and Learning Resources in Stranmillis College. He was a member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Mr Erskine research interests included aspects of Scottish cultural influence in the north of Ireland and the bibliography of Irish Presbyterianism and of Ulster-Scots language and literature. His external interests include membership of Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland and of the Ulster-Scots Language Society, although he is not a native speaker. He was a former member of the cross border language Body. No political activity was declared.

To be continued

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The Ullans Academy: 5

Some five years ago, Liam Logan, an esteemed member of our Ullans Academy, requested information from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure regarding further developments in the saga of the Ulster-Scots or Ullans Academy, which I had established in 1992. We had heard something of the setting up of an Ulster-Scots Academy Steering Group by Nelson McCausland, then  Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure in the Stormont Assembly, but we had been told nothing about its progress. This was not unexpected since Nelson had banished all reference to “Ullans” from the Ulster-Scots Agency by Ministerial directive, even though the term had been established by statute in the Belfast Agreement.

But then that is what Nelson does. And we love him for it, for that is what allows us to grow.

This was the reply.

Our Ref: RFI 118/10
Date: 10th December 2010
Dear Mr Logan

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

In your correspondence dated 17 November 2010 regarding the Ulster-Scots Academy Steering Group, you requested the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:

1. Identity of the Chair of the Steering Group.
2. Membership of the Steering Group and dates of their appointment.
3. Date of the appointment of the Chair.
4. Criteria used for the selection of the Steering Group.
5. Selection process used to identify members of the Steering Group and if it was done by open competition, the dates and locations of advertisements.
6. What consultation was undertaken in relation to the creation and appointment of the Steering Group.
7. Were the CAL Committee consulted and if so when did it take place.

I am writing to confirm that the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has now completed its search and can provide the following information.

1. The Chair of the Ulster-Scots Academy Project Steering Group is Wilfie Hamilton, a retired Civil Servant.

2. Letters of invite to the Steering Group were issued by the Department on 2nd April 2010 and its membership consists of:

• Keith Gamble
• Dr Ivan Herbison
• Lee Reynolds
• Dr William Roulston
• Anne Smyth
• Mark Thompson

3. The Chair of the group, Wilfie Hamilton was appointed on 2nd April 2010

4. The Steering Group falls outside the scope of “Public Appointments” regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments NI as the Ulster-Scots Academy is not yet a formal public body. Therefore appointments to the Steering Group can be direct Departmental appointments and do not need to go though normal board appointment processes and are not subject to the merit principle.

5. The Group is an interim arrangement which was set up to advise the Minister on an Ulster-Scots Academy approach and to progress the refreshed business case. The members of the Group were direct Departmental appointments as open competition was not necessary.

6. The Steering Group was selected by the Department on the basis of their knowledge of Ulster-Scots and their contacts and influence in the Ulster-Scots community. There was no public consultation carried out.

7. This is an informal group, established to update work previously completed on the Ulster-Scots Academy. Once a clear way forward has been identified the CAL Committee will be advised.

If you feel the information that we have provided does not fully meet your request, please write to:

Information Management Branch
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Interpoint
20 – 24 York Street
BELFAST
BT15 1AQ

Telephone: 028 9025 4256
E-mail: foi@dcalni.gov.uk

If you are dissatisfied after completion of the internal review you may appeal to the:

Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Who will undertake an independent review.

If you have any queries about this letter please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely

Donal Moran
Email: Donal.Moran@dcalni.gov.uk
Direct Line: 028 902515049

The author of The Blether Region blog, subtitled Desultory Notes on Language in Northern Ireland, made these comments on the news under the heading Nelson’s Cronies;

‘In response to a Freedom of Information request from North Down SDLP politician and Scots-speaker Liam Logan, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has revealed the membership of the Ulster-Scots Academy Steering Group appointed by the Minister, Nelson McCausland. The six members of the group, which is chaired by former civil servant Wilfie Hamilton, are:

Keith Gamble, a board member of the Ulster-Scots Community Network formerly chaired by the Minister;
Dr. Ivan Herbison, a retired lecturer at the School of English, QUB;
Lee Reynolds, a prominent DUP member;
Dr. William Roulston, a genealogist from the Ulster Historical Foundation and former board member of the Ulster-Scots Agency;
Anne Smyth, an Ulster-Scots activist and wife of Dr. Clifford Smyth, (guest speaker at the LOL 688 lodge dinner held at Rockmount Golf Club in November 2008, at which Anne played accordion), and mother of Alan Smyth, a member of the same lodge;

Mark Thompson, former Chairman of the Ulster-Scots Agency and a member of LOL 688. Regularly appears on BBC Television as a “consultant” on “Ulster-Scots”.

This means that, while the group boasts a single academic linguist, it includes two people with links to the Minister’s own Loyal Orange Lodge, the Cross of Saint Patrick. Furthermore, the fact that as much weight has been accorded to genealogy as to linguistics suggests that the Minister intends the academy to duplicate the functions of the Ulster-Scots Agency, while lacking its cross-border membership.

The choice of nominees also underlines the exclusion of the more moderate activists of the Ullans Academy in the ambit of Dr. Ian Adamson, as well as Scots and, unless the Blether Region is very much mistaken, Catholics. As the DCAL official answering the information request states, the appointments “do not need to go through the normal board appointment processes and are not subject to the merit principle”.

That’s us told, then.’

In fairness, however, the author of the blog neglected to say that Wilfie Hamilton had been an exemplary Civil Servant of probity and distinction, that Keith Gamble had been a prominent and effective member of the Ulster-Scots Academy Implementation Group, that Lee Reynolds was an important native speaker, and that the academic credentials of Ivan Herbison, Anne Smyth and William Rolston were impeccable. At the same time, that does not excuse the growth of essentially  Seventeenth Century Nelsonism within the DUP and latterly the TUV, from its base in Ballysillan.

Link

LOL 688 Cross of St Patrick – Orangenet

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The Ullans Academy: 4

The Academy’s research would also extend beyond language and literature to historical, cultural and philosophical themes such as the life and works of Francis Hutcheson and CS Lewis, and to studies of the history of Ulidia in general, especially Dalriada, Dalaradia, Dal Fiatach, Galloway and Carrick, not forgetting Ellan Vannin, the Isle of Man. Lewis’s magisterial work Poetry and Prose in the Sixteenth Century Volume IV in the Oxford History of English Literature (1954) was particulary important, illustrating as it does language and literature at the close of the Middle Ages in Scotland. Characteristically Lewis writes Scotch not Scottish,claiming the freedom of “my ain vulgaire”, which has historical precedence.

The Scotch-Irish would also provide a particular focus on the American dimension, but emigration studies would also be necessary for the countries of the Commonwealth and other countries. Closely associated were the Heirschipe Villages projects, which were proposals to construct living history and traditional craft centres based on eighteenth century Ulster-Scots villages and towns at the time of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution. This would have many parallels with the leading American attraction at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia and would be a centre of cultural tourism development.

In 2003 I was instrumental in ensuring that the Joint Declaration of the British and Irish Governments would indicate that the British Government would take steps to encourage support to be made available for an Ulster-Scots Academy. However, differences in philosophy continued. The original Ullans Academy wished to be associated with An Culturlann McAdam/O Fiaich and the Gaeltacht quarter of West Belfast. It was envisaged that the Heirschipe Village concept, initiated by the Ullans Academy, with its focus on cultural tourism, should also be developed under the remit of the Ulster-Scots Agency.

The Ullans Speakers Association of Ballymoney, County Antrim, the United Ulster History Forum and Portavogie Culture and Heritage Society of the Ards Peninsula, County Down and the Monreagh Project, County Donegal, would be encouraged as Friends of the Academy and an Ullans Centre of Academic Excellence would be established between the University of Glasgow, Queen’s University, Belfast, and the University of Ulster. Dr Paisley and I first travelled to see Professor John Corbett at Glasgow University on Saturday, 21st June, 2008 to facilitate this. Relations with the Sorbonne were maintained through Professor Wesley Hutchinson. Ideally, however, a prestigious location in Belfast was still required for the Ullans Academy but that is a continuing story.

 To be continued

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The Ullans Academy: 3

In the negotiations leading up to the establishment of the Belfast Agreement of 1998, the Ullans issue assumed a central role, as outlined by the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair in his book Tony Blair: A Journey. At a meeting with the Ulster Unionist Leader, David Trimble, and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister did not take the same relaxed view of the importance of Ullans as Mr Blair. Trimble however held his ground and even calls to Bill Clinton yielded nothing, almost leading to an impasse in the Agreement. Our firmness however paid off and Ullans entered the Agreement with the proposed establishment of an Ulster-Scots Agency in the Noarth / Sooth Boord o Leid. With the formal recognition of Ulster-Scots as a European Regional Language by the UK Government in 1999, we then ensured that the implementation of the Academy’s Language Development Programme became a Government imperative.

On 10th March, 1999, Marjorie Mowlam, one of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State, made Order 1999 Number 8591 establishing North-South co-operation bodies. The functions of the Language Body in relation to Ullans and Ulster-Scots cultural issues would be exercised by an Ulster-Scots Agency of the Body. Ullans was to be understood as the variety of the Scots language traditionally found in parts of Northern Ireland and Donegal. Ulster-Scots cultural issues related to the cultural traditions of the part of the population of Northern Ireland and the border counties which were of Scottish origins and the influence of their cultural traditions on others, both within the island of Ireland and in the rest of the world. This document thus allowed a distinction between the language, which is spoken by people of varying ancestry and nationalities, and the cultural traditions, which are an amalgam of Ulster and Scottish traditions, including Highland, Lowland and Hebridean.

In 1998/99 the Government had funded the USLS to produce a development plan for the Ulster-Scots language. This “Edmund Report” was produced in July 2000 by consultant John Edmund, its official title being, A Strategic Plan for the Promotion of the Ulster-Scots Language. It provided an updated, detailed language development proposal as a model for the work of the Ullans Academy. This report again provided detailed costings for a core-funded Academy. The resourcing of the critical elements of the language development plan was agreed by Government and approved in the 2000-2003 corporate plans for the Ulster-Scots Agency. However, the agreed £1.5 million expenditure on the language plan was not processed.

In September 2002, the Ulster-Scots Agency held its first formal meeting with the Ulster Scots (Ullans) Academy. It was agreed that the Academy would reconstitute itself as a company limited by guarantee, in order that the existing voluntary programme with the Academy be properly resourced and established. In October 2002, the then Minister for Cultural, Arts and Leisure, Mr Michael McGimpsey, responded to the repeated representations from the Ulster-Scots Community for resolute action by Government to promote Ulster-Scots more effectively.

Michael’s department (DCAL) organised a three-day “Future Search” conference to clear the way forward between statutory bodies, Government and the Ulster-Scots Community. In the context of Ulster-Scots as a recognised European and Minority Language, the Ullans Academy would be modelled on the Friesian Academy in the Netherlands, which I have already mentioned. However, it would also promote the inter-relationships between Ullans and Ulster Gaelic, as well as the study of Ulster English and Northumbrian English in general. This has led to a difference in philosophical approach between those who would see the promotion of Ulster-Scots as something of a political tool in their opposition to the Irish Gaelic language and my Ullans movement.

Furthermore in the case for an Ulster-Scots Bible there remained an area of contention between certain language enthusiasts on the one hand and potential users of the Bible on the other.This was the proposed linguistic style or register. The use of an artificial archaic register would defeat the purpose of providing an authentic translation of the living Ullans tongue and alienate native speakers. Yet this is precisely what has happened with the production of gibberish by DCAL.

There was also an attempt to restrict the origins of the Ulster Scot to Plantation Times, which mostly neglected the connections between Ulster and Scotland since time immemorial, particularly the history of the ancient British Cruthin or Pretani, and was not part of that coherent narrative advocated by the Ullans movement. Furthermore, my two grannies, who were Sloan sisters, were descended from sixteenth, and not seventeenth, century Scots. In origin the Sloans were Robogdian Cruthin, who had left Dalriada in Ulster for North Britain, which eventually took the name of “Scotland”.

To be continued.

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The Ullans Academy: 2

Throughout the eighties, Professor Fréchet continued to follow with great interest my involvement specifically in the creation of several community organisations to promote my ideals of mutual respect, common identity, co-operation and self-help. These included the Farset Steps of Columbanus Project. The idea behind the project was to bring together young people from both sides of the community and allow them to follow in the footsteps of the saint from Bangor in the North of Ireland to Reims and Luxeuil in France, through St Gallen in Switzerland, to Bregenz in Austria, and finally on to Bobbio in Italy. In a country where violence was dividing the people, it was important to point to a shared past. This project became possible thanks in no small measure to the help of my friend Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich, whose foreword to the second edition of my book, Bangor Light of the World, in 1987 is testimony to his commitment to the inter-community line we saw as so vital.

The links between the North of Ireland and the continent of Europe came to the fore in another project that emerged around the same period. Following a press conference held on 1st July 1986 under the auspices of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Belfast, Sammy Wilson and Rhonda Paisley, I proposed a link-up between the twin towers, Helen’s Tower in Clandeboye, Northern Ireland, and the Ulster Tower at Thiepval in northern France with museum complexes near both. This was achieved by the Somme Association which I established in 1990 with the help of my friend, Reverend Dr Ian Paisley. This association was formed to show the part played by Irishmen of all persuasions in the First World War in France, Belgium and the Dardanelles, supported by an international Friends of the Somme organisation. I also initiated through Farset the concept of twinning Londonderry with La Rochelle and promoting the Musée du Désert in the Protestant community in Ireland.

On 13th January 1992 René Fréchet wrote to me to ask if he could translate my book, The Ulster People, into French and have it published by the University Press. He had spoken to Paul Brennan, later to become Professor of Irish Studies at the Sorbonne, who was willing to do so. However, Fréchet’s tragic death on April 24th of that year brought the proposed translation and publication to an abrupt end.

It was at exactly this period that I began to become increasingly involved in the promotion of Ulster-Scots with my establishment of the Ulster-Scots Language Society and the Ulster-Scots or Ullans Academy. Although Fréchet had not lived to see these projects develop, I would like to think that my vision for Ulster-Scots, as an integral part of an inclusive culture that stretches across the sectarian divide, would have met with his interest and approval.

In 1992, therefore, the year of Fréchet’s death, I published, under my imprint Pretani Press, the three-volume Folk Poets of Ulster Series, including the “Country Rhymes” of James Orr, Samuel Thompson and Hugh Porter, thus initiating the modern Ulster-Scots Language movement. In line with the Scots magazine Lallans, I suggested the use of “Ullans” as the name of the magazine the Ulster-Scots Language Society first published in 1993. The term appeared particularly useful, not only as a contraction of “Ulster Lallans”, which I had first used in my book The Identity of Ulster in 1981, but of the word “Ulaidh”, Gaelic for Ulster, or “Ulidia” and “Lallans”, Scotch for Lowlands, as well as being a acronym for the Society’s aims in its support for the “Ulster-scots Language, Literature and Native Speech”. I had also suggested the new name for a proposed Ulster-Scots or Ullans Academy which I founded in July 1992, following a meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada between Professor Robert Gregg and myself. The Academy was to be based on the Friesian Academy of Sciences in the Netherlands, with its three departments of Linguistics and Literature, History and Culture, and Social Sciences, which I had visited in 1978, and again in 1980, with a group of community activists from Northern Ireland.

The Academy would fulfil a need for the regulation and standardisation of the language for modern usage. These standards would be initiated on behalf of the Ulster-Scots Community, Protestant and Catholic, Nationalist and Unionist, and would be academically sound. What we didn’t need was the development of an artificial dialect which excluded and alienated traditional speakers. Furthermore, the term “Ullans” was not to be restricted to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, since as a variety of Central or Mid Scots, it is also spoken in south-west Scotland, an area south of the River Nith, including the country of Robert Burns, and in Galloway and Carrick – corresponding roughly to the Old British Kingdoms of Rheged and Aeron – where it is known as “Galloway Irish”. The Ullans Academy was to be based in Belfast, which was at the epicentre of all three jurisdictions. It was also to be used to explore the relationships with East Ulster Gaelic which I have termed “Ulidian”, which was formerly spoken in all three areas, and had been first brought to south-west Scotland by the Kreenies or Cruthin of Dalaradia in Antrim.

In December 1992 I facilitated the formation of the Ulster-Scots Language Society (USLS) in Craigavon House, Belfast and at a meeting of the Society on Friday, 28th May, 1993, I suggested that the Ulster-Scots or Ullans Academy might be required to act as a teaching and resource centre for the newly formed Language Society.

The first formal meeting of the Academy was held at my home on Monday, 10th January, 1994. The following month, I asked Mr Jim Nicholson MEP to raise the issue of an Ullans Academy in the European Parliament at Strasbourg. This was followed up by the Reverend Dr Ian Paisley MP. In December 1995, I asked Dr Paisley to arrange for Members of the USLS, including myself, to meet the Northern Ireland Office Minister, Michael Ancram, to put forward a comprehensive proposal for a core-funded Academy. The costed and itemised proposals included details of a language development programme and an Ulster-Scots Language Resource Centre. Without any funding being awarded, the Academy managed to complete some aspects of its agenda on a purely voluntary basis.

It was clear to me that establishing a standard version of the language, with agreed spelling, was of fundamental importance while at the same time maintaining local variants. To this end, in 1995, I published, under the imprint of the Ulster Scots Academic Press, from my premises in 12 Main Street, Conlig, County Down, a regional dictionary by James Fenton, The Hamely Tongue which was the most important record yet produced of current Ulster-Scots speech and which is now, under the imprint of the Ullans Press, in its third edition.

To be continued

 

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The Ullans Academy: 1

In a letter to me dated 5th June, 1975, from what was then the U.E.R. des Pays Anglophones of the Université de Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle, Professor René Fréchet thanked me for my book, The Cruthin, which had been published the previous year. This initial contact was to be the beginning of a long and productive correspondence between Professor Fréchet and myself, a liaison which lasted until his death in 1992.

In his obituary, Mark Mortimer, who had taught at the British Institute in Paris for some thirty years, was to say that René Fréchet was for many years the voice of Ireland in Paris. This was by no means an exaggeration. Professor of English at the Sorbonne, and the spirit behind the University’s Institute of Irish Studies, set up in 1979, Fréchet served as guide and councillor to the increasing number of students engaged in research into Irish themes. His Histoire de l’Irlande (Paris, PUF, 1970) was only one facet of his numerous activities in the field of Irish studies.

Apart from his love of Irish literature – his translation of the poetical works of Yeats (Paris, Aubier, 1989) is a model of precision and sensibility – he followed closely events in Northern Ireland which he covered in a series of often outspoken articles published in the French Protestant weekly, Réforme. An acute knowledge of facts as well as an indefectible affection for every aspect of life in the region guided his particular interest in the North.

As a young lecturer he had spent two years at Queens’ University Belfast. The experience he acquired, and the long-lasting friendships he made at that time gave him an indisputable authority to comment on developments in the political situation there. There is no doubt that it was through him that the point of view of the Ulster Protestant found its most articulate and sympathetic spokesman in France. His convictions and courageous declarations did much to counter-balance the often superficial representations of this community in the mainstream French press.

I was greatly honoured that Professor Fréchet should take an interest in my work. Commenting on my Identity of Ulster, published under my own imprint, Pretani Press in 1982. he was to write:

“What an interesting, curious piece of work this is. Generally, if we are told it is not a question of a war of religion in Ulster, we are told about opposition between Catholics, whom people think of as mostly wishing for the unification of the island, and Protestants who want to remain British.

Adamson however, does not militate in favour of the bringing together of two quite distinct communities. He says that their division is artificial, that they are all more or less descendants of pre-Celtic peoples, and in particular of the Cruthin, who were constantly moving backwards and forwards between Ulster and Scotland, where they were called Picts, a fact that did not prevent their homeland becoming the most Gaelic part of Ireland. “British”, as far as he is concerned, takes on a meaning that Ulster people tend to forget.

Here are some interesting phrases for comparison. “Old British” was displaced in Ireland by Gaelic just as English displaced Gaelic”; “the people of the Shankill Road speak an English which is almost a literal translation of Gaelic”; “the majority of Scottish Gaelic speakers are Protestants”. In fact the author is especially interested in Protestants, but those Protestants who have worked or are working towards reconciliation (could these even be the United Irishmen of the 1790’s), for a co-operative movement, for a kind of popular autonomy or self-management. He shows the paradoxical confusion of antagonistic, partly mythical traditions, and is trying to convince people of the fundamental unity of Ulster”.

In the chapter The Language of Ulster in this book, I set out my vision for the future of our several languages and their variants, as part of an attempt to foster a common identity in Ulster to take our people beyond the religious divide. Little did I realise the extent of hostility this would engender, not among the ordinary people, but by a section of the academic establishment in Northern Ireland .

To be continued

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Who was St Patrick really?

Patrick of Lecale

In 398 AD St Ninian is said to have established the first Christian Church in the British kingdom of Rheged, part of what is now known as Scotland, at Candida Casa (now Whithorn) in Galloway. Although little is known about this great Christian Saint of the Novantes, or the earliest history of his foundation, it is clear that in the fifth and sixth centuries Candida Casa was an important centre of evangelism to both Britain and the northern part of Ireland.To the Irish, however, the main credit for the introduction of Christianity to Ireland belongs to St Patrick. He, St. Patrick that is, was born in northern Roman Great Britain. Calpurnius, his father, was a decurion and deacon, his grandfather Potitus a priest, from Banna Venta Berniae .

Yet, despite Patrick’s pre-eminent place in the history of the Irish Church, we do not know just how much of his story is historically accurate. Ironically, the only first-hand accounts of Patrick come from two works which he reputedly wrote himself, the Confession and the Epistle to Coroticus (Ceretic Guletic of Alt Clut, modern Dumbarton). Further, the reference to his arrival in the Annals cannot be taken as necessarily factual either, as it is now believed that the Annals only became contemporary in the latter part of the sixth century, and fifth century entries were therefore ‘backdated’. The question of Palladius and his mission from Rome leads to still more uncertainty, with some scholars even proposing the idea that there could have been ‘two’ Patricks. Francis Byrne suggested that “we may suspect that some of the seventh-century traditions originally referred to Palladius and have been transferred, whether deliberately or as a result of genuine confusion, to the figure of Patrick.”

This uncertainty must be borne in mind when we come to look at his story. Patrick was first brought to Ireland as a slave from Romanised Great Britain, or Albion, and sold to a Cruthinic or Pretani chieftain called Milchu , who used him to tend livestock around Mount Slemish in County Antrim. Milchu’s territory was in what was to become known as the Kingdom of Dalaradia. After six years of servitude Patrick managed to escape from Ireland, first going by boat to the Continent, then two years later returning to his parents in Great Britain. Despite his parents being anxious that he would now remain at home, Patrick had a vision of an angel who had come from Ireland with letters, in one of which was relayed the message: “We beg you, Holy youth, to come and walk amongst us once again.” To Patrick, the letters “completely broke my heart and I could read no more and woke up.”

Tradition tells that Patrick eventually made the journey back to Ireland, finally landing in County Down in the territory of Dichu (of the Ulaid) who became his first convert. Dichu’s barn (sabhall or Saul) near Downpatrick was the first of his churches. Among Patrick’s first converts were Bronagh, daughter of Milchu, and her son Mochaoi (Mahee). St Mochaoi was to found the great monastery of Nendrum on Mahee Island in Loch Cuan (Strangford Lough), and is associated with the saint in the legends which grew around Patrick’s name. These legends firmly place Down as the cradle of Christianity in Ireland. The most enduring of such fictions however was that of Patrick and Tara, making him a national entity. At Nendrum were first educated Colman, who was of the Cruthin, and Finnian, who was of the Ulaid. Colman founded in the early sixth century the famous See of Dromore in Iveagh, while Finnian, British Uinnian, following a visit to Candida Casa, founded the great school of Movilla (Newtownards) in Down. Finnian is also notable for bringing the first copy of the Scriptures to Ireland.

Patrick himself is said to have founded Armagh around 444, and the selection of a site so close to Emain Macha would strongly suggest that the Ulster capital was still the most powerful over-kingdom in Ireland at that time. But while some modern historians accept the earlier date of c. 460 for Patrick’s death, scholars of early Irish history tend to prefer a later date, c. 493. As far as Nendrum is concerned, the picture of its development is much clearer in the 7th century, for no excavated finds have been found earlier than this. But from 639 onwards the Annals record the deaths of Nendrum clergy, including bishops, abbots and a scribe..This would suggest an active, populous monastery, and an early litany says ”nine times fifty monks laboured under the authority of Mochaoi of Noendruim”.   From Down the Cult of Patrick spread to Connor in Dalaradia, Antrim and then to Armagh, which became the ecclesiastical centre of Ireland.

At least as far back as the Iron Age, Dumbarton Rock, which the Dalaradia Historical group have visited with Pretani Associates, has been the site of a strategically important settlement. Its early residents were known to have traded with the Romans. The presence of a settlement is first recorded in a letter  Patrick wrote to King Ceretic of Alt Clut in the late 5th century. Dumbarton was the Cair Brithon (“Fort of the Britons”) listed by the British monk Nennius among the 28 cities of Sub-Roman Britain. From the fifth century until the ninth, the castle was the centre of the independent British Kingdom of Strathclyde. Alt Clut or Alcluith (Gaelic: Alt Chluaidh, lit. “Rock of the Clyde”), the Brittonic name for Dumbarton Rock, became a metonym for the kingdom. The king of the Britons of Dumbarton in about AD 570 was Riderich Hoel, who features in Welsh and Latin works.

During his reign Merlin was said to have stayed at Alt Clut. The medieval Scalaccronica of Sir Thomas Grey records the legend that “Arhur left Hoël of Little Britain his nephew sick at Alcluit in Scotland.” Hoël made a full recovery, but was besieged in the castle by the Scots and Picts (Caledonian Pretani). The story first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae. Amongst lists of three things, in the triads of the Red Book of Hergest, the third “Unrestrained Ravaging” was Aeddan Fradog (the Wily, perhaps Áedán mac Gabráin), coming to the court of Rhydderch the Generous at Alclud, who left neither food nor drink nor beast alive. This battle also appears in stories of Myrddin Wylit, the Merlin of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini, perhaps conflated with the battle of Arfderydd, located as Arthuret by some authors.

In 756, the first (and second) losses of Dumbarton Rock were recorded. A joint force of Picts and Northumbrians captured Alcluith after a siege, only to lose it again a few days later. By 870, Dumbarton Rock was home to a tightly packed Brittonic settlement, which served as a fortress and as the capital of Alt Clut. The Vikings laid siege to Dumbarton for four months, eventually defeating the inhabitants when they cut off their water supply. The Norse king Olaf returned to the Viking city of Dublin in 871, with two hundred ships full of slaves and looted treasures. Olaf came to an agreement with Constantine I of Scotland, and Artgal of Alt Clut. Strathclyde’s independence may have come to an end with the death of Owen the Bald, when the dynasty of Kenneth mac Alpin began to rule the region.

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