UTTS #065 Who Are The Ulster Scots?

It’s been estimated that as many as 27 million Americans can trace their lineage to the Scots people. A 2017 American Community Survey found 5.4 million respondents claimed Scottish heritage while another 3 million specifically identified as Scots Irish, or Scotch Irish – indicating they are descendants of immigrants who originated in Scotland, migrated to the north of Ireland, principally Ulster, and then later moved onward to the new world, arriving primarily in Pennsylvania and spreading outward from there. These immigrants were the original Ulster Scots.

Map of Ireland. The counties are indicated by thin black lines, including those in Ulster in green, and the modern territory of Northern Ireland indicated by a heavy black border across the island that separates six of the Ulster counties from the o… — Map of Ireland. The counties are indicated by thin black lines, including those in Ulster in green, and the modern territory of Northern Ireland indicated by a heavy black border across the island that separates six of the Ulster counties from the other three. Source: Wikipedia/Public Domain

Today in America the Ulster Scots are more generally referred to and call themselves “Scotch Irish.” I’m personally not a fan of the term Scotch Irish though it is an acceptable Americanism. Scotch, as a description of anything but whisky, has been out of favor in the UK for about 200 years. People in Scotland refer to themselves as Scots or Scottish but rarely, if ever, Scotch. Most British historians, to describe the ethnic group of Lowland and Borders Scots who migrated to Ireland as part of the Plantation scheme in the 1600s, use the term Ulster Scots. But who were these Scots and why did they leave their homes? Decades later the Highland Clearances would forcefully remove Scots from their homes in the highlands and some would settle in the Ulster area, but this was not the case with the Ulster Scots. These original Ulster Scots arrived in Ireland in the 1600s and highlander Scots not until the 1800s. Some argue that anyone whose ancestors migrated from Scotland to Ulster is of Ulster Scot descent but the term Ulster Scot is more typically used to represent those who arrived during the Plantation scheme of the 1600s.

Sam McKittrick of Northern Ireland, writing in his blog Sam’s Ramblings, says he believes the Ulster Scots of America deserve their own flag because of the impact Ulster Scots had on modern day america and so has proposed this as an official flag fo… — Sam McKittrick of Northern Ireland, writing in his blog Sam’s Ramblings, says he believes the Ulster Scots of America deserve their own flag because of the impact Ulster Scots had on modern day america and so has proposed this as an official flag for the Scots-Irish American community. http://samsflags.blogspot.com/2014/02/ulster-scots.html

The Ulster Scots were arguably the first wave of economic immigrants, leaving first Scotland and later northern Ireland, not to escape political or religious persecution, but primarily for what they hoped would be a better life for they and their families. Their contributions, especially in America are many. The US dollar sign ($) was designed by an Ulster Scot, as was the Presidential seal. Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe top hat is another Ulster Scots design. More than one-third of US Presidents have Ulster Scots heritage and the list of famous Ulster Scots includes athletes, actors, astronauts - Americans from all walks of life.

This past summer I was fortunate to visit Northern Ireland in search of my own Ulster Scots ancestors, the Breckenridge family. I’ve learned they were from the Ayrshire region of Scotland and are buried in a cathedral cemetery in Clogher Northern Ireland, about an hours drive out of Belfast. While in the city, I had the chance to visit the Ulster Scots Agency and the Discover Ulster Scots Center – set up by the Good Friday agreement of 1998. The agency is tasked with promoting the Ulster Scots language and its attendant culture – that is the cultural traditions the Scots settlers who came to Ulster in the 1600s brought with them. Highland pipe bands, and highland dancing are vibrant examples of this Scottish culture still on display today in northern Ireland as is Presbyterian church history and the Ulster Scots language – which, just like the Scots language in Scotland, some argue is not a language at all, but merely a dialect. But that’s another story for another time.

The Discover Ulster Scots Center is a center for anyone, especially visitors such as myself from north America, who are looking to learn a bit more about their Ulster Scots heritage. It is a great beginning resource for genealogy research and offers visitors a variety of exhibits telling the Ulster Scots story.