USRC/ULLANS-L BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO ULSTER SCOTS
	Ulster Scots (sometimes known as 'Scotch-Irish') can produce reactions in Northern Ireland like very little else, yet remarkably little is actually known about it. It has an estimated 100,000 speakers, yet remarkably few of them have any interest in it. It forms part of a long and rich Scots literary tradition, yet remarkably hardly a soul in Ireland could name you an Ulster Scots literary figure. These pages seek to unravel what is still somewhat a mystery to most in Northern Ireland and elsewhere - including many, I daresay, who have seen fit to express opinions in public on the subject. For speaking Ulster Scots is not "speaking Unionist" (a rather disappointing title to appear in the so-called "Independent" newspaper), not speaking "Proddie Gaelic", not speaking "bad English"; but speaking a tongue with a distinguished literary history - a literary history which has a remarkable habit of uniting rather than dividing. Understanding the facts behind Ulster Scots, rather than what we might like to be the facts, will provide the key to a fascinating literary past, a remarkable intertwining of culture, and the true extent of Scotch-Irish influence elsewhere. It is a remarkable and fascinating story. Please join us on it by reading these pages and joining our groups.
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