The Ulster-Scots Agency (''Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch'') is a cross-

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

body for Ireland which seeks to "promote the study, conservation and development of Ulster-Scots as a living language, to encourage and develop the full range of its attendant culture, and to promote an understanding of the history of the Ulster-Scots eople"

Purpose

The remit of the agency is "the promotion of greater awareness and the use of Ullans and of Ulster-Scots cultural issues, both within

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

and throughout the island." "Ullans" and "Ulster-Scots cultural issues" are defined in inter-governmental agreement and enshrined in legislation as follows:

"Ullans" is to be understood as the variety of the Scots language traditionally found in parts of Northern Ireland and Donegal. "Ulster-Scots cultural issues" relate to the cultural traditions of the part of the population of Northern Ireland and the border counties which is of Scottish ancestry and the influence of their cultural traditions on others, both within the island of Ireland and in the rest of the world.

Structure and funding

The agency is part of The North/South Language Body, established as a result of the

Belfast Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...

of 1998. Its counterpart is

Foras na Gaeilge (, " Irish Institute"; ) is a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was set up on 2 December 1999, assuming the role ...

, which was set up to promote the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

. The two bodies work together on some events, such as the

National Ploughing Championships The National Ploughing Championships ( ga, Comórtas Náisiúnta Treabhdóireachta) or NPC, previously known as The National Ploughing Championships Machinery & Livestock Exhibition, is an outdoor agricultural show in Ireland incorporating a ...

and the

Balmoral Show The Balmoral Show is Northern Ireland's largest agri-food event. It takes place during May in Balmoral Park, Lisburn. Sponsored by Ulster Bank, it typically includes showjumping competitions, motorcycle displays, bands, shopping, tasting, a chi ...

. It has its head office in the Corn Exchange Building in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, and a regional office in

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of R ...

, in eastern

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrcon ...

(one of the three counties of the historical province of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

in the Republic of Ireland).

Governance

The agency is overseen by an eight-member board, appointed by the

North/South Ministerial Council sco, North South Meinisterlie Council , bgcolor = , fgcolor = , image = North-South_Ministerial_Council_logo.jpg , image_border = , size = , alt = Logo of the North/South Ministerial Council , ca ...

Staff

Answering to the Board but with day-to-day executive authority is the CEO. In turn there are directors for education and language, community and promotion, and corporate services. The staff levels have always been modest, reported as around 16 in 2015.

Funding

It is jointly funded by the

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), translated in Irish as and in Ulster-Scots as , was a devolved government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department was the ...

(''tha Männystrie o Fowkgates, Airts an Aisedom'' in Ulster-Scots)Home , DCAL Internet
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. in

and the

Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media ( ga, An Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán) is a department of the Government of Ireland. The mission of the department is to promote a ...

in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

Work

The agency delivers some projects itself, but also provides grants to charitable and community groups for language, musical and dance events. Bigger events include festivals and summer schools, but small projects are also supported. School visits and fairs are a major area of activity. Projects which have been undertaken include an audio-recording survey of native speakers, the compilation of a two-way Ulster Scots/English dictionary, a text base of written Ulster Scots, and an expert translation service.

Ulster-Scots Discovery Centre

In the same building as the agency's HQ, but with a separate entrance, the agency operates a Discovery Centre, which includes exhibitions about the language and its history, and has space for groups to study further.

Supported bodies

Relevant bodies to which the agency provides funding include the Ulster-Scots Language Society, Ullans Speakers Association and the Ulster-Scots Community Network.

Publications

The agency publishes an English-language newsletter, albeit with some token Scots, several times a year, entitled ''

The Ulster-Scot ''The Ulster-Scot'' is a free, bi-monthly publication produced by the Ulster-Scots Agency, published in Northern Ireland. It is a product of incentives to encourage awareness of Ulster heritage and often provided as a supplement with local new ...

'', as a supplement to the ''

Belfast News Letter The ''News Letter'' is one of Northern Ireland's main daily newspapers, published from Monday to Saturday. It is the world's oldest English-language general daily newspaper still in publication, having first been printed in 1737. The newspape ...

''. The publication has also been made available free of charge upon request. An e-bulletin is also issued. Further publications are planned over time.

Websites

Aside from its main website, the agency operates sites around the plantation of Ulster, settlements in the United States, and Rathlin Island.

References

External links

Ulster-Scots Agency (Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch)

(Language, Identity and Politics in Northern Ireland)

Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch: ''An English Name for a Scots Organization?'' (PDF)
{{Languages of Ireland Scots language +Agency All-Ireland organisations Culture of Northern Ireland Language regulators Non-Departmental Public Bodies of the Northern Ireland Executive Organisations based in Belfast 1999 establishments in Northern Ireland 1999 establishments in Ireland Organizations established in 1999