Monday… July 6 2015
Let the first day of placements begin!
Part of our duties as Young Ambassadors entails engaging with the work and people at our placement sites over the next 2 weeks which have been selected based on our academic and general interests. Me and Kathryn have been placed with the Ulster Scots Agency for the next two weeks and will get to experience what it’s like working for an agency that represents and is actively involved in the preservation of the Scots-Irish culture, heritage, and language.
Kathryn arrived at the agency in downtown Belfast on Monday morning bright eyed and ready to learn. That day the agency was putting on a conference on Andrew Jackson, one of our own Presidents of the United States. There were visiting professors from different universities in the UK as well as visiting professors from places in the States like the University of Texas and University of Tennessee. Overall there were 7 papers total to be presented with time for breaks, many (and I mean MANY) cups of Tea, and questions for the visiting professors concerning their papers and research.
So, why is it that I had to come all the way to Belfast, Northern Ireland to hear about Andrew Jackson you may ask? I certainly asked myself the same question at first… Well, as you can imagine, the Ulster Scots Agency is huge on the preservation of their heritage and assert their pride on figures of the past and present who are descendants from Ulster Scots. To backtrack even further for those that may not know who or what Ulster Scots are – they are the people who had been emigrating over from Scotland for hundreds of years and began their lives and maintaining their own traditions in the northern parts of Ireland, now known as Ulster/Northern Ireland. Huge influxes of Scots came over at the time of the Ulster Plantation during the early 1600s (1609 officially) because of agricultural, political, social, and religious benefits to the people who would take up land in the North of Ireland under the rule of King James I. He wished to create greater stability on the part of the Ireland more prone to rebellion by settling loyal followers to the crown. – Yes this is a bit of a history lesson, but you should expect nothing less coming from a history major. Not only that, but you’ll later thank me later when I move forward to share my experiences surrounding and pertaining to the July 12th celebrations seen throughout villages and neighborhoods which has a lot to do with the cultural, political, and social make-up of Ulster.
Back to Andrew Jackson… His parents were from a town just outside of Belfast and although born in South Carolina (which may also be disputed among historians) the Ulster Scots claim him as one of his own because of his genealogical heritage and overall strong-willed and fighting character. Many of the papers presented at the conference spoke about Jackson’s infamous Battle of New Orleans and his unwavering, and often hostile, character. What I have heard many times over the last week in relation to the history of the Ulster Scots people is their keen sense of loyalty and their willingness to fight for their beliefs and people – two attributes Andrew Jackson undoubtedly possessed and did not care to hide.
What struck me so profoundly during this conference was why the Ulster Scots were so particularly fond of a man who saw himself as an American and repeatedly did not identify with his Scots-Irish heritage. Dr. Feller from the University of Tennessee touched on this issue I had been toying with all morning seeing as he was one of the last scholars to present. He spoke about how Jackson cared not for his Irishness and rather identified with the country he was helping to create – this process of self-making involved less memories for Jackson and holding close his heritage than it did asserting his Scots-Irish roots. Although I continue to toy with this idea in my head, the Ulster-Scots Agency’s work to put on a conference surrounding a figure of history they can see reflecting so much of their current beliefs and celebrated heritage shows how remembering significant figures like Jackson is so important to the continuation of their culture today.
The conference was a beautiful start to the week and mine and Kathryn’s time with the Ulster-Scots, especially since the oh-so predictable weather of Northern Ireland decided to rain all day long.
Enjoy my belated post number 1 & cheerio for now!
Let the first day of placements begin!
Part of our duties as Young Ambassadors entails engaging with the work and people at our placement sites over the next 2 weeks which have been selected based on our academic and general interests. Me and Kathryn have been placed with the Ulster Scots Agency for the next two weeks and will get to experience what it’s like working for an agency that represents and is actively involved in the preservation of the Scots-Irish culture, heritage, and language.
Kathryn arrived at the agency in downtown Belfast on Monday morning bright eyed and ready to learn. That day the agency was putting on a conference on Andrew Jackson, one of our own Presidents of the United States. There were visiting professors from different universities in the UK as well as visiting professors from places in the States like the University of Texas and University of Tennessee. Overall there were 7 papers total to be presented with time for breaks, many (and I mean MANY) cups of Tea, and questions for the visiting professors concerning their papers and research.
So, why is it that I had to come all the way to Belfast, Northern Ireland to hear about Andrew Jackson you may ask? I certainly asked myself the same question at first… Well, as you can imagine, the Ulster Scots Agency is huge on the preservation of their heritage and assert their pride on figures of the past and present who are descendants from Ulster Scots. To backtrack even further for those that may not know who or what Ulster Scots are – they are the people who had been emigrating over from Scotland for hundreds of years and began their lives and maintaining their own traditions in the northern parts of Ireland, now known as Ulster/Northern Ireland. Huge influxes of Scots came over at the time of the Ulster Plantation during the early 1600s (1609 officially) because of agricultural, political, social, and religious benefits to the people who would take up land in the North of Ireland under the rule of King James I. He wished to create greater stability on the part of the Ireland more prone to rebellion by settling loyal followers to the crown. – Yes this is a bit of a history lesson, but you should expect nothing less coming from a history major. Not only that, but you’ll later thank me later when I move forward to share my experiences surrounding and pertaining to the July 12th celebrations seen throughout villages and neighborhoods which has a lot to do with the cultural, political, and social make-up of Ulster.
Back to Andrew Jackson… His parents were from a town just outside of Belfast and although born in South Carolina (which may also be disputed among historians) the Ulster Scots claim him as one of his own because of his genealogical heritage and overall strong-willed and fighting character. Many of the papers presented at the conference spoke about Jackson’s infamous Battle of New Orleans and his unwavering, and often hostile, character. What I have heard many times over the last week in relation to the history of the Ulster Scots people is their keen sense of loyalty and their willingness to fight for their beliefs and people – two attributes Andrew Jackson undoubtedly possessed and did not care to hide.
What struck me so profoundly during this conference was why the Ulster Scots were so particularly fond of a man who saw himself as an American and repeatedly did not identify with his Scots-Irish heritage. Dr. Feller from the University of Tennessee touched on this issue I had been toying with all morning seeing as he was one of the last scholars to present. He spoke about how Jackson cared not for his Irishness and rather identified with the country he was helping to create – this process of self-making involved less memories for Jackson and holding close his heritage than it did asserting his Scots-Irish roots. Although I continue to toy with this idea in my head, the Ulster-Scots Agency’s work to put on a conference surrounding a figure of history they can see reflecting so much of their current beliefs and celebrated heritage shows how remembering significant figures like Jackson is so important to the continuation of their culture today.
The conference was a beautiful start to the week and mine and Kathryn’s time with the Ulster-Scots, especially since the oh-so predictable weather of Northern Ireland decided to rain all day long.
Enjoy my belated post number 1 & cheerio for now!