CHAIRPERSON’S FOREWARD

When the Ulster-Scots Agency published its first Corporate Plan in December 2000, it recognised at the outset that it was breaking new ground. We set challenging targets based on an assumption that our administrative arrangements and staff would be in place at an early date to secure implementation of the programmes set out in the plan.

In the event, and due to circumstances beyond our control, those arrangements have taken much longer than anticipated to put in place and there has been significant slippage in some of our programmes. We have had a difficult time, but I am confident that we are now in a much better position to make real progress with our programmes.

We now have a permanent Chief Executive in post and three other permanent staff has been appointed. The regional office has been opened in Raphoe and this will greatly assist the Ulster-Scots Agency in fulfilling its remit.

We are delighted with the progress that has been made on the educational front. In partnership with Stranmillis University College, we are now piloting resources and materials on Ulster-Scots matters for Key Stages 1 & 2 in selected primary schools. These materials were produced as part of a curriculum development project carried out by the College with financial assistance from the Ulster-Scots Agency and the project is now being extended to the secondary level curriculum. I congratulate the College on their professionalism in the development of this project and on the quality of their output.

We have also been able to give financial support to the Institute of Ulster-Scots at the Magee Campus of the University of Ulster in Londonderry. Three researchers are providing valuable information on the history and culture of the Ulster-Scots.

Progress on the language front has been much slower than we would have wished. However, there is now the potential for an exciting new development in terms of an Ulster-Scots Academy that will focus on language matters. The Joint Declaration of the British and Irish Governments of April 2003 indicated that steps would be taken to encourage support to be made available for an Ulster-Scots Academy.

With the support of the Ulster-Scots Agency, there has been a dramatic groundswell in two major cultural areas, music and dance. The Ulster-Scots musical tradition covers a wide spectrum of instruments as well as musical tastes - from the Lambeg Drum to fifers and flautists, accordion and pipe bands, and fiddle players.

The Ulster-Scots Agency continues to support three principal traditional forms of dance – Square Dancing, Scottish Country Dancing and Highland Dancing. The overriding requirements in relation to dance are the provision of tuition and the training of teachers to meet the growing demand. 

It has become clear to the Board that a relatively small investment in supporting communities to embrace their Ulster-Scots culture can have an enormous impact in reducing community tensions. Thus, the Maiden City Festival has completely transformed the normally tense situation in Londonderry each August into a time of celebration and fun – with tremendous spin offs in terms of economic activity and tourism.

We want to extend this work of developing Ulster Scots culture and have been fortunate in securing the support of the Irish Youth Foundation to fund a Youth Development Officer for one year who will work with young people in areas of multiple deprivations to refocus their energies on Ulster-Scots history and culture.

I am greatly looking forward to developing collaboration with the Ulster-Scots community as we plan the way ahead for our work. The recruitment of full time staff allows us to carry out more of our plans, so that our vision of a new cultural future for Ulster-Scots can be more fully realised

James Devenney

Acting Chairperson