Not long ago Ulster's language situation interested few but revivalists and academics.  But in the past decade this has completely changed.

Rediscovery and revival of Ulster-Scots culture and language is well in progress. People are embracing the traditions of their forebears and recognising that a form of speech once used in the countryside, and unfortunately more often than not labelled "poor English" in the classroom, is a legitimate and vital part of their heritage.

While English remains the main language used by people living in Northern Ireland and in the South, the language remains as the tongue of heart and home in rural areas of County Antrim, North Down and Ards, Co. Londonderry, parts of Co. Fermanagh and Tyrone and east Donegal.

However a frequently-asked question is: is Ulster-Scots a language or a dialect?  This is rather like asking whether a daisy is a flower or a weed.

Ulster-Scots is a West Germainc language, as are Dutch, Frisisan, Scots and English.  Coming from the same language family as English, both Scots and Ulster-Scots share with it some vocabulary, idioms and grammar, but Ulster-Scots is now recognised as a European Regional or Minority Language.

Ulster-Scots, or Ullans is technically a variant of the lowland Scots language, or Lallans, but is now recognised separately as a European Regional Language by the UK government for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages.

The move to have the Scots language recognised in Scotland began early this century.  Scots has been recognised by The European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages for several years before Ulster-Scots also became recognised in 1993, one year after the Ulster-Scots Language Society and Ulster-Scots Academy were formed.

Most important of all is the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998, the first official document to mention the Ulster-Scots, stating that it represents "part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland".