Leukin bak on tha Twalmond.
Tha mair tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch cum intae bein in laa on 2 Decemmer 19an99, tha furst foregaitherin o this new noarth-sooth leid curn wus hauden in Febwarrie 2000. Frae a clane stairt, tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch begoud as tha furst iver Ulstèr-Scotch leid curn tae be gien siller frae baith govermenns, an sae its settin up wus an owre ocht daeins.
Tha mair o this, it bore tha gree in unnèr a twalmond wi biggin twa milestanes at wud airt tha road o graith aheid.Fur yin, tha Boord’s Heich Ploy – tha furst iver thrie-yeir oncum roadin fur Ulster-Scotch – wus gat thegither. An then, seconnlie, a pairtnèrie atween tha Boord an tha Universitie o Ulstèr fur settin up tha Schuil o Ulstèr-Scotch Lear wus trystit.
Cum tha bak enn o Decemmer 2000, thar wus nae doot ava at tha Boord o Ulster-Scotch had made its mairk.
Noarth-Sooth Boord o Leid*
Tha Noarth-Sooth Boord o Leid (The North/South Language Implementation Body; An Foras Teanga) taks in twa faictories – Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch an Tha Boord o Airish Gaelick (The Ulster-Scots Agency and The Irish Language Agency / Foras na Gailge), an sae gies Ulstèr-Scotch an innins tae tha hale islann.
Tha Claucht-Preses fur Tha Boord o Leid, Laird Laird o Airtygarvan an Maighread Ui Mhairtin, taen up a twa-wye billieship an unnèrstaunin anent baith unnèr-docht leids in baith pairts o Airlann.
*Tha Noarth-Sooth Boord o Leid is cum aboot frae tha Bilfawst Greeance as yin o tha Noarth-Sooth Boords. This Boord taks in twa faictories, Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch an Tha Boord o Airish Gaelick. Ilka yin o thir twa faictories haes its ain boord quhilk thegither maks tha Noarth-Sooth Boord o Leid. Tha preses o thir twa Boords is baith Claucht-Preses o tha Noarth-Sooth Boord o Leid at haes 24 Boord Memmers.
A Heid Faictor fur tha while wus loaned frae tha Norlin Airlann Civil Service fur tae set up tha Agentrie at tha stairt.Quhan tha Semmlie wus suspennit in tha Spräng o 2000, tha Boord’s wark wus hinnèrt a bit.
Hooaniver, tha Boord didnae waste its time an the shuin gat houl o a citie-centre offis at Franklin Haw, Brunswick Raa, Bilfawst.
Tha Boord’s echt memmers, heidit up wi tha Preses, Tha Laird Laird o Airtygarvan, gaithert fur thair furst Boord foregaitherin in Bilfawst on 11 Febwarry 2000. This Boord brocht thegither memmers frae noarth an sooth, frae sinnèrie heirskips an fowkgates but aa with tha yin mind, fur tha fendin o Ulstèr-Scotch as a leevin leid.
Tha Boord wusnae lang in decidin on houlin its meetins turn aboot in Norlin Airlann an tha Republick o Airlann acause o its daleins athort tha hale islann. Yin o tha furst jabs at wus pit afore tha Boord wus tae fix on a richt name fur tha Boord, baith in Inglis an Ulstèr-Scotch, at wud hae tae be taen up eftèr by tha Noarth-Sooth Cooncil o Männystèrs.
It trystit at an unnèr offis wud be set up in Dinnygal.
Brocht tae tha fore wus tha need tae halp tha growein heirskip movemenn, maist o aa wi tha pipin, drummin an Scotch Heelann Dauncin.
Tha Boord thocht lear an bringin in leid lairnin in schuils tae Ulstèr-Scotch kintra airts as owre ocht jabs fur tha stairt-up.
Faict-fynnin
A brave wheen o tha furst wark o tha Boord wus adae wi faict-fynnin, baith fur fynnin an meetin wi curns an yins at tha Boord cud lairn frae or cleek up wi sae as tae fordèr baith tha leid an fowkgates. Tha Heid Faictor (Tha While) begoud by meetin wi reprysentèrs o tha Scotch Semmlie an tha Scotch Leid Dictionar Associe. Boord Memmer Doc Phäap Roabysin wus axed tae gies discoorses at tha “Scotlann an Ulstèr: Langles an Daleins c.15an85 an c.17an50” Collogue hauden at Strathclyde College on 8-9 Aprile .
At its seconn foregaithern on Julie 9, tha Boord fixed at its Ulstèr-Scotch name wud be “Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch”, an this was pit forrits tae tha Noarth-Sooth Cooncil o Männystèrs fur bein taen up.
Mercatin
It wus trystit at tha Preses wud heid up mercatin, wi tha main drive bein tae big up respeck fur tha Ulstèr-Scotch leid an fowkgates amang aa fowks in Norlin Airlann, the Republick o Airlann an ayont.
Tha Boord twigged at its skailins an daeins in tha Ulstèr-Scotch kintra airts maun be tae tha fore, maist o aa in plaices quhaur tha Boord wus giein oot siller.
Boord Memmers wus pushed tae tha fore tae turn up at Ulstèr-Scotch meetins an gaitherns by tha Preses, an thair turn-oot wus guid in tha furst twalmond. This cum oot weel in fordèrin tha graith o baith tha Boord an tha Ulstèr-Scotch fowk.
Preses Laird Laird daen weel in keepin tha Boord tae tha fore by aye turnin oot at kintra meetins an daeins tha lenth an brenth o Ulstèr.
Pairt NMCoM Foregaithern
Tha Heid Faictor (Tha While) went til tha furst pairt NSCoM foregaithern anent leid in Bilfawst on 21 Juin.
Tha Preses o tha Leid Boord, Maighread Ui Mhairtain, taakin fur baith Claucht-Preses, gien an accoont o tha hale Boord’s oncumin, an o tha darg in fordèrin tha Airish Gaelick an Ulstèr-Scotch leids.
She taaked strang aboot tha Boord’s guid wark in fordèrin mair respeck an unnèrstaunin anent sinnèrie leids an fowkgates.
ThaHeid Faictor (Tha While) gien an accoont o tha settin up o tha Boord’s faictorie an darg, an that tha furst foregaithern o tha Boord wus maistlie taen up wi makkin oot a heich ploy.
Tha Cooncil taen tent o quhit-wye thängs wus jist then, an the wur leukin forrits tae warkin alang wi tha Boord.
An Owreaa kythin picthur fur tha Boord
Yin o tha furst jabs fur tha Boord wus tha biggin o a heid kythin picthur fur itsel.
At tha bak enn o May 2000, tha Boord taen on ootside PR guiders fur tae pree oot a thocht picthur fur Ulstèr-Scotch at wud hae warl-wide ties.
Yin o a wheen o picthurs wus pit tae tha Boord at its 30 June foregaithern – a picthur o tha grunn roon aboot tha Giant’s Causey, Coontie Anthrim, leukin oot tae Scotlann – an wus thocht by yin an aa tae be maist like quhit tha Boord haed in mind.
Tha Boord’s furst foregaithern in Dinnygal wus hauden in Ballybofey on 18 Augeest. Tha Boord wus gien a discoorse frae Donall O Raigan, tha Unco Wiceman til tha Euraip Biroo o Unnèr-Docht Leids, anent quhit-wyes micht cud be best fur fordèrin unnèr-docht leids.
Tha Boord daen hauf a day forbye lairnin o its jonick unnèrtakkins as Boord Memmers.
Eftèr soartin an pittin twa-thrie bits richt, tha Boord gien its approval at this forgaithern tae aa tha kythin picthurs. Tha Boord noo haed a heid kythin picthur an sae maun pit it forrits afore fowk an big up intèrest amang oor main customers.
Bit scrievins an yin-aff photaegraphs o ilka Memmer wus aareadie daen, an it wus trystit wi Boord Memmers at Press Skailins o thair memmership wud be gien oot, bit by bit, tae kintra an local paipers frae tha enn o Augeest on.
Tha Boord gien a festive boord forbye fur tha heidyins o Dinnygal. Tha mate an tha turns eftèr wus owre ocht weel received by aa, an a guid billieship wi tha Ulstèr-Scotch fowk o Dinnygal gat aff tae a guid stairt.
Wittins Skailers Takkin Tent
Tha Boord gien oot details o its roadin ploy tae tha TV an paipers on 10 October, an gat a guid tak up frae tha TV in tha noarth, forbye a guid tak up frae printit warks in Airish Gaelick.
It wus a furst fur tha Boord’s new twa-leidit an brandit paiper tae get uised, an a photaegraph o tha Preses taen at tha Giant’s Causey, Coontie Anthrim, wus pit oot tae gie tha links a heft.
Tha wittins skailin gien rise tae a wheen o lettèrs tae tha editors o tha big paipers, wi some fowk no owre happy aboot tha amoont o siller or tha roadin o tha ploy, but monie gien a guid walcum tae tha Boord’s ettlins.
Tha mair o thae sinnèrie thochts, it cum oot at fowks haed twigged ontae this new faictorie fur tha leid. Forbye, monie wurds in Ulstèr-Scotch gat a new stairt in print eftèr hunnèrs o yeirs.
Tha wittins skailin ris tha intèrest o tha TV in tha Republick o Airlann, an RTE ettled on makin a film fur its Nationwide programme. Tha Boords 6t foregaithern in Bilfawst on 17 Novemmer wus cut intae fur a wee bit sae as the cud film it. It wus an unco fu meetin fur tha Boord heerd a discoorse forbye frae tha Ulstèr-Scotch Heirskip Cooncil - yin o tha heid curns in tha rise o Ulstèr-Scotch – anent its daeins an ettlins owre tha next thrie yier. Tha TV bit at cum oot haed taaks wi tha Preses, Laird Laird, Boord Memmer Doc Phäap Roabysin, quha is an expert on tha leid, an ither kintra Ulstèr-Scotch taakers. It wus pit oot at tha heicht o TV watchin time on Airish TV, on 12 Decemmer.
Tha Schuil o Ulstèr-Scotch Lear
Tha bak enn o 2000 seen a tryst soartit atween tha Boord an tha Universitie o Ulstèr fur tha settin up o a Schuil o Ulstèr-Scotch Lear in tha new yeir.
Tha Schuil wus tae be gien its siller frae baith pairties fur thrie yeir, cumin tae £300,000. Its ettlin wus tha fordèrin o unnèrstaunin o Ulstèr-Scotch historie, heirskip an fowkgates, in Ulstèr an in ither kintras, wi buik-lear.
It wus pushed oot on 2t Jenwarry, 2001, an gat a guid tak-up wi tha TV an paipers, baith noarth an sooth, an owre the cumin yeir tha Schuil wus fur bein a warl-wide success.
Heich Ploy
Tha Boord’s thrie-yeir heich ploy wus pit forrit an taen up wi tha Noarth-Sooth Cooncil o Männystèrs on 5t Decemmer. Tha ploy bakked fower big daeins at a coast o £1.45m.
The wur-
• Leid Graith – giein a heft tae Ulstèr-Scotch as a leevin leid an fordèrin its uise an oncum.
• Fowkgates – daein tha main pairt o tha oncum o Ulstèr-Scotch fowkgates,
• Lear – settin up pairtnèries wi tha schuils an resydentèrs fur fordèrin tha Ulstèr-Scotch leid, fowkgates an historie,
• Fowks unnèrstaunin o Ulstèr-Scotch – bringin on fowks unnèrstaunin o tha Ulstèr-Scotch leid an fowkgates.
Tha Ploy gien a wheen o main ettlins an darg at tha Boord thocht it micht cud dae inside o thrie yeir.
It wus trystit at tha printit ploy wud be twa-leidit –Inglis an Ulstèr-Scotch – an then anither yin in Airish Gaelick wud be brocht oot.
Fur apen repones an thochts it wus trystit on biggin a new thrie-leidit wabsteid - Inglis, Ulstèr-Scotch an Airish - fur skailin tha ploy as far as cud be.
Tha wabsteid – thocht tae be tha yae yin thrie-leidit wabsteid cumin oot o Airlann – cum in at tha stairt o Jenwarry an gat mair nor 10,000 landèrs in twa days. Fur giein tha Wabsteid mair bakkin, apen notices wus pit intae tha big daily paipers, baith noarth an sooth, sae as tha Ploy’s skailin micht be brocht tae tha fore, an fur apenin up tha ploy tae repones frae yin an aa.
A muckle poastin wus daen, wi tha Ploy getting poastit tae aa govermenn reprysentèrs noarth an sooth, an aa tha main heidyins adae wi leid.
Forbye, tha Boord trystit tae send tae ilka Memmer o tha Laa-makkin Semmlie, Senator, an Airish Thosel Memmer, a Yuletime Caird o Rabert Burns’s “A man’s a man” sae as tae mak its presence felt wi tha main heidyins, Noarth an Sooth.
Siller Hansels
Giein oot siller fur tae halp tha graith o fowkgates wus a big pairt o tha Boord’s Heich Ploy.
Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch
Juin 2002.
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