Ulster-Scots Agency presence at the Royal...

30 June 2009

This summer the Ulster-Scots Agency made a big impression at its first major agricultural event in Scotland; the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh. Regarded as one of the United Kingdom’s top agricultural events, the Royal Highland Show is one of the flagship events for ‘Homecoming Scotland 2009’. It is the largest outdoor event in Scotland which attracts visitors of all ages from all over the world.

After more than a century of moving to different locations throughout Scotland, the “Highland” put down its permanent roots at Ingliston on the western fringes of Edinburgh in 1960.  The site is now known as the Royal Highland Centre and 2009 marked the 169th Royal Highland Show.

The event was a fantastic success for the Ulster-Scots Agency.  Located in a marquee within the ‘Lifestyle Village’, the Agency stand attracted much interest and welcomed a steady stream of visitors over the four day period.  A large number of Ulster-Scots publications including the Agency’s magazine ‘Oot an Aboot’, Hamilton and Montgomery, Robert the Bruce and Covenanters newspapers, Ulster-Scot Surnames Maps, Nursery Rhymes for Weans, Mathes Riddles in Silly Rhyme and the Harry Ferguson / Cyrus McCormick leaflet were distributed at the event and were all very well received.

A record 176,522 attended the Royal Highland Show this year, an increase of 15,496 visitors to the attendance figures in 2008 and 14,000 higher than the event’s previous highest record. 

The majority of visitors to the Agency marquee were from Scotland; however over the four days we also spoke to numerous people from across Northern Ireland who had travelled to Edinburgh specially to attend the Royal Highland Show.  On the Friday and Saturday alone there were visitors from Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Ballynahinch, Bangor, Coleraine, Enniskillen, Kilkeel, Islandmagee and Strabane to name just a few!

Agency staff all agreed that having a presence at the Royal Highland Show was a very worthwhile activity and hopes that the Agency will have a presence at the event over the years to come.