Ulster Heritage Magazine

Music from the Ulster Disapora

2009-07-18T16:28:00.001-05:00

From left to right, Jesse Pinion, Donovan McCain, and Conar McCain... live at a club in Oxford, Mississippi.

Mystical Irish Musings Vol 2

2009-07-17T08:27:00.004-05:00

Mystical Irish Musings, Vol. 2

Following the success of Mystical Irish Musings Vol. 1, a second volume has been launched.

Vol. 2 follows the same format and style as Vol. 1 and contains 19 interesting and entertaining stories spanning 2½ hours. The package comes on a double CD and contains a six-page photographic insert.

The stories are narrated by the author who is a direct descendant of the Bards of ancient Ireland. They are all true and serve as a vital link between Ireland past and present.

The material will resonate with anyone with a drop of Irish blood (and indeed, those with none!) – those with memories of their own youth and those who listened as children to their parents, grandparents and neighbours.

Some people may find it difficult to visualise a pre-Celtic Tiger Ireland, but Mystical Irish Musings will open a window on a different landscape – social, cultural and historical.

Use the link below for details on all complete series by Brian Mac a' Bhaird.

Mac a' Bhaird

For any queries or to request script, e-mail bsward@eircom.net

Donegal In Touch Magazine No 4

2009-07-14T07:39:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Donegal in Touch e-zine. This e-zine is part of the Donegal Diaspora Project. Through this project Donegal is reaching out and connecting with people in all parts of the world who have a connection to or interest in Donegal. This e-zine is sent to people in all parts of the world.

Please feel free to pass this e-zine on to others that you feel might be interested in it. Any views, comments or contributions to the e-zine are very welcome. The latest edition of the e-zine can be viewed or downloaded via the Donegal County Development Board website - http://www.donegalcdb.ie/ using the following link:

http://www.donegalcdb.ie/publications/DonegalCommunityInTouche-zineIssue4.pdf

For further information on Donegal or on the Donegal Diaspora Project, please contact Maria Ferguson at maria.ferguson@donegalcoco.ie or Roisin McBride at rmcbride@donegalcoco.ie.

Fáilte go ríomhiris Dún na nGall i dTeagmháil. Tá an ríomhiris seo ina pháirt de Thionscnamh Diaspóra Dhún na nGall. Tá Dún na nGall ag síneadh amach agus ag nascú le daoine ar fud an domhain a bhfuil gaol nó suim acu leis an chondae. Cuirtear an ríomhiris seo chuig daoine i ngach cearn den domhan.

Seol an ríomhiris seo chuig duine ar bith a mbeadh suim acu ann, le do thoil. Beidh fáilte roimh thuairimí, ráitis nó eolas don ríomhiris. Tá an eagrán is deireannaí don e-iris le fáil le léamh nó íoslodáil ó suíomh idirlín Bord Forbartha Chontae Dhún na nGall - http://www.donegalcdb.ie/ ag an nasc seo a leanas:

http://www.donegalcdb.ie/publications/DonegalCommunityInTouche-zineIssue4.pdf

Chun tuilleadh eolais ar Chontae Dhún na nGall nó ar Tionscnamh Diaspóra Dhún na nGall, dean teagmháil le Maria Nic Fheargusa ag maria.ferguson@donegalcoco.ie nó le Róisín Nic Giolla Bhríde ag rmcbride@donegalcoco.ie.

With kind regards

Best wishes from,
The Donegal - community in touch / Dún na nGall - pobail i d'teagmháil Publication Team

______________
Roisin McBride

Research Officer
Strategic Policy Unit
Donegal County Council
Tel: +353 74 9172562
Fax: +353 74 9142130
E-Mail: rmcbride@donegalcoco.ie
Website: http://www.donegalcoco.ie/

The Ghosts of Ulster

2009-07-08T11:23:00.008-05:00

Ulster is particularly rich, even infested, with ghosts and other paranormal entities. Here are several examples:

The Headless Horseman of Ballymena, seen often on the road leading to the White Gates, in the Crebilly Road area. Usually seen on 31 October, or Halloween, the ghost is reported to be that of a robber who was decapitated by a thin wire pulled across the road while making, what he thought was, his escape. The headless ghost appears on horseback making what he thought would be his escape.

In the field of cryptology is the giant eel of Lough Neagh. This is a very long black creature, its body thickness twice the size of a man's leg. This massive and as yet unknown type of creature has been observed more than once by boaters out on the loch.

The Green Lady is a haunting manifestation that appears near the Erne Bridge in Ballyshannon. Little is know about the Lady, perhaps a Bean Sí from the Tuatha De Dannan who has a particular affection for the location.

On Lough Derg there is a old galley of the type used by the Norse and Gaels in Medieval times, it is seen always travelling north with gentle singing coming from those on board, whoever they may be.

In 2007 Psychic investigator, Mike Hirons, established Paranormal Ulster to investigate the many paranormal events that take place in Ulster. Mike Hirons was led into this field by his own experience with the paranormal. In 1979 he had an encounter with the apparition of his grandmother, seen shortly after her passing. Over the years he witnessed many light anomalies and he decided to explore the paranormal in depth. This particular type of phenomenon has a long history in the north of Ireland and other places in the British Isles and is associated with the Second Sight.

Paranormal Ulster has assembled a team of talented investigators and they are systematically exploring the hauntings and other paranormal events that take place in Ulster. Their website is highly recommended.

Ulster Scots and Languages

2009-07-06T10:06:00.006-05:00

The Scots that migrated to Ulster in the 1600s have a more complex and more Celtic history than many realise. There is a tendency even among many historians to begin their history at the Ulster Plantation in 1610 as if they sprang out of nowhere. Many of the Scots settlers came from Aryshire and Gallowayshire in southwest Scotland and both districts have a history as rich and interesting as any in the Ireland and the British Isles. Part of this history are the languages that have been spoken in the western Scottish Lowlands. The Lowlands were Cymraeg speaking (Welsh) in ancient times and gradually began to shift to Gaelic speaking in Medieval times. The Lowlands even produced one the great Gaelic poets in Walter Kennedy, a member of the Lowlands Kennedy clan and poet from the Galloway Gaeltacht.

In 1455 Walter Kennedy was born in the Carrick distrct of Ayrshire, which was still Gaelic speaking in the 16th Century. Kennedy was the son of Gilbert, first Lord of Kennedy of Dunure and the grandson of Sir James Kennedy and Mary, Countess of Angus, who was the daughter of Robert III, King of Scotland. He graduated from Glasgow University in 1476 and went on to take his MA there in 1478. After his MA he was an examiner at the University of Glasgow and in 1497 he was a representative for the abbey of Crosraguel in Aryshire. He was well to do and owned lands in both Carrick and Galloway.

Like many educated Scots in those days, Kennedy knew Gaelic, Lallans, and Latin, equally well. Only a few of his works survive, which are all written in middles Scots, or Lallans. His wit can be seen in the famous Flyting poem he did with William Dunbar, a rival Scottish poet. A flyting poem is a war of words, a contest, where to poets try to outclass each other with their skills. 'Flyt' is a middle Lallans word for 'quarrel' or 'contention'.

The flyting poem is Schir Johine the Ros, ane thing thair is compild, also known as The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie, and it is a surviving example of the Scottish flyting genre in poetry. Dunbar makes big play of Kennedy's Carrick roots and strongly associates him with Erschry, and the Gaelic bardic tradition. In English and Lallans, all Gaels, be they Lowland, Highland, or Irish, were termed 'Erschry' which even to this day you will hear the term 'Erse' applied to the Gaelic language.

The insults thrown by Dunbar are matched in kind by Kennedy making this Flyting a fine read. The insults are graphic and personal as was the norm in a flyting poem. Dunbar characterises Kennedy as speaking a barbarous Irish dialect, as being physically hideous and withered, poor and hungry, and of having intercourse with mares. Kennedy, by contrast, suggests that Dunbar was descended from Beelzebub, is a dwarf, and has no control of his bowel movements to the point of almost sinking a ship he had been on. Both cast doubt on the other's poetic skill. Kennedy states that he ascends Mount Parnassus to drink of the inspirational waters of the Castalian Spring, but poor Dunbar goes "in Marche or Februere" to a farm pond and drinks the frogspawn.

Armagh Origin Families Needed

2009-07-02T08:04:00.007-05:00

Dr John Wright is looking for the descendants of families from Armagh that emigrated circa 1880 through 1930s, especially those that went to Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, or New York. Dr Wright is collecting information on the US experiences of those emigrants from Armagh.

To participate, please email Dr John Wright at: john.wright@zen.co.uk

Dr John R R Wright was educated at Portadown College, Stranmillis University College, Belfast and the University of Ulster. A former teacher and lecturer, he has published two books - Irish Wade, a history of the world famous Wade pottery in Portadown, Co Armagh, and Moses Teggart: Bard of the Boglands - an anthology of the poems of the North Armagh, Victorian poet who left his native county to find fame, if not fortune, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Now retired, he spends his time lecturing on local history, literature, antiques and genealogy. He is married to Emily, a former Co Armagh Dairy Princess, and considers himself fortunate to have three wonderful children, Katherine, Caroline and Bryan and a three year old, livewire, grandson Ben.

Canadian Headstones to Go On line

2009-07-01T08:08:00.006-05:00

Jim McKane of Wiarton, Ontario, Canada, has initiated a project that will make Canadian headstone data available to all family history researchers. Jim has developed the Canadian Headstone Photo Project. Each province and territory has its own separate website and database.

The mission of the project is to capture digital images of headstones. As decades pass by many stones are becoming harder, if not impossible, to read. By archiving the images, these important records can be saved to assist future researchers.

If anyone has an interest in helping Jim McKane with this important project, Jim is looking for:

1) people lto upload any and all headstone photos you may possess

2) co-ordinators to assist in "approving" the photos as they are uploaded.

3) volunteers to photograph headstones of cemeteries and upload them.

4) genealogical societies, church groups and others who would like to create a photographic archive of their cemeteries

5) assistance to install a link to CanadianHeadstones.com on any websites possible.

This Headstone Photo Project is a privately sponsored, non-profit, educational site. Success of the Project will depend completely upon the activities of many volunteers and other individuals who contribute photographs to the archive.

If you can assist in any way or have questions, please email Jim: jamckane@gmail.com

The Second Sight

2009-06-28T15:24:00.004-05:00

The Second Sight, or an dara sealladh, is one of the more curious, but constant cultural phenomenons, in Celtic lands and those places where Celts have settled around the world. It is the sixth sense, the ability to see and perceive, images or knowledge of events, of death to come, either near or distant. It most associated with Gaels of Highland Scottish or Hebridean ancestry, but is also known throughout Ireland and Scotland. Modern science, in an attempt to classify the phenomenon, describes it as the paranormal perception at a distance in time and space and the parapsychologist place the Second Sight along side ESP, or extra sensory perception.

A frequent vision seen by those with the Second Sight is a premonition of a death shortly to occur in the community. This can take the form of seeing an apparition of the person, his wraith, no matter how far away the person might be. There are also reports of those gifted seeing lights around the person that is fated soon to pass over.

Sometimes the Second Sight concerns more mundane occurrences, such as the sure knowledge that comes to those gifted of a future outcome or occurrence. This is not a case of luck or coincidence, but rather the complete, certain and accurate knowledge, of an event in the future or even a case of just 'knowing' where something that has been mislaid is.

The Second Sight is called a 'gift', but is not considered so by those afflicted with the sense. The episodes come on them not of their own choosing, but in spells which they have no control. The burden of knowing where death will call among friends and family, or just the burden of knowledge of the nature of people, or their never to be realised dreams, etc., often makes those with the sense solitary by choice. They will often seek to live in wooded cabins, or seashore or mountain homes, places where they do not have to discourse with people, just to escape episodes of the Second Sight. They live lonely lives of solitude, deep in thoughts and knowledge of how mysterious life really is.

Sarah Pearl Tweedy, born in 1883 in southern Illinois, had the Second Sight. Her family left County Cavan early in the 1700s for Colonial America. This photo take circa 1905.

Science only now is perhaps providing some explanation into the Second Sight. As leading physicists develop theories into quantum physics, into String Theory, or of multiple universes and dimensions no further away than our finger tips, perhaps some explanation into the Second Sight can be understood. Perhaps in the population among certain people, in Scotland for instance, some families have long had abilities perceive these things, to have access to time and space, not as a linear progression, but access to the entire flow of events.

The Second Sight is thought to be hereditary and it 'runs' in some families. As is often the case in genetics, the Second Sight may skip one or two generations, and then return, like some regressive trait for hair colour or shape of ears. The phenomenon is much too authenticated to pretend it does not exist.

While this is so, here in the 21st Century amid a society based on consumerism and values taken from a very material world, instances of the Second Sight seem to be waning. The massive intrusion of media, the incessant TV and radio programs, Cell phone signals, satellite communications, computers and more, could very well make the all too fragile links to the other world to frayed and cloudy for those with the Second Sight to perceive their reality anymore. Only in rural areas in Scotland and Ireland, and in the Southern hills and uplands in the United States, where so many Irish and Scottish settled, are there still reports of people with the Second Sight.

Ulster's Mitochondrial DNA

2009-06-27T17:51:00.005-05:00

mtDNA and my Ulster heritage

by Harry D. Watson

After about 30 years of tracing my family-history by the traditional "paper-trail" method, I had just about dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's, so the new science of genetic genealogy came along at just the right time to revive my flagging interest in the subject.

I thought I knew all about my origins already, but the results of my cheek swabs held some surprises. Not so much as regards my Y DNA (father's father's line), which turned out to be R1b like the majority of West European males: with the distinction that I match the "Scots Modal R1b" which Dr. Jim Wilson of Edinburgh University has called "the genetic signature of the Picts". They were the Celtic tribe or tribes who lived north of the Forth-Clyde line in ancient times, not least in the "Kingdom" of Fife as we Fifers like to call it. There is evidence that the present county of Fife was in fact a separate entity in the past, and Dunfermline in the west of the county was a royal seat (as late as the 17th century, it was the birthplace of Charles I) while St. Andrews in the east was the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, like Canterbury in England. My father's family have lived in the same village in Fife for hundreds of years, as far back as the written records stretch, so on that side of the family I suppose I was fated to be a Pict!

Harry D Watson and his wife

However, my mitochondrial DNA (mother's mother's line) was a bit more interesting. Just to give the family-history background first, my mother was also from east Fife, but her own mother came from the Scottish Borders, and further back there is a link to Northern Ireland. My mother's mother's mother's mother - my great-great-grandmother - was called Agnes Pettigrew, and she was born in or near Belfast in about 1832. Her parents were Archibald Pettigrew and Jane Murray, and Jane was the daughter of William Murray and Nancy Howat, who appear to have lived in the Ballymacarrett area of Belfast. Nancy Howat is my earliest known mitochondrial (mtDNA) ancestor. The International Genealogical Index (IGI) shows that the surname Howat is commoner in the Ballymacarrett area of Belfast than anywhere else in the island of Ireland, and in Scotland the name has always been commoner in Ayrshire than anywhere else. Ayrshire is the county, in the west of Scotland, which provided more emigrants to north-east Ulster in the 17th-century "Plantation" period than any other. So much for the paperwork.

Anyone who has kept up with research in the genetic genealogy field will know that, by common consensus, the vast majority of modern Europeans can be shown to be descended from one of seven women who lived in the distant past, many thousands of years ago. Professor Bryan Sykes of Oxford University calls them "the 7 Daughters of Eve". Six of these women were born in Europe; the seventh, mtDNA J - or "Jasmine", as Sykes has dubbed her - was allegedly from what is now Syria in the Middle East, and her descendants were Europe's first farmers, bringing agricultural know-how to the Europe of the hunter-gatherers in the Neolithic or New Stone Age period. The mtDNA I have inherited from all the "mothers" in my mitochondrial line is from this "haplogroup".

Most interestingly of all, by comparing my mtDNA results with those of other testees on the major genetic databases - FTDNA, Sorenson, Genetree and mitosearch - I have identified a small cluster of "Jasmines" in north-east Ulster and elsewhere in Ireland. Sharon Bodet, who matches my mtDNA haplotype almost exactly (6/6 on HVR1 and 9/10 on HVR2), traces her maternal line back to a Susannah Bailey in "Northern Ireland", and another Bailey descendant with the same mtDNA results is Joyce Carico of Georgia (NB there are Baileys from Newtownards, Co. Down, in my Pettigrew extended family in north-east Down).

Pam Thomson can trace her earliest mtDNA ancestor back to an Ann Ramsay in Co. Antrim, and Marilyn Marx's equivalent ancestor is a Jane Kirkpatrick born in 1795 at Ballyhalbert, Co. Down. Pam and Marilyn, like Sharon and Joyce above, are almost exact genetic matches to myself. All of us are what is now termed mtDNA J1c1, and all of us are descended from women in Northern Ireland with Scottish or at least British as distinct from Irish surnames. I also have a match in Co. Tyrone called Hutchinson, and one in Dublin called Locke. And an American called Ryrie who matches my J mtDNA has a mitochondrial ancestor called McLean in 18th-century Ayrshire itself.

Apart from my Irish matches, most of the other matches I have found for my mitochondrial genetic pattern have been Norwegians or Norwegian-Americans. So what is the connection between Norway and Northern Ireland? For an explanation of this phenomenon I am grateful to Professor Stephen Oppenheimer of Oxford University, whose book "The Origins of the British" (2006, pb.2007) has a map on page 214 (pb. edition) showing the movement of what at the time of writing was known as mtJ1b1 (now J1c1) from Norway to Scotland during the Neolithic era. Several thousand years later many Scots would emigrate across the Irish Sea to Ulster, taking with them the DNA they had inherited from those remote ancestors. And, as we all know, in the course of time a lot of Ulster Scots would re-emigrate to the land of their recent forebears. In the case of the "Jasmine" Scots-Irish, the journey had started in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East some 10,000 years before.

So much for the theory that our forebears seldom left their ancestral village until the Industrial Revolution and the growth of modern communications!

Harry D Watson
Edinburgh, 26th June 2006

The Bann Valley Henry Family

2009-06-25T10:21:00.002-05:00

The Bann Valley Henry Family

One of the large family groups participating in the Ulster Heritage DNA Project is the Henry family of the Bann Valley. In the Diaspora they are located across the South of the United States, in Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. The Henry family has had great success locating far flung branches and confirming related lines, but there origins are still a mystery. The appear as a typical Scotch-Irish family that immigrated to Colonial America in the 1700s, yet their DNA results link them to a kinship group of Gaelic families from mid Argyll. The Henrys are related to the McKean/McCain (Mac Eáin) family of Glassary, and the Duncan (Donnchadh) family, also of Argyll; these relationship suggest the Henrys are also a Highland Gaelic family in origins.

The family has only two anglicised forms, Henry and Henrie, with none of the families using the prefixes O or Mac. A study of the primary source records have to date not revealed any insights into the family's ultimate origins. In Ireland they were found along the banks of the Bann. One member of the family has an ancestor that was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1631, but it is not known if he was native to the city or his family had moved there.

There are several Henry families of separate origins in the Bann Valley. The McHenry, i.e. Mac Énrí family, which has also participated in DNA testing, are a sept of the Ó Catháin clan native to the Bushmills area, but are not related to the Bann Valley Henrys.

The family is being studied by the Henry DNA Project. Anyone that has insight into this Ulster family is urged to contact the Henry project administrator:

The Henry DNA Project

Old Time and Bluegrass in County Tyrone

2009-06-25T08:29:00.001-05:00

18th Annual Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival Omagh Co Tyrone

04 September 2009 until 06 September 2009

This famous festival is jam-packed with performances from some of the biggest names in bluegrass music.

Stroll through the museum for the afternoon sessions with six stages of great music to enjoy or book tickets to experience the electric atmosphere of a night time concert.

International artists performing this year include The Claire Lynch Band, Dirk Powell Band, Kenny & Amanda Smith and the Malpass Family all from the USA. The Foggy Hogtown Boys from Canada will also perform alongside Acousticure, Four Wheel Drive and Turquoise from Europe as well as plenty of home-grown talent.

Booking information:

Weekend passes or evening concert tickets can be reserved from 028 8224 3292.

All are urged to bring your dancing shoes!

DNA Testing Summer Sale!!!

2009-06-24T08:02:00.003-05:00

There has never been a better time to participate in the Ulster Heritage DNA Project or the Ulster Heritage mtDNA Project. The genetics laboratory we use for the testing is running a sales promotional with substantial lowering of their prices. The Ulster Heritage DNA Project uses the Y chromosome test; it is for males only as this chromosome is only passed from father to son. This is why it is excellent for surname studies, particularly for families from Ireland and Scotland that often use patronymic naming patterns.

The Ulster Heritage mtDNA test uses mitrochondrial DNA, which is passed by the mother to both her sons and daughters. For this reason, both men and women can participate in the Ulster Heritage mtDNA test.

When you join, make sure you sign up for the Ulster Heritage newsletter and forum at:

ULSTER HERITAGE

The details of the sale and Max Blankfield's note to me is below:

In the last few days we have received several e-mails from group administrators asking us to extend our "Unparalleled 50% Promotional Discount" Y-DNA37+mtDNA for $119 (the regular project price is $248 – a reduction of more than 50%!!), as many people are only now becoming aware of the promotion.

We have decided, therefore, to extend it until June 30th, 2009. Kits must be paid by July 7, 2009. In order for the most people take advantage of this promotion, we encourage you to post the following link in your family messages boards, blogs, and mail lists, as well as forward to people when they ask you where to place the order:

Join Ulster Heritage Project and mtDNA Project

For those projects that require a "Join Request", please be sure to reply to the prospective test candidate in time for him to order at the promotional price.

As always, that you for your continued support.

Max Blankfeld
Vice-President, Operations and Marketing
http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com

Comhaltas Uladh

2009-06-19T12:27:00.002-05:00

Comhaltas Uladh Comhaltas Uladh was founded in 1926 and is a provincial assembly of Conradh na Gaeilge.

Comhaltas Uladh administers the work of Conradh na Gaeilge in the province of Ulster as well as County Louth. The organisation's main purpose is to promote the Irish language in Ulster.

Comhaltas Uladh organises feiseanna, Irish language speaking competitions and branches for pupils in both primary and secondary schools. Comhaltas Uladh works in partnership with Universities and training collages in Northern Ireland. The organisation publishes a monthly magazine An tUltach as well as books on story telling. It provides assistance to drama groups, preschools and other Irish language schools in the 10 counties.

President: Úna Ní Chriagáin Secretary: Cathal Ó Díolúin

13 Taunton Ave. Béil Feirste

Email: co.ul@btinternet.com --

Foyle Day Events!

2009-06-12T11:07:00.002-05:00

Foyle Days 2009 - 13th and 14th June 2009
12pm - 4pm
Queen's Quay

This weekend the Banks of the Foyle will be awash with a range of activities celebrating the city's vast maritime heritage as part of the Foyle Days 2009 event.

This event promotes the accessibility of the River Foyle, highlighting the range of activities that are available for families and outdoor enthusiasts.

Highlights include:

* SCUBA diving taster sessions with the City of Derry Sub Aqua Diving Club*
* Sample canoeing with the Foyle Paddlers*
* Eco tour of the River Foyle with Just Kayak*

*Advance booking for taster sessions at the information desk on site is essential

For your chance to win £250 vouchers take part in a "Slow Bike Race" which takes place in the DOE car park on Saturday 13th June only from 12 pm - 4 pm. Bikes and safety equipment will be provided.

Visit the Navy Ship which will be berthed along Queen's Quay. The ship will be open from 2.30 pm - 4.00 pm on Saturday 13th and 2.00pm - 4.00 pm on Sunday 14th June.

There is also the opportunity to avail of a historical tour of the Ebrington Site, visiting the Atlantic Memorial Exhibition in the Workhouse and the Spanish Armada Exhibition in the Tower Museum. A free shuttle bus service will be provided and tours will depart from the lay-by opposite Quay West at 12pm, 1.30pm and 3.00pm daily.

Other highlights include:

* Open Yacht Race and Dingy Race
* Visit the marquee for arts, crafts, maritime face painting, street entertainment with maritime pirates, puppet shows and story-telling.
* Reminisce and explore the City's maritime history and heritage in the Knowledge Zone.
* View the large scale model of the "Peace Bridge"
* Chill out in the Maritime Marquee and avail of great quality refreshments in a unique 1940's style ambience.
* Walled City Market traders will be offering a variety of products suitable for everyone and located at Queen's Quay.

Further details on Foyle Days can be obtained by visiting

www.derrycity.gov.uk/foyledays

Ulster Heritage Forum Now Open

2009-06-09T09:31:00.002-05:00

The Ulster Heritage Forum is now open. It is a service open to all with Ulster ancestry. The forum's moderator is Jim McKane of Wiarton, Ontario, Canada. The forum concentrates on family history and genealogy and is unique in that it also includes new information that has been revealed from the Ulster Heritage DNA Project.

Ulster Heritage Forum

Ulster Heritage DNA Summer Sale!

2009-06-08T21:27:00.006-05:00

Have you ever wanted to participate in the Ulster Heritage DNA Project, to uncover your lost family history, to reconnect with your lost kin in Ulster and the Diaspora?

Well, now is a very good time to pursue your dream as the laboratory that performs the Ulster Heritage DNA testing is running a summer sale on their DNA test.

The prices of the DNA test have been slashed and this is an incredible opportunity that should not be missed. Details are below:

Offer summary:

• Y-DNA37+mtDNA for $119. (The regular project price is $248 – a reduction of more than 50%!!)
• The promotion will begin on June 9, 2009 and will end on June 24, 2009
• Kits ordered in this sale must be paid for by June 30, 2009

With this offer, new members can skip past the Y-DNA12 and Y-DNA25 tests and get the best Y-DNA Genealogical test on the market in addition to an mtDNA test for an extremely reduced price!

To take advantage of this excellent opportunity visit:

Ulster Heritage DNA Project

and click on 'Join UH DNA Project' from the menu on the left. Also, bookmark the homepage to stay up to date on the Ulster Heritage DNA Project. The homepage is located:

Ulster Heritage

Many families of Ulster descent have already successfully reconnected with their family in Ulster today, many families have also successfully uncovered lost family history and genealogy by using DNA testing. This is an excellent opportunity for everyone that has Ulster Heritage.

Barry R McCain
Ulster Heritage DNA Project

The Brown DNA Project

2009-06-01T15:56:00.002-05:00

Arlington, Virginia USA, June 1, 2009

The Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study announces a program to encourage genealogical DNA tests for men who live in Scotland and Ulster. As part of this program, the contractor for the Brown DNA Study, Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), will offer up to ten free DNA tests for Scottish men, when representatives from FTDNA attend the 2009 "Gathering of Clans" on 25 and 26 July in Edinburgh. The tests will be open to Scottish or Ulster Scots men who carry the "Brown" surname or a variant like Broun, Browning or Brownlee. It's anticipated that additional DNA tests for Brown-surnamed Scottish men will be subsidized later in 2009.

The Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study is a non-profit, volunteer activity operated by amateur genealogists. Its purposes are (a) to support one another in applying DNA analysis to genealogical research on various "Brown" family lines, and (b) to encourage additional DNA testing by Brown-surnamed men worldwide. The project currently has 567 successfully tested members, plus another six men who are awaiting their first DNA laboratory results. The bulk of members reside in the USA, while other members live in Canada, Australia, England, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Scotland. About 95% of members have been tested by FTDNA, but the project welcomes members tested by other laboratories and companies.

Family Tree DNA is the world's largest genealogical DNA testing firm and has a customer database of more than 150,000 surname-specific (Y Chromosome) DNA tests. The company's main offices are in Houston, Texas. Laboratory work is conducted both at the Houston headquarters and at the University of Arizona, with the latter work under supervision of the University's internationally recognized DNA scientists.

For additional information, contact:

Jim Brown (James A. Brown, Jr.)

Email: DNAforBrowns@aol.com

Phone: 703-241-4511

Ulster Heritage DNA Project Update, May 09

2009-05-27T14:53:00.006-05:00

We receive many emails asking how to view the results; The best way is to go to our main website, look at the menu on the left, click on DNA Project, that will open a page that will have a link to the results.

To reach our main website Google (or use your search engine) 'Ulster Heritage,' we should be the top result. Just click on that and bring up our website, then bookmark that page. You can also click on the link below:

The Ulster Heritage DNA Project

Some news on the DNA front; our lab, Family Tree will be adding some new markers to their tests, this very good for families that have succeeded in locating many branches, this will allow participants to judge the chronology of your matches, i.e. when the various branches tie into each other. I have also heard that the Family Tree lab is going to adjust the MRA computation. This is a result of the many advances made by the geneticists in discovering new subclades, markers, etc., and this will benefit your family history research.

On our main website we will reorganise the 'Scotch-Irish' section in June. As our project has grown we see a need for much more data on the families that have Scotch-Irish ancestors. There were three migrations of Scots into Ulster, the Gallóglaigh (1200 to 1400 AD), the Redshanks (1450 to 1600 AD), and then the Plantation Scots (1610 to 1720 AD). The Ulster Scot presence in Ulster is much more complex than is commonly represented in many histories and we will post information on all three groups.

Several very important Irish clans have appeared in our results and we will continue to post news of these on the main website and on the Ulster Heritage Magazine blog. The Maguires (Mag Uidhir), the O'Kanes (Ó Catháin), O'Neills (Ó Neill) are now on the results tables, along with several other historically important clans.

We are working toward creating a non profit organisation to assist research for all participant families. It is our hope, that with this funding, we can offer free analysis to participant families in the future, so wish us luck in this endeavour. We will also have a data base created which will have a home in Ireland. For those of you that travel to Ireland and N Ireland, this will give you a place to visit, have a cup of tea and biscuit, and check the records. This data base will be unique as it will be the only one in existence that will correlate surnames, DNA results, and geographic location of families.

For families that have made sufficient progress to the point they feel the need for a researcher in Ireland or Northern Ireland we can put you in contact with bona fide researchers, in fact, the top in the field; just drop me an email if you need this.

Jim McKane, our webmaster, has added several new ebooks, and puts out a newsletter; you can join the newsletter on the main website. He also runs a forum for Ulster Genealogy, which is also found on our main website. Jim has created a store also with Ulster Heritage items for those who want to celebrate their heritage, and the funds go to helping the project. On the shop you can get shirts, caps, etc., with the Brown Bull of Ulster on them. The Brown Bull goes back to the Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cualgne). This is the epic tale of the war against Ulster by queen Mebh of Connacht, fought over the brown bull of Ulster. In the tale, the young hero Cúchulainn (said Coo-hul-lan) defends Ulster. It is one of the oldest pieces of literature in Europe and is not unlike Homer's Iliad.

If you would like to assist the Ulster Heritage Project, donations are needed and welcomed. Our main costs now are the non profit start up and the need to keep our computers up to date and serviced. You can donate via the 'Buy Us a Pint' link on the main website via paypal or just mail a cheque to our PO address.

I encourage all participants to be very proactive with your DNA results. Email all your matches, if you get a geographic fix, make sure you post notices on any forums run by that County. In your personal settings, make sure you allow non surname matches to appear, this very important. Many times a non surname match can be the missing link in a family history. Irish, Scotch-Irish, even Hugenot surnames, all have multiple variations, some surnames were translated, while others were given a phonetic form variation. You will only catch these if you allow non surname matches to appear.

I encourage everyone to do as many markers as you can afford. Due to the homogenous nature of Ulster families, often the 67 marker test is needed to confirm kinship.

If you have any basic questions, just email Jim or myself. There is a FAQ section on the main website, if you are new to genetic genealogy, make sure you read that.

I know many families are making connections, as I see them in the results section. If you have trouble finding your kit listed, just bring up the results pages, do a search for your kit number. Because there are so many anglicised forms of some surnames, I list them by the original Gaelic spelling. There is (generally) only one original spelling and this is a very good way to group the various forms of the surname.

Please notice the St Columba Medal, which can be seen on the UH Magazine site. This is the creation of artist Garth Duncan. All proceeds for the sales go to a church in need of repair on the Island of Skye, in the Hebrides. St Columba is one of the most famous sons of Ulster. He is the patron saint of Ireland, Ulster, of Scotland, and Argyll, so very important to people of Ulster ancestry. If you would like a medal just contact me or Garth Duncan.

Garth's website is: Duncan House

Cheers agus is mise le meas mór,

Barry R McCain

Plantation of Ulster Conference

2009-05-26T07:54:00.000-05:00

The Plantation of Ulster, 1609-2009: A Laboratory for Empire:

25-26 June (Goldsmiths, University of London); 3-5 July 2009 (University of Ulster, Magee) and 23-25 October 2009 (Trinity College Dublin).

Between 25-26 June, 3-5 July and 23-25 October 2009, Goldsmiths, Trinity College Dublin and the University of Ulster will convene a series of three major academic conferences to mark the 400th anniversary of the Ulster Plantation. This importance of this event to the shared histories of Ireland, Britain and the British imperial world would be difficult to overstate. It copper-fastened the English and British conquest of Ireland, and dramatically transformed Ireland?s physical, demographic, socio-economic, political, military and cultural landscape. In effect, the plantation became England, Britain's and the City of London's first successful attempt at plantation and the latter's vigorous attempts to protect this investment would have enormous implication for the collapse of the Tripartite Stuart monarchy in the 1640s. Furthermore, it provided a successful template for British conquest, plantation and imperialism in the Americas, the Caribbean and the Indian sub-continent. Finally, its historical, political, cultural, environmental and visual effects have impact on the two cities and islands until the present day.

Scholars from Ireland, Britain, Europe and the American will re-assess the plantation and its disputed histories and heritages in its various local, national, international and global contexts. This conference will commence in London (25-26June 2009), proceed to the Plantation Citadel of Derry/Londonderry (3-5 July), a fitting location given its subsequent importance as a blueprint for plantation in the first British Empire. Finally, it will conclude in Trinity College Dublin - a major economic beneficiary of the plantation and archival receptacle for its cartographic, historical and literary records, on 23-25 October 2009 with a conference on the 1641 Rebellion.

For details contact: Christhomps84388@aol.com

Yoknapatawpha Arts Council Picnic

2009-05-15T10:37:00.009-05:00

The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council hosts its annual membership picnic on 16 May, in Taylor, Mississippi. Yoknapatawpha is the name of the mythological county in which the Nobel Prize winning writer, William Faulkner, set many of his novels. William Faulkner valued his Scotch-Irish ancestry and his writings include many typical Ulster American families and themes. Yoknapatawpha has a place in the heritage of Ulster.

William Faulkner said, "the past is not dead . . . it isn’t even past." And this is very true for much of the South where Ulster folk settled in great numbers.

The picnic will be held at the Plein Air neighbourhood, in Taylor, MS, from 5 -8 PM. The event is free to members of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and people can join the arts council the day of the event. The arts council's mission is to foster the arts, to create opportunities for artists and for the community to experience a wide array of programs. Joining the arts council is a great way to support the musicians and artist that add so much richness to our society, and is also a way to have a very good time.

Oxford, Mississippi's Donovan McCain

Music this year will feature singer and songwriter,
Donovan McCain, Shannon McNally, and Guelel Khumba.

The Ulster Origins of an American Icon

2009-05-11T15:33:00.005-05:00

a rural settler scene played out many times in colonial Amerias, from the New England backcountry to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheys. The name 'Hillbilly' reflected both the ethnicity and geography of the Scots-Irish pioneers in North America. Illustration by Fergus Elder.

The article below was submitted by Fergus Elder, a native of Northern Ireland that has lived in Lancashire, UK, for some ten years now, where he teaches school.

One note from the editor's desk... the terms Hillbilly, Redneck, Cracker, etc., all refer to the same group here in my native South. The terms are not necessarily derogatory, it entirely depends on context. All three are still to this day commonly used affectionately within Anglo-Celtic society in the South. This community is more diverse than the media stereotypically defines it and you will find it has Plantation origin Ulster Scots, but also many Highland Scots, Highland Scots from Ireland (Redshanks), native Irish, Border English and Scots, Welsh and even Manx, and all went into the making of the Hillbilly.

The Ulster Origins of an American Icon
by Fergus Elder

Hillbilly. American [sic] colloquialism., often derog. A person from a remote rural area in a southern State. Oxford English Dictionary

Hillbilly. Noun. A disparaging term for an un-sophisticated person.
…a pejorative term for people who lived in isolation in mountainous regions of North America such as the Appalachian Mountains and Ozarks. Webster’s American Dictionary

I have chosen an expression which crops up frequently in popular use but which few people (even relatively well informed people) seem to know the origins of; add to this the paradoxical and apparently undeserved present day connotations associated with it, and we have an idiom which is somewhat misunderstood – “hillbilly”.

The term hillbilly can be broken down and simplified into the more easily understood, if less comprehensive definition; “hill” – mountain dweller or person who lives in the hills and, “billy” – a protestant of mainly Scots-Irish descent and follower of William of Orange. Bill or Billy is short for William hence, “hillbilly” – a protestant who lives in the hills. Both the Oxford English and Webster’s American dictionaries give the definition for hillbilly as being made up of - part modern social perception and part geographical fact. The term itself is an historic one which dates back to the latter part of the 17th Century and the reign of James II. James was the catholic incumbent and as such, was much disliked by the mainly protestant inhabitants of Ulster, who’s allegiance lay firmly with the Dutch Prince, William of Orange who, it was hoped might himself accede to the English throne and by doing so, re-establish a protestant monarchy. In 1689, he did just that, with the help of first and second generation Scots and English Planters now living in the north of Ireland. Due to their fierce loyalty to the protestant King, William III, they became known as “Billy-boys”, a term still in use today in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, although few would dispute its negative, sectarian connotations. Within a generation, the nickname had crossed the Atlantic to the American colonies and, in its new guise, would reflect the destination of choice for a significant number of 18th century Scots-Irish settlers, namely, the low hills and ridges of the eastern Appalachians ◊. The expression Hillbilly was born.

It is unfortunate, not to mention odd, though, that a title first used to describe a group of pious and enterprising settlers has, in more recent times, become synonymous with rustic vulgarity, ignorance and slovenliness. Is it fair, for instance, that a people such as the descendents of the backwoods and mountain dwelling farmers of Scots-Irish heritage – the original hillbillies - should have become, not only connected with, but the focus of, such long standing ridicule within American society - a society on which they, as a group, have had a no small measure of influence?

Today, the term hillbilly is used insultingly, in reference to, on the whole, white, working class Americans. Interestingly, another word, “redneck” like hillbilly which it pre-dates, can also be traced back to Ulster-Scottish roots. The name is taken from the religious group known as the Covenanters who met in Edinburgh in 1638* to sign a document which would assert their rights as Scotsmen to follow a religion other than that of the Church of England. In doing so they advanced the cause of their own more fervent and, ultimately democratic, Presbyterian faith.

Many signed in blood as a symbol of their commitment and afterwards, would wear pieces of red material around their necks in order to identify themselves with the movement. They became known as red-necks. Later on, as a result of persecution in Scotland, many Covenanters moved, first to the north of Ireland and then to the American colonies. They took the name redneck with them and today, like hillbilly, it is used to the detriment of lower-class whites. It should be pointed out however, that those who signed the National Covenant were in the main, high ranking noblemen and clergy, members of the upper echelon of Scottish society and that those for whom the term redneck was originally adopted were, if not aristocratic, at the very least learned and radical. These are hardly phrases synonymous with apathetic stupidity or ill-educated loutishness.

In America, the term wasn’t always meant as derogatory but more likely an innocuous label which allowed for easy distinction to be made between similar frontier settler groups living in relative proximity and comparable circumstances. Groups of settlers such as Germans, Scandinavians and, those (more adventurous) English colonists, willing to leave the safety and security of the cities to step out along the trail - groups who, despite their differences in origin and heritage, shared many qualities and characteristics, not least their protestant faith. Their closely guarded independence notwithstanding, all would have come into contact at one time or another whether to trade goods, to fight, marry or to form political alliances. It stands to reason that each group should refer to the other in the context of where they’d hailed from and where they now lived. Therefore the term hillbilly would have seemed a natural title for the Scots-Irish members of the young society. Better still, not only was the term accurate in a geographical sense but it also had hard line religious and even militant connotations. Given the harsh social circumstances and the political climate of colonial North America, it might be argued that the tag ‘hillbilly’ was in fact advantageous and even, enviable. Could it have been, in a contrary twist, a term of reluctant respect? Perhaps not, although what is certain is that an expression which latterly became a negatively loaded and judgemental one, formally was simply descriptive, appropriate and “relatively inoffensive”*.

It is estimated that, over the course of the 18th Century, a quarter of a million Scots-Irish emigrants left their Ulster home for America*. They followed in the footsteps of the Pilgrim Fathers of a century before and settled first, not in Appalachia ◊ but in New England. Initially the new arrivals were not welcomed by the Puritan population of Boston however, it didn’t matter. An innate desire for the independent rural existence they’d always known caused most ‘Scotch-Irish’ as they’d become known, to leave the city almost immediately and drive west and north. Families with all too familiar Northern Irish names such as Crawford, McClintock, McFarland and Hunter were moving to outlying English communities, in order to (in the words of one grateful Governor of Massachusetts concerned with Indian attacks on outlying villages) “…help defend the menaced western frontier, 50 miles from Boston.”* Other families with names like Anderson, McCulloch and McCurdy moved even further away, founding the towns of Colrain(e) and Warren, Massachusetts. The Alexanders, McKeens and Weirs founded Londonderry, New Hampshire, while members of the Orr family, the Montgomerys, McCobbs and McCrackens headed up the coast into what is now Maine. Some of them remained by the sea and founded Belfast.* Others explored inland, up the Wiscassett and Kennebec Rivers establishing backcountry homesteads and townships where they farmed and fished and reared their families. The hillbilly had arrived in America. He’d travelled from Scotland via Ulster to get there, and he wasn’t about to let others’ perceptions or prejudices stop him from making his mark.

Plantation of Ulster Conference

2009-05-07T09:48:00.001-05:00

Cornbread, a Scotch Irish Icon

2009-05-06T09:19:00.004-05:00

In the 18th Century when many thousands of Ulster's sons and daughters came to New World to settle on the frontier, they brought with them their folkways, music, etc., and also their foods and methods of food preparation. Many of the cooking styles and foods became in time quintessentially 'American.' Foremost among these would be the humble and incredibly delicious cornbread.

The Ulster settlers brought with them a tradition of cooking flat oat breads on a griddle, something that had been done for several thousands years in Ulster. Now, in the New World these Ulster settlers quickly adapted to the new foods available to them. In the Ulster settlements oats and wheat quickly gave way to corn and the traditional griddle cooked oatcake gave way to one made of corn. This trait of adaptation and borrowing from other cultures they were exposed to was one of the reasons for success the Ulstermen had on the frontier.

Griddle cooked cornbread quickly became the bread of the Scotch-Irish communities and the bread followed them west as they conquered the nation. This wonderfully simple food is still commonly found in those areas where the Scotch-Irish settled and it is to this day a staple on the supper table of the descendants of these Ulster folk, especially in the American South.

The bread is simplicity itself, a little cornmeal, an egg, some leavening, a pinch of salt, and enough buttermilk to make a batter. This is poured onto a cast iron hot skillet with bacon grease or oil in it. In the past the bread was cooked in a skillet next to the fireplace or anyplace where coals were available. When Dutch ovens came into use, the cooking of cornbread was often done in them. Later still, when ovens became a common kitchen appliance, the cornbread recipes were adapted for the modern oven, where it came into its present day form.

The cooking of cornbread in the South is an art as well as a science. Many families have special cast iron skillets, often that have been in the family for generations, in which the cornbread, also called a corn pone, is cooked. Many women have wooden bowls and spoons handed down in from past generations, in which the batter is made. It is served with butter with a meal and can also be served after a meal with honey or sorghum syrup, as sweet.

Cornbread is a wonderful food, simple, tasty, and also part of a many thousand year cultural continuum, from Ulster.

Barry R McCain

The Thompson Brothers

2009-05-04T10:30:00.010-05:00

The article below is written by Mark Thompson. Mark is a 21st Century, Ulster Scots Renaissance man, equally at home with the pen or mandolin. Part of the vast richness of Ulster is her music. This music includes ancient Gaelic melodies of haunting beauty, of ballads that mark historical events and people, rich traditions from both Ireland and Scotland come together in Ulster. One aspect of Ulster music all too often overlooked in an increasingly secular materialistic world is the sacred music of Ulster and this aspect of Ulster's music the Thompson Brothers perform, part of a living and much welcomed tradition.

Mark Thompson and Graeme Thompson are the founders and original lead vocalists of the Low Country Boys. These days they are doing something similar, but simpler - old-time gospel music in the classic mandolin/guitar "brother duet" tradition of the early 1900s.

During the 20s, 30s and 40s, before bluegrass had developed, one of the most popular styles was the brother duet. It was simple, clean-sounding, using only a guitar and mandolin and two-part "close harmony" singing style. Bill Monroe invented bluegrass around 1945, but for the previous decade he had played with his brother Charlie in one of the most influential of the duet acts - the Monroe Brothers - founded on the Scotch-Irish folk music traditions of their home state of Kentucky, and a heavy influence of their rural Baptist upbringing.

"...(Bill) Monroe used only guitar and mandolin accompaniment on religious songs… all emphasis was placed on the total performance of the song in a reverent and ritualistic way; this is the hymn, it’s treated seriously..." (ref. Bluegrass p 236-237)

"...Hillbilly music achieved a level of purity and simplicity with the development of brother duets. It was generally held that those of the same blood would naturally empathise musically... The best of the early brother duets were the Blue Sky Boys, the Delmore Brothers and the Monroe Brothers. Where much hillbilly music was considered to be coarse, vulgar and badly presented, brother duets were more acceptably clean and precise. The singing was high-pitched, with one voice carrying the melody and the other harmonising a third or fifth above. Instrumentation was a strummed guitar and mandolin playing rhythm on the off-beat, with the occasional punctuated riff or "turnaround". The finest and most commerically successful of the brother duets were the Louvin Brothers, Ira and Charlie (pictured above). Many of the songs they wrote and recorded during the 1940s and 1950s, such as "I Don't Believe You've Ever Met My Baby", and "When I Start Dreaming", became big country hits and part of the repertoires of singers such as Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons two decades later. The brother duet form went on to influence the way popular music was to develop. Ricky Skaggs claims that the Monroe Brothers had "the greatest influence on twentieth-century music". This bold statement starts to hold some water when he goes on to explain: "the Monroe Brothers influenced the Louvin Brothers, the Louvin Brothers infuenced the Everly Brothers, the Everly Brothers influenced John Lennon and Paul McCartney..." from World Music, the Rough Guide.

As Bill C Malone puts it in the best book on the subject, these early musical styles emerged from the cultural fusion of "...rural folkways, evangelical Protestantism, and political individualism...". Even solo performers like Hank Williams demonstrated this: ".. neither Williams nor his music can be understood apart from the religious context in which he was born and raised... the Baptist church... All of Hank's religious material was deep-dyed fundamentalist fare, basically no different from the songs favoured by the Louvin and Bailes Brothers..."

Today, you can hear echoes of the brother duet style throughout most forms of folk and country music, right up to the altCountry style pioneered during the 1990s by bands like the Jayhawks, to the 2008 IBMA bluegrass award winners Dailey and Vincent, and present-day brother duets like the Gibson Brothers. It's a proud legacy and an enduring tradition - we hope that in some way we're helping to carry it on.

Mark Thompson

The Thompson Brothers blog will tell you more about the great brother duets, and other aspects of evangelical rural American culture and its Scotch-Irish / Ulster-Scots cultural roots - and a wee bit about their own music too.

The Thompson Brothers

American Rifleman

2009-04-28T09:10:00.004-05:00

(above, H David Wright's 'American Rifleman.'

Born in Rosine, Kentucky and raised in Middle Tennessee, David Wright's highly acclaimed art uniquely captures the scenic beauty of the area and its rich historical heritage. His depictions of rural country landscapes and memorable moments in American history have earned him countless awards and placements in prestigious museums and private collections.

Professionally trained and with advanced study in Europe, David has been painting for more than 40 years. He now ranks among America's premier artists, including acknowledgment in Who's Who in American Art. His scholarship and deep historical sensitivities are evident in his works on the American frontier, America's Civil War, hunters, settlers, and American Indians.

His painting above, American Rifleman, captures the very heart and soul of the Ulster settler on the frontier. Information on H David Wright and more of his artwork can be found on his website:

http://www.davidwrightart.com/