Watch members of the Scots Language Society chat about various items in Scots. Find out more about the society here http://www.lallans.co.uk/

The earliest known Ulster-Scots poetry in Ireland is by William Starrat, a surveyor and teacher from Strabane, who had contacts with Allan Ramsay, the great Scots makar (poet) and precursor to Robert Burns. In his ‘Epistle to Ramsay’, Starrat places himself on Crochan Hill near Lifford in the pastoral style of the time. The earliest collection of Ulster-Scots poetry is in ‘An Ulster Miscellany’ dating from 1753; one of these poems, ‘Sisyphus of Human Vanity’, is believed to have been penned by Starrat, as is ‘Crochan Hill, a Scotch Sang’. In this short film, poet Alan Millar presents his own poem ‘My Meentith an’ me’, which was first published in the Ullans journal in 2018, and which explores the Donegal~Tyrone Ulster-Scots literary heritage of Starrat, linking past and present. The film, which will also include excerpts from Starrat’s work, aims to shine a light on the close links which the Derry City and Strabane District Council area has both with East Donegal and with the very earliest Ulster Scots literature. Allan Millar is a journalist by profession and has written extensively on the Ulster-Scots poetry tradition and on a range of topics relating to Ulster-Scots language and heritage. He has been writing Ulster-Scots poetry and prose for a decade or more, and has had work published in both the Ulster-Scots Language Society journal ‘Ullans’ and in the Scots Language Society journal ‘Lallans’. He edited the republished works of Ulster-Scots poet John McKinley in 2014. In 2021 Alan won the Scots Language Society Hugh MacDiarmid Tassie, for his poem ‘Wee Weaver Birdie’, and was the first Donegal poet and probably the first Irish/Ulster poet to have been awarded this honour. Alan has delivered a number of talks and readings on Ulster-Scots poets over the years, from The Broad Island Gathering, the Scots Language Society colloquy, and more recently at an anniversary event for the United Irishman William Orr in 2021. His poetry will feature as part of the BBC NI programme, ‘The narra sea, the further shore’, along with a selection of other poets and contributors who will explore the age-old links between Ireland and Scotland.

Check out the board of Shetland Forwirds chat about what's happening at the moment. Find out more https://www.shetlanddialect.org.uk

Stuart Paterson, former BBC Scotland Poet in Residence and national Scots Language Awards ‘Writer of the Year’ 2020, challenges the misconception that Ulster-Scots is just a traditional language. In this short film, the poet uses the poem ‘The Way Ye Speak’ from his collection ‘A Squatter o Bairnrhymes’ as a framing device to remind all of us that Ulster-Scots is a language of the past, the present and indeed the future. The poet is keen to remind younger people especially that the language they use in the playground, street or at home with friends and family is a real language, with a real history, an extremely real present and has a very real future. This piece aims to nurture a greater awareness of Scots and Ulster-Scots as everyday living languages which continue to grow and evolve to reflect the changing world we live in. Stuart Paterson is a former BBC Scotland Poet in Residence and national Scots Language Awards ‘Writer of the Year’ in 2020. He has extensive experience of engaging all age ranges in schools, universities, festivals, community homes and public projects. In 2022 the Ulster Scots Community Network will publish ‘Wheen: New and Collected Poems in Scots’, the first time a publisher outside Scotland will receive a Scots Language Publication award from the Scottish Government. His illustrated, widely acclaimed 2020 book ‘A Squatter O Bairnrhymes’ (Tippermuir Books) is the first large volume of original Scots poems for kids in decades. He is also a judge of the Linen Hall Library’s inaugural Ulster-Scots Writing Competition which will announce its winners during Ulster Scots Leid Week.

In ‘The Words We Carry’, poet and playwright Anne McMaster collaborates with local film-maker Jason Dunne to create a moving short film illustrating the power and beauty of Ulster-Scots. After drawing viewers gently into a reminder of many Ulster-Scots terms still used today, Anne shares a selection of her own new writings in Ulster-Scots. ‘The Words We Carry’ aims to bring the Ulster-Scots language to life by pairing contemporary Ulster-Scots poetry with a soundtrack and atmospheric images of the natural world. It reminds us that Ulster-Scots is a living language - both beautiful and expressive - and familiar to us all. Anne McMaster is a poet, professional playwright, and voice actor. A former lecturer in both Performing Arts and English Literature in Northern Ireland and California, she now specialises in designing and/or facilitating projects focusing on dementia and creativity, theatre education and community development/cross-community projects in addition to her work as a creative writing mentor. She has adapted novels for the stage and has written/directed over 30 original plays. She designed bespoke theatre productions and projects for schools and theatres throughout Northern Ireland, was the director / facilitator of NI’s first deaf & deaf/blind theatre company and is the creative director of Hydra Theatre Company. Her poetry has been published both nationally and internationally and, during lockdown, she’s taken part in literary events and spoken word festivals in Ireland, the UK, and the US. Walking Off the Land, her debut poetry collection focusing on life on a small Ulster farm, was published in June 2021 by Hedgehog Poetry Press. She took second place in the Frances Browne Literary Festival (Ulster Scots) poetry section in early October 2021 and recently delivered a lecture as part of the ‘Island Voices 2021’ lecture series organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council. Anne is currently working on two additional poetry collections - one in Ulster-Scots and one in English.