Ulster Scots Words See How Many You Recognize

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13 күн бұрын

Here in Northern Ireland we live very close to Scotland. Crossing the North Sea the distance in many places is only 18 miles. On a good day you can easily see Scotland.
Centuries ago when Ulster was carpeted in thick impenetrable forest it was easier and safer to travel to Scotland by small boat to trade, than to try and travel across wooded glens and cross rivers, to reach other Irish settlements.
So back in the day, there was a lot of comings and goings between Scotland and Ulster. Trade was vibrant and marriages happened and large movements of entire families occurred regularly between the two regions. It is not at all strange that Ulster culture and indeed language was much influenced by large numbers of Scottish families arriving and settling over the centuries, as in the Plantations.
Today many people living in north eastern Ulster could be easily mistaken for speaking like a lowland Scot. Ulster Scots words, literature, expressions and language are commonly used and are part of daily life in Ards north Down and Antrim.
The video lists 100 words that can be classified as Ulster/Scots in origin. See how many you are familiar with.

Пікірлер: 32

@shaunmckenna1923 11 күн бұрын

Hello Tom , oh for sure you will still hear most of those words used around Ballymoney as you will find out when your son have moved there :) Thanks it brought a smile to my face .

@TomMcClean 11 күн бұрын

Yes I expected that Shaun. We would know a lot of those words too.

@kjamison5951 12 күн бұрын

My Gran used most of these. She was from Dromore, County Down, but lived in Castlereagh for the most of her life in Ardpatrick Gardens and then moved to Bangor, County Down where she spent her remaining years. We’ve tried tracing the family but so far we have only reached the late 1800’s and cannot seem to go back further. We just don’t know where to pick up the next part of the trail…

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Hi KJ. It isn't easy tracking long gone ancestors. Talk to all the still living elderly relatives. Check out old family photograph albums. Check out the 1911 census here to see who is named on it as living in the same hose. Go to Dromore and find the cemetery or the church she might have attended. They should have a register of deaths births and marriages that you could ask to look at. Go down to PRONI and ask for help and advice. ( Northern Ireland Public Record Office. ) Were any of your male relatives in the forces in WW1 ? They have extensive records.

@jamescrawford9883 12 күн бұрын

Hi Tom, great to hear all this. My “Faither” spoke Ulster-Scots very fluently, coming from Ballygowan. It was the dialect all around there when he was young. I often wonder is it still spoken around there. It would be a terrible shame if it is disappearing. Jim in Oz.

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Wow James. That's fascinating. It is still around and being actively promoted by the Ulster Scots Agency here. Inside the Ulster Scots Agency Corn Exchange Belfast kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rs2TZLWe0LW9fpc.html

@jamescrawford9883 12 күн бұрын

@@TomMcClean thanks Tom. My sister in Melbourne & I quite often remind one another words & terminologies that dad used to say. Sometimes we have a good laugh when reminded of something long forgotten. Also I have no trouble watching Scottish tv shows. Most of it is so easily understood. My “faither’s” influence I believe! Jim.

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

It's so good to have happy memories of childhood days James.

@jamescrawford9883 12 күн бұрын

@@TomMcClean It sure is, Tom.

@chriswardlow9441 12 күн бұрын

This is so interesting Tom, there were one or two words i recognised and probably a lot of these words have been a part of different dialects and slang and passed on through time ,my mum who was from Wales quite often referred to us as Eejit's if we'd done anything silly,LOL, and the sad think is today a lot of this has been lost as generations have died out. Great stuff Tom.

@TomMcClean 11 күн бұрын

It's interesting Chris that you recognized any of them. Some of the words mut have been brought south over the years and your forefathers have heard them and used them. Our everyday language is such a mixture now. But certain words do give a hint at where they originated from! lol

@gregbruns8442 12 күн бұрын

I enjoy the origin of words. I recognized a few, but not many! But I enjoyed the list anyway. It is very interesting to me where words come from and how they change as they move through time and space.

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Wow Greg. When I look closely at google map I recognize a lot of US and Canadian place names come from round Belfast too. lol

@keithholgreen7294 12 күн бұрын

Thanks for the bit of education here Tom. I recognize a few of those words from years ago, but can’t say that many of them made it out to the wild western parts of the USA. Hope you’re doing well.

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Hi Keith. Some of the words have been lost or changed over the centuries and over huge distances. It's fair to say that their usage would be more prevalent in eastern parts of the United states for that's where most Scots Irish landed and settled. Doing fine but just a little more tired and sore but ok thanks.

@robertjamesgilmore 12 күн бұрын

One word I didn't see was Buck meaning spirited or lively as in Buck Alec or Buck Eejit, two terms I grew up with LOL. All the best Tom.

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Yes Robert it isn't list and it should be. I used to hear these two all the time when I was growing up. My father in law from Co Antrim used these all the time too.

@mikedrown2721 12 күн бұрын

I heard some of this in Newfoundland when I visited in 1977 but with a similar accent. Thanks Tom.

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Wow us Ulster/Scots have got just about everywhere! lol

@davidpatterson9107 10 күн бұрын

Love all these words phrases. Brings back good memories of older folk that I knew using them up & down the country and hearing it spoken from those characters.Recognize most of them .Didn't see" Fage" which is Tattie Bread Or Potatoe Bread....in Ballymena.Interesting you're Scottish origins .Have to pursue my Patterson Scots origins. 1901/11 Ireland is as far as I've got.Positive Belfast👍

@TomMcClean 10 күн бұрын

Hi again David. all the best with your family explorations. The old census information found online is useful. PRONI ( Northern Ireland Public Record Office might be another port of call. Old church births deaths and marriages records are good. Then there are old graveyards. Yes this 100 words are only a fraction of the words we still all use. There are obviously many favourites not listed. Yes indeed, they bring back memories of long gone folks. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.

@joanburnison8071 10 күн бұрын

It’s amazing how many of these words we actually use . 😊

@TomMcClean 10 күн бұрын

Yes indeed Joan. I reckon there's a lot to Ulster Scots that most people here seem to mock. These words have been taken all over the world.

@edwardkingthompson 9 күн бұрын

A brilliant list of "cross-pollinated" words if you will. Ulster Scots has always fascinated and confused me as a concept. Is it a language? A dialect? In some cases it's just the strong brogue or accent which has given rise to alternative spellings and pronunciations of existing English words. As a method of communication, it's really somewhere in between all these things, and is an example of how we struggle to process ideas when there is not a definitive solidity to their purpose and origin.

@TomMcClean 9 күн бұрын

Hi Edward. I would be like you a wee bit confused. Dialect or language? I'm open to persuasion. lol

@davidmoore3565 12 күн бұрын

All common words still used in and around Ballymena. Commonly known as the Ballymena jocks

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Hi David. Many thanks for that. I was born and raised in Banbridge and I too recognize 90% of these Ulster/Scots words. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.

@davidmoore3565 12 күн бұрын

@TomMcClean Hi Tom It's great to hear these old but often used words. Being a Ballymena man myself but working not far from Ballycastle, you often hear the Ulstet / Scots words being used, especially in the out laying villages. Wonderful to hear and always brings a smile . Many thanks for reminding folk of these treasured but not forgotten words of our great heritage.

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Many thanks David for your encouraging words!

@kjamison5951 12 күн бұрын

“Dreadful”? It’s been shackin’ weather.

@TomMcClean 12 күн бұрын

Oh yes KJ. Shackin' is widely used around Belfast. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.