Ulster-Scots' key role in American Revolution recognised with Tea Party invite

To mark the 250th anniverary of the Boston Tea Party, a delegation from Northern Ireland has been invited to join in the celebrations – and take part in a rerun of an act of defiance in 1773 that would ultimately lead to the American Revolution.

Thousands of people will converge on Boston Harbour on Friday (December 16) for a series of dramatic performances, historical lectures and virtual presentations – culminating in a grand-scale reenactment of hundreds of tea chests being dumped from two East India Company vessels into the sea.

The protest was a response to London passing laws that imposed new trade barriers, and subjected them to laws over which they had no say.

The colonists behind the Boston protest were angered that London’s refusal to afford them equal British rights effectively made them second-class citizens.

Ulster-Scots Agency chief executive Ian Crozier said: “The Boston Tea Party is an iconic event on the road to American independence and like many such events, it has a significant Ulster-Scots dimension.

"In celebration of the part played by the Ulster-Scots diaspora, we are bringing tea from Belfast-based SD Bell & Co (founded 1887), Ireland’s oldest independent tea blenders and coffee roasters, which will be presented at the Boston Tea Party and Historic Ships Museum and later used alongside tea from around the world to recreate the historic event.”

The official website of the anniversary events states: "On that fateful night, 5,000 men gathered for a final meeting about the controversial tea tax, resulting in Samuel Adams giving the signal that would start the Boston Tea Party. Colonists then marched from the meeting house to Griffin’s Wharf and dumped 340 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor!"

Several leading Boston ‘Sons of Liberty’ – the group that organised the protest, had Ulster-Scots roots, including Thomas Young who led the operation, brothers Robert and Charles Jameson, who helped throw the tea into the sea, and Hugh Williamson, who brought news of the events to London and warned the government that the cost of any retribution would be revolution.

As well as attending the anniversary commemorations, the Ulster-Scots delegation will meet with key cultural, economic and social organisations – including several invovled in the Belfast-Boston Sister Cities Network.

Mr Crozier added: “This visit isn’t just about commemorating the past, it’s also about planning for the future, making connections that are good for Ulster-Scots and good for Northern Ireland.

"The 250th anniversary of American independence is coming in July 2026 and there are a whole series of big anniversaries between now and then. We’ve got a great opportunity, but in order to make the most of it we need to get organised and that starts now.”

The visit builds on the success of an Ulster-Scots Agency initiative over the summer which saw more than 3,000 people visiting the Public Record Office in Belfast to view an original Declaration of Independence and accompanying exhibition explaining the role of the Ulster-Scots and their Scotch-Irish diaspora in events leading up to 4th July 1776.