Ulster Scots celebrations of the USA's 250th anniversary could offend Native Americans, complains Sinn Fein
Ulster Scots celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States could offend Native Americans, Sinn Fein have complained, stating they should instead be “a commemoration”.
And the nationalist party also griped about Belfast Council part-funding events, planned to happen in this summer, as celebrating the long history and influence of Ulster’s people and culture in the United States wouldn’t be specifically about Ulster Scots as a language.
Sinn Fein politicians raised their misgivings at a Belfast Council committee meeting last night, as the Ulster Scots Agency sought £50,000 for a series of events marking 250 years since America’s Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The same meeting also heard an update on planning for St Patrick’s Day events, though unionists didn’t raise similar objections on that matter.
According to official reports, the Agency wants to mark the “many Ulster Scots people who helped create” the Declaration of Independence with a “flagship concert to mark the 250th anniversary to take place in July” and a sister cities conference in May. In addition to £50,000 from the council, they’re hoping to get the same again from Stormont to pay for the celebrations.
Council officials backed the idea, stating they’re in line with events and language strategies – though added they’re also looking at “other opportunities to support America 250 celebrations”, including through the all-Ireland Fleadh hosted by Belfast in August.
During Wednesday night’s committee meeting, two Sinn Fein politicians raised misgivings about backing the events, with councillor Aine McCabe stating: “Some would question celebrating this anniversary instead of commemorating it, not least the many indigenous people who were there long before 1776”.
Arguing that a commemoration would be better than “simple triumphalism or glossing over historical injustices such as slavery”, she also stated that connections with America are “not simply the prerogative of the Ulster Scots tradition, Irish connections are well documented”.
Councillor Tomas O Neill complained about funding the events from language budgets, suggesting the council should get the Agency to ensure “the Ulster Scots and Scots language is central to these events” and that they wouldn’t be “just links between people whose heritage came through here”.
“I don’t see much of the language reflected in it,” he said, adding: “The linguistic element has to be central to it, or else I don’t see how it could align with our [language strategies].”
Defending the events, DUP councillor Sarah Bunting pointed out that the Ulster Scots Agency’s work and the council’s funding “doesn’t just focus on language, but on heritage and culture too”.
The committee agreed to fund the celebrations, though that’ll depend on the Ulster Scots Agency winning the other £50,000 they’re seeking from Stormont.
Officials also agreed to bring up Mr O Neill’s points about making language central to the USA 250th anniversary celebrations during talks with the Agency.