The Crack - From the Northern Ireland News Letter

Compiled by Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch/The Ulster-Scots Agency

One of our readers, from South Belfast, bought a New Testament in Braid Scots (broad Ulster-Scots) in a second hand bookshop for 50p.

The translation was by William Wye Smith. Our reader wanted to know more about it so the Crack turned sleuth for this edition.

The copy our reader bought was the first edition of this testament printed in 1901, although a second edition was printed in 1904.

Winding our way through the internet, the Crack was able to track down a bookseller in Canada selling both editions. Our reader’s first edition sells for $175 and the second edition sells for $125. So that was 50p spent cannielik (well cautious).

Actually, it’s not surprising that a Canadian bookseller is selling Smith’s New Testament in Scots.

William Wye Smith, although born in 1827 in Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders, was taken in 1830 at the age of three to the United States by his parents and then moved to Canada in 1837.

In 1856 he became a minister of the Congregational Church. In 1898 he translated St Matthew’s Gospel into Scots and published it in Toronto. Toronto at that time was heavily settled by both Scots and Ulster people so there would have been a ready readership for his Gospel.

His full New Testament translation followed three years later and was published in Paisley. Smith said later that his translation was done to conform to the style of Scots used by Burns, that is the Ayrshire dialect of Lowland Scots.

Here is Smith’s translation of the Wise Men following the star:

Than, Herod, convenin the Wyss Men privately, faund oot mair strickly o’ the comin o’ the starn; and bad them gang to Bethlehem; and quo’ he, Gang, and seek ye oot the wee bairn; and whan ye ken, fesh me word again, that I as weel may come and worship. ‘Efter hearin the King, they gaed awa’; and lo! The starn whilk they saw i’ the East gaed on afore them, till it stood whaur the wee bairn was. And whan they saw the starn, they were blythe wi unco blytheness. (Matthew 2:7-10)

You can find Ulster-Scots traces and influences right across the world, and of course, many people here and abroad are interested in tracing their roots.

Try the following website for help in tracing your roots – either from Ulster to the New World i.e. America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia or from those countries back to home:
http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=3578&sourceid=2590

There is a charge for using this website, however. But subscribing to Ancestry.com can not only save money, but time and effort as well. With Ancestry.com, you can search millions of family history names, right from home. Many of the collections we acquire are rare and exclusive to Ancestry.com, and all are high quality. Millions of people use Ancestry.com to solve family mysteries, find living relatives, and connect to their past quickly and easily.

MINISTER LOOKS FORWARD TO ULSTER-SCOTS DICTIONARY

Michael McGimpsey, Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure, said that he looked forward to the publication of an Ulster-Scots dictionary of Parliamentary Terms.

He was speaking at Stormont last Monday at the launch of the new Irish Gaelic dictionary of Parliamentary Terms, Focloir Parlaiminte.

The dictionary was prepared by Leo McNeir and his team at The European Language Initiative, TEI. TELI have completed dictionaries for Scots Gaelic and Welsh as well as 12 other minority languages in Europe.

GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATED IN ULSTER-SCOTS STYLE

Ulster-Scots musicians are out and about this weekend around the province as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Willie Drennan’s Ulster Scots Folk Orchestra and the new traditional Ulster Scots duo, piper Robert Watt and accordionist Emma Culbert, will also be playing. Here’s a few dates for the coming celebration -

Saturday June 1:- Altnaveigh House Marquis, 51 Downshire Road Newry from 7:30pm.

Monday June 3:- Ballyhalbert, Co Down Ballyhalbert Festival Site 2pm-4pm.

Monday June 3:- Sandy Row, Belfast Sandy Row Festival Site from 8pm.

Tuesday June 4:- Loughside Recreational Centre, Shore Road Belfast from 7pm.

Wednesday June 5:- Tullygarly Orange Hall, Ballymena from 8pm.

There’s also no rest for the talented young Robert and Emma. Robert, 24, four-time All Ireland champion piper and Emma, 21, former British accordion champion have recently completed a two week tour with the Alexander Brothers and intend to continue to spread their fine blend of traditional music around the province and beyond.
The pair already played in a concert last night and will continue their celebrations by playing at a Garden Party at Clotsworthy Arts Centre in Antrim today to which anyone is more than welcome to come along and enjoy the day.

On Monday they will be playing at a special Golden Jubilee event at Kilkeel, and on Tuesday, along with the Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra, they will also be playing at the Loughside Recreation Centre in the Shore Road in Belfast.
Both the Folk Orchestra and Robert and Emma are sure to add a lot of Ulster Scots spirit to what is sure to be an excellent Golden Jubilee celebration.