Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2013
97. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his views regarding the potential to develop language tourism products here; his views on whether the Appalachian and UIster-Scots diasporas in North America would be attracted to Ulster-Scots and Gaelic linguistic interpretations of Irish history including the history of the Ulster Plantation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44248/13]
View answer315. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his plans to develop language tourism in respect of Ulster-Scots and Gaeilge, with reference to the Appalachian community in North America. [43516/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 315 together.
As I indicated in my response to Question No 446 on 30 April 2013, my Department is actively engaged in language promotion with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Scottish Government, particularly through the provision of funding and support for the work of the two agencies of An Foras Teanga, the Ulster-Scots Agency and Foras na Gaeilge. One of the key priorities identified by the Ulster-Scots Agency for 2013 is to develop strategic national and international engagements with Scotland and with North America in order to widen access to and appreciation of Ulster-Scots culture and heritage. I understand that the Ulster-Scots Agency has already undertaken some activities in regard to promotion of Ulster-Scots in North America. For example, the Agency had a presence at The Brits Off Broadway Festival in New York, where it worked with Tourism Ireland to support the Boat Factory play about Belfast shipbuilding. The Agency also had an attendance at the Milwaukee Irish Fest through the Young Ambassadors programme, in partnership with St. Patrick's Centre, Downpatrick, and this month an Agency team will attend the Stone Mountain Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
I understand that the Agency is involved in co-operation with Tourism Ireland, including production of a book on the author CS Lewis and provision of publicity for Ulster-Scots culture in marketing initiatives for the USA and Canada. At home, the Agency is engaging with local councils and others with relevant heritage assets to fill a key gap identified by Tourism Ireland around the development of the Ulster-Scots/Scotch-Irish tourism content. In that context, the Agency proposes to develop heritage content in Co. Donegal around the stories of Rev Francis Makemie and President Buchanan.
The Agency considers that the optimum way to engage the Ulster-Scots/Scotch-Irish diaspora is through genealogy, heritage and musical connections. However, as the Deputy will appreciate, direct physical engagement with the USA is limited by resources and therefore the goal is limited to 2-3 outward missions per year. Accordingly, the Agency proposes to focus more on developing its web-based offerings in order to maximise its reach in the US market. The website www.DiscoverUlsterScots.com, which is currently being developed by the Agency, will be a key component in this regard and will include information about key heritage sites of relevance to Ulster-Scots in Scotland, Ireland and the USA.
Finally, I should also refer the Deputy again to the work of Colmcille, the partnership programme between Foras na Gaeilge and Bòrd na Gàidhlig to promote the use of Irish and Scottish Gaelic within Ireland and Scotland, and also between the two countries. Further information in this regard is available on the agencies' websites at www.ulsterscotsagency.com and www.forasnagaeilge.ie.
