Poetic justice: ensuring a place for Ulster-Scots literature within the school curriculum in the north of Ireland

Abstract

Since John Hewitt’s mid-twentieth century research stimulated interest in the “rhyming weavers”, awareness has been growing among scholars of the richness of the Ulster-Scots literary tradition. This essay considers historic and linguistic connections between the north of Ireland and Scotland, and discusses the nature of the relationship, often misrepresented, between Ulster vernacular poetry and the works of Robert Burns. The essay demonstrates the excellence of much Ulster-Scots verse and challenges the educational establishment’s failure actively to encourage young people to engage with this aspect of the north of Ireland’s cultural heritage. The case is argued for several opportunities which would permit the current unsatisfactory situation to be addressed directly by students and teachers in the post-primary classroom.