Languages of Ulster

Documentary series exploring the rich and diverse heritage of languages in Ulster. It explores our region’s unique linguistic traditions - Ulster-Scots, Irish and northern Hiberno English - and the relationship between them. The series is built around the Concise Ulster Dictionary, which has been described as “the most comprehensive record of Ulster vernacular speech.” It tells the story of the Dictionary’s creation and profiles some of the writers whose work captures the vitality and richness of our local speech traditions, including James Fenton (pictured above), WF Marshall, Cecil Frances Alexander and William Carleton. Languages Of Ulster helps to explain the background and origin of familiar words such as brae, clabber, banshee, kaleyard and dailygan - many of which present challenges for computer spell-checkers. It’s a lyrical and affectionate exploration of language, people and place and an encouragement to find out more about our local speech. It also demonstrates just how much Ulster-Scots words remain part of our everyday speech.