Ulster is one of the four

provinces of Ireland There are four provinces of Ireland: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The Irish language, Irish word for this territorial division, , meaning "fifth part", suggests that there were once five, and at times Kingdom of Meath, Meath has be ...

. Due to large-scale plantations of people from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

during the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as decades of conflict in the 20th,

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

has a unique culture, quite different from the rest of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. As all of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

lies within Ulster and comprises about 90% of its population, the culture of Northern Ireland is very similar to that of the whole of Ulster. In particular, the Ulster Scots, or Scots Irish identity is strong among descendants of the Plantation, notably in counties Antrim, Cavan, Donegal, and Down. There is also a thriving indigenous Gaelic culture, largely attributed to the GAA and Conradh na Gaeilge.

Languages

Ulster English is the English-based

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

of most people in Ulster, including those in the two main cities. It represents a cross-over area between Ulster Scots and

Hiberno-English Hiberno-English or Irish English (IrE), also formerly sometimes called Anglo-Irish, is the set of dialects of English native to the island of Ireland. In both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, English is the first language in e ...

. The dialect is currently encroaching on the Ulster Scots area, especially in the Belfast commuter belt, and may eventually consume it. Ulster Scots, also known as ''Ullans'', ''Hiberno-Scots'', or ''Scots-Irish'', refers to the variety of Scots spoken in parts of Ulster. Ulster Irish is the dialect of the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

spoken in Ulster. The only county in Ulster to include

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

regions today is

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, so that the term ''Donegal Irish'' is often used synonymously. Because of historical connections with Ulster, the southern dialects of

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

and Manx share similarities with Ulster Irish. Polish and Lithuanian are the most common foreign languages in Ulster.

Sport

Ulster Rugby represents the province in the European Rugby Champions. Gaelic football GAA where teams play for county and all Ireland.

Food and drink

A dish from Ulster is the Ulster fry, usually served at breakfast. Also across Ulster dishes are found containing seafood, especially

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

and trout from

and County Down. A popular

soft drink A soft drink (see #Terminology, § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) Carbonated water, carbonated, and typically including added Sweetness, sweetener. Flavors used to be Natural flav ...

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

, parts of County Londonderry and parts of County Tyrone, as well as across

, is McDaid's Football Special, which is made in Ramelton. A famous ice cream made in

is Morelli's, which is made near

Portrush Portrush () is a small seaside resort town on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It neighbours the resort of Portstewart in County Londonderry. The main part of the old town, including the Portrush railway station, railway stati ...

. Mullin's Icecream, made near Kilrea in the east of County Londonderry, is another famous Ulster icecream. In the south east of the province, Newry boasts 'Timoney's' ice cream on Canal Street, Warrenpoint has the famed 'Genoa' and

Rathfriland Rathfriland () is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is north-east of Newry town centre. History In older documents written in English, the town's name was usually spelt ''Rathfylan'' or ''Rathfrilan''.

on the hill is fortunate to host Graham's. A well-known sweet made in Ulster is Yellow Man, while a famous

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

company is Oatfield Sweets Ltd., who were previously based in Letterkenny in

. Oatfield, who were founded in 1927, were particularly famous for producing the ''Emerald'' sweet.

Music

Song

Ulster Irish or ''Donegal Irish'' is exclusive to Ulster. Ulster Irish is very different, as is the old style of prose and songwriting. Whereas in other parts of Ireland songs tend to be structured, in Ulster songs are wider ranging in style. Counties Donegal and Antrim are well known for songs of speed, much like Donegal fiddle playing. It is unique in the sean-nós traditional in both tempo and in wording and is often more ''free'' in structure and ornamentation. Notable Ulster singers and songwriters by historical area*: * Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh – Gaoth Dobhair,

* Moya Brennan – Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal * Sarah Makem – Keady,

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

* ''Historical area'' refers to the period of the traditional music the artist is known best for singing.

Fiddle

Ulster fiddle playing is distinct from the rest of Ireland in that it has been greatly influenced from neighbouring

, in particular the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

References

External links

BBC Nations
History of Ireland
The British Isles
Independent view of Ireland and the UK
Inconvenient Peripheries Ethnic Identity and the United Kingdom Estate
The cases of "Protestant Ulster" and Cornwall’ by prof Philip Payton
Mercator Atlas of Europe
Map of Ireland ("Irlandia") circa 1564 {{DEFAULTSORT:Culture Of Ulster Culture of Ireland Ulster