| By
the start of the 16th century, Ulster (Ireland comprises of 4 provinces,
with the province of Ulster situated in the north) was sparsely
populated after more than 50 years of war. |
| Lowland
Scotland at this time was unable to support its growing population,
many of whom turned to cattle rustling, kidnapping and other thievery
to support their families. |
| The
border with England proved particularly hazardous with Scottish
'Border Reevers' repeatedly raiding across the border and making
life miserable for the local English population. |
| The
first organized movement of Scots to the north of Ireland was started
by two enterprising Scottish lairds, Hugh Montgomery and James Hamilton.
In 1605 they had aided the Irish chieftain Conn O'Neill in escape
from his imprisonment in Carrickfergus castle and arranged for him
to obtain a Royal Pardon. |
| In
return, O'Neill granted Montgomery and Hamilton substantial tracts
of his land in the north Irish counties of Antrim and Down. Montgomery
and Hamilton immediately began settling the land with Scottish Presbyterians
from the Ayrshire and Galloway regions of Scotland. |
| The
success of this enterprise did not escape the notice of the King,
James I of England (James IV of Scotland). English attempts to pacify
the north of Ireland had so far proved unsuccessful. His solution
to the problem was to settle Scots in the area. This had the effect
of putting in place a tough Scottish population who were Protestant
(mainly Presbyterian) to counter the troublesome Irish Catholics.
|
| Many
of those Scots living along the Scottish border who had previously
terrorized the English were now forcibly repatriated throughout
Ulster. These Scots proved to be hardly frontiersmen and soon flourished
where the English had previously failed. This second plantation
saw the Scots assume the position of tenant farmer to English landowners. |
| An
estimated 80% + of the Protestant settlers in Ulster were Scots,
the rest being English along with smaller numbers of French Huguenot,
Welsh, Manx, German, Dutch and Danish. These other planters were
eventually absorbed into the Ulster-Scots ethnic mix. |
| While
the Scottish in general did not intermarry with the native Irish
Catholics, there were certainly some Irish converts to Presbyterianism.
Often for an Irish convert to become 'Scottish' it was a simple
matter of dropping the 'O' prefix from his surname and replacing
it with a 'Mac'! |
| The
religion of the Scots at this time was generally Presbyterian, while
that of the English landowners was Episcopal (Church of England).
The Episcopal Church of Ireland (the Church of England in Ireland)
was the church of the establishment and the English administration
persecuted the Scottish Presbyterians whom at times they regarded
as more troublesome than the Irish Catholics. |
| Dissenter
Presbyterian ministers were only allowed to preach within certain
limits and could be fined or imprisoned. Marriages carried out by
Presbyterian clergy were not legally binding and Presbyterians could
not hold public office. |
|
In addition, in 1639 the 'Black Oath' was introduced and required
all Protestants living in Ulster to bind them selves to obey all
Royal commands. The 'Black Oath' was designed to prevent the Presbyterian
Scots in Ulster from aiding their kin in Scotland in any confrontation
with England. |
| While
a number of Scots converted to the Episcopal Church of Ireland and
a number returned to Scotland, the vast majority remained in Ulster
and maintained their Presbyterian faith. |
| In
1641 the Irish launched a rebellion against the Protestant population
of Ireland. The Ulster-Scots were in a hopeless position, having
been gradually disarmed by the English to prevent them from aiding
their Covenanter kin in Scotland against England. The Catholic clergy
declared all Protestants to be devils and should therefore be destroyed.
|
| The
outnumbered Ulster-Scots Presbyterians, including women and children
suffered all manner of cruelties as they were murdered by the Catholic
Irish hordes. Thousands of Protestants were slaughtered
in this uprising. While the horrific stories told of torture, mutilation
and murder are no doubt exaggerated to a certain degree, so great
was the impact of these atrocities that they are still part of Ulster
Protestant folklore today. |
| The
Irish were led by Phelim O'Neill. P. O'Neill is the name still used
by the IRA today to verify to the press when they are responsible
for the murder of Ulster-Scots Protestants or members of the Security
Forces. |
| General
Monroe's 10,000 strong Scottish Presbyterian army arrived in Ulster
in 1642 to supplement the Ulster-Scots Protestants and tip the balance
back in their favour. Monroe's army introduced Highlanders to Ulster
for the first time, many of whom chose to remain. |
| The
1680's saw renewed migration of Scottish Presbyterians to the north
of Ireland to escape the 'Killing Times' in the south west of Scotland. |
| The
final large scale movement of Scots to Ulster happened in the 1690's
following King William's victory in the Battle of the Boyne when
whole new towns and villages sprang up as Scots moved across the
Irish sea to avoid famine in Scotland. There were no more wholesale
plantations after this period as economic conditions in the north
of Ireland were no better than Scotland, although there was still
regular smaller scale movement between Ulster and Scotland. |
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