Ulster

Alexander Howard · 1413743. Fri Jun 24, 2022 12:30 pm

So much can be said of Ulster, the culture, the gorgeous landscape, bluegrass music, and much more, whether you mean the old province or Northern Ireland that is frequently called by the name.

In fact, soon after Northern Ireland was created as an entity, its government asked Westminster to change its official name to "Ulster" to make it sound less Irish. After what was going on in the Free State in the name of Irishness, that is quite understandable. They were refused, as it would upset the Roman Catholics in the population and technically the old Province of Ulster has three more counties.

Nevertheless, all sorts of institutions were labelled 'Ulster' and it has become a byname for Northern Ireland to which only pedants object (as if one would ever find pedants on a QI forum).

There'll always be an Ulster; an Ulster that is free, as long as there are Protestants who stand for liberty, as they sing in Glasgow.

crissdee · 1413746. Fri Jun 24, 2022 12:39 pm

Has the name of the place got anything to do with the name of the tweed travelling cloak as favoured by Mr S Holmes????

CB27 · 1413749. Fri Jun 24, 2022 12:58 pm

The tailor who created the Ulster, which was a version of the Inverness coat with shorter cape, was in Northern Ireland, so I guess it was a way of giving it a unique name.

Bondee · 1413768. Fri Jun 24, 2022 2:42 pm

Is this the new Green Day?

Alexander Howard · 1414028. Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:40 am

And of course it is the home of the Ulster Fry, known as a "heart attack on a plate" (but which in my experience of it is mild compared with the version my father used to make as a Sunday breakfast when were growing up).

Bondee · 1414838. Mon Jul 11, 2022 2:09 pm

tetsabb · 1414882. Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:54 am

And, of course, many folk will be marching there today, being the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne.
And the following 2days should be taken up with the highland show at Glenarm, run by my distant cousins including the Earl of Antrim.