Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra

Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra
Performing for Northern Ireland Hospice at Ballyrashane War Memorial Orange Hall, County Antrim
Native nameUlstèr-Scotch Fowk Orchéstrà
Short nameUSFO
Founded2000

The Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra (Ulster-Scots: Ulstèr-Scotch Fowk Orchéstrà, USFO)[1] is a Northern Irish band of musicians who perform music from the Ulster-Scots tradition. Formed in 2000,[2] the USFO are part of a revival of interest in Ulster Scots dialect and culture that developed during the 1990s. They are involved in community music-making, including gospel-singing, fiddling, piping, flute and accordion bands, drumming and fifing.[3]

History

The Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra had its roots in Fowkgates (Ulster-Scots for "culture"), an artists' collective which was founded by Willie Drennan in 1999 to promote the Ulster-Scots tradition. A number of recordings were issued by Fowkgates in 1999, and the orchestra was formed in October 2000 and they held a concert in the Ulster Hall in early 2001. In the spring of the same year, they travelled to Atlanta to perform at a Scotch-Irish Symposium at Emory University.[4]

Following their return to Ireland, they took part in an ethnomusicological workshop at the Irish World Music Centre at the University of Limerick in June 2001.[5]

The USFO brought out their first album, Planet Ulster, later in 2001. A second album, Endangered Species, was released the following year.[6] A further album, Bringin It Thegither, was released in late 2003.[7] A fourth album, Somme, was released in 2006 to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.[8]

As the orchestra developed, it grew into a network of musicians, who come together in different combinations for different occasions.[9] Although the name "orchestra" was deliberately chosen to suggest the size and diversity of instruments involved, the USFO operates as a loosely coordinated network of creative individuals, rather than in the structured and hierarchical manner of a classical orchestra.[10]

A breakaway group, the "Ulster Scots eXperience", was formed in July 2005.[11]

Live

The USFO has performed at small community halls, outdoor festivals, and venues such as the Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall where they were part of an Ulster-Scots programme for the BBC in 2004.[12] They have also performed in Scotland, England, Ireland and the United States. Performances had covered material from Ulster-Scots language recitation and unaccompanied songs to contemporary songs accompanied by guitar and other instruments, to drum and fife tunes from both Orange and Hibernian sources.[13] The USFO have also undertaken workshops at schools, community centres and festivals.[14]

Influences

The USFO were inspired by The Boys o Soorhill, a group of local traditional musicians active in the 1970s and 1980s. The album Endangered Species was dedicated to The Boys o Soorhill.[15]

USFO Youth Project

In 2004, the USFO Youth Project was initiated with the purpose of bringing young talent into the group. The association meets regularly for informal rehearsals in a loft in a farm near Ballymena.[16]

Discography

  • Planet Ulster (2001)
  • Endangered Species (2002)
  • Bringin It Thegither (2003)[7]
  • Somme (2006)

References

  1. ^ "Tha Airts o Airisch an Ulstèr-Scotch" Archived 1 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine; Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  2. ^ "Ulster-Scots folk evening". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  3. ^ Ramsey, Gordon (2013). The Ulster-Scots Musical Revival. Transforming Tradition in a PostConflict Environment - Queen's University Belfast (PDF) (Report). pp. 7–8.
  4. ^ Emory Report (Vol. 53, No. 22) - Symposium examines roots of Scots-Irish culture (Report). Vol. 53. 26 February 2001.
  5. ^ "BANDS, MUSIC, & VOCAL RESOURCES". www.brennancallan.com. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Review: Mighty music brings life to Celtic culture". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 13 December 2002. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Folk group launches new CD". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 5 December 2003. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Willie Drennan believes in a return to the values of community, family and farming life". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 21 May 2006. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  9. ^ Ramsey, Gordon (2013). The Ulster-Scots Musical Revival: Transforming Tradition in a Post-Conflict Environment (Report). Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  10. ^ Drennan, Willie (20 December 2013). "Fiddles, Flutes, Drums and Fifes". Études irlandaises (38–2): 111–122. doi:10.4000/etudesirlandaises.3565. ISSN 0183-973X.
  11. ^ "A Kist o Wurds - Series 13 - The Ulster-Scots eXperience - BBC Sounds". BBC. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Ulster-Scots folk evening". Belfast Telegraph. 20 May 2004.
  13. ^ Ramsey, Gordon (2013). "The Ulster-Scots Musical Revival: Transforming Tradition in a Post-Conflict Environment". Études Irlandaises (2): 7–23. doi:10.4000/etudesirlandaises.3573|url=https://journals.openedition.org/etudesirlandaises/3573.
  14. ^ "Welcome to the Northern Ireland Assembly - Weekly Answers Booklet 26.03.10". archive.niassembly.gov.uk. Northern Ireland Assembly. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Boys o Soorhill". qub.ac.uk.
  16. ^ Arts Council of Northern Ireland Annual Report and Accounts 2004–2005 (PDF) (Report). Arts Council of Northern Ireland. 2005. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster-Scots_Folk_Orchestra