Member's statement: Ulster-Scots Leid Week 2025
Member's statement by Ms Diane Forsythe on .
- MLA
- Ms Diane Forsythe
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 24 November 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Ulster-Scots Leid Week 2025
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5253938
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I welcome Ulster-Scots Leid Week. As a proud Mourne Ulster Scot, I live and breathe this every day, but it is brilliant to join to mark this special time together and say, "Houl yer whisht, for we're still here". Ulster-Scots Leid Week 2025 runs from today and is set to be a vibrant celebration of our Ulster-Scots language, music and culture. Across Northern Ireland, our communities will join in a wide variety of activities, coordinated by the Ulster-Scots Agency. Many events are planned by local community groups and councils. The most recent census figures told us that, in Northern Ireland, over 190,000 people now have some ability in the Ulster-Scots language. That is an increase of 8·1% on the 2011 figures. However, Ulster Scots is far more than a language: it is our bands, our heritage, our identity and our people. As a proud Ulster Scot who lives in Mourne, which is an Ulster-Scots heartland, the Ulster-Scots language is integral to who I am and how I interact with my family, my community and all of you. I am delighted to see so many events planned for this week. In my home of Kilkeel, we have a strong Ulster-Scots organisation, the Schomberg Society, which is based at the heart of our local Ulster-Scots community. Through its Reivers House and Hairtlan Hub facilities, it provides a local base for many Ulster-Scots groups and activities. Today, in my constituency, the Schomberg Society will hold an Ulster-Scots guided tour for weans around Kilkeel, with an Ulster-Scots language event — "A Vision for the Future" — to be held this evening in Reivers House. On Saturday, Leid Week will finish with Belfast Tartan Day, which will see hundreds of pipers, drummers, drum majors and highland dancers parade from the Discover Ulster-Scots Centre to Belfast City Hall. Leid Week will, once again, be a great success in highlighting our community, which thrives all year round. Our local radio station, FUSE FM Mourne — For Ulster-Scots Enthusiasts — will start in a couple of weeks, on Monday 8 December, for the two-week Christmas broadcast. You can listen on the FUSE FM Mourne app, online or on 106·2 FM in the Mourne area. As a proud Mourne Ulster Scot, I will, as always, be a presenter on it. I invite you all to tune in as I say, "Fair fa' ye" to everyone. I wish everyone a great Ulster-Scots Leid week.
404 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.05 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.96).
- Subject area: Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.15 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.06 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.06 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.05 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.96 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.04 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.99 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:48 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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