DUP councillors welcome Ulster Scots group move

DUP councillors welcome Ulster Scots group move

5 November 2025

NEWRY, Mourne and Down Council has agreed to set up its first ever Ulster Scots and Ulster British Working Group.

The move was agreed at the local authority’s monthly meeting on Monday night, with the organisation the first council in Northern Ireland to establish such a group.

The council’s DUP members — who had been lobbying for the new forum to be set up — are delighted and say that since the council was established a decade ago, the district’s British, Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist traditions will now be formally recognised within the organisation’s democratic processes.

Earlier this year, public consultation on the promotion of Ulster-Scots was carried out by the council following pressure from the DUP and revealed that over 80% of respondents supported the promotion of Ulster-Scots in the district.

The DUP councillors say the desire for an Ulster British dimension in any potential working group was particularly evident in the responses.

“While many in our district are proud of the influence their Scottish ancestors played in establishing key industries and customs in this part of Ulster 400 plus years ago, many are equally proud of their wider British identity, their love for the United Kingdom, loyalty to the Crown and cultural expressions and values that flow from that,” the party said in a statement.

“Therefore, given that a significant minority within our district identifies as British, and considering the official title of the new ‘Commissioner for the Ulster-Scots & Ulster British Tradition’, the DUP has proposed that this British dimension is reflected in the scope and naming of the new Ulster-Scots working group, which would be a first for any council in Northern Ireland.”

The DUP says these terms of reference require final agreement when members of the new working group meet for the first time in the coming weeks. 

“We trust that the wishes of our community in this regard are respected by the nationalist parties in the majority,” the statement continues.

“It was of course the persistent lack of respect towards unionists on the council which led our party to leave the so-called Equality and Good Relations Reference Group five months ago.”

The statement says Monday night’s unanimous vote was welcome progress. 

“Going forward, we need to see comprehensive strategies and policies put in place, just as Irish has enjoyed for many years.

“Time will tell whether this new working group can make a tangible difference to how the district’s rich Ulster-Scots/British heritage, culture and language is promoted through the council’s events programme, tourism strategy, community funding, and public displays.”

The statement adds: “These are the types of changes that will foster genuine good relations within Newry, Mourne and Down.”