Saturday, June 07, 2008

From Belfast to Belhelvie?

While the vast majority of Ulster/Scotland connections are along the west coast of Scotland and into the Clyde, that's not the only route that the people took. Even as far up the north east coast as Belhelvie (just north of Aberdeen), Ulster folk were turning up.

For example, in June 1643 the parishioners of the area collected £30 for the "manie pitifullie distrest people that had fled out of Ireland". Perhaps these folk did travel initially from Ulster to the west coast of Scotland, and then eastwards and northwards (ie rather than sail all the way round the north of Scotland) but I never thought we'd find Ulster Scots as far up as that. Here's a link to the story of Belhelvie and the Covenanters.

Here's a Google map to show the 300 mile distance.

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