I hae been maggin aboot in the ootby loanens o the aul interwab, an foond a wheen o aul books that hae tae dae wi the aul Ulster Scots. Twa o them are by John Gamble:
John Gamble: A View of Society and Manners in the North of Ireland (on Google Books)
John Gamble, Charlton, or Scenes from the North of Ireland (on Google Books)
Gamble was fae an aul Scots spakin airt o Ulster, doonby Strabane an haird by the border wi Donegal. He scrieved baith fiction an non-fiction fae the 1810s. Gamble didnae like that maist folk scrievin aboot Ireland saa aathing in terms o an Anglo-Irish "Ascendancy" forenent an aul Gaelic tradeetion: Gamble kenned richtly things were mair complex nor thon, an took tae crackin an yarnin aboot the Ulster Scots. The Scotch didnae fit weel intae what maist folk were writing aboot Ireland, but Gamble jaloused that they were a pairt o the haill tale.
"A View of Society" is aboot the throuiter mixtur-maxtur o folk in Ulster an the strang Scotch "manners". He yarns aboot releegion an leid amang ither things.
"Charlton" is a tale o 1798 an I jalouse the first "Ulster" novel ever screived, which maks it quare an interestin in my een onyway. A wheen o characters in it spake bonnie Ulster Scots. Yin uses the wurd "garravashin", which is a wheeker! It's fae the Scotch wurd "gulravage", meaning tearin aboot an cairryin on.
Nae mony folk hae mind o John Gamble noo, but he shoulnae be sae neglectit. Onybody interested in Ulster history, aul books, or the Ulster Scots wull hae tae gie him a wee keek.
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