The Ulster-Scot is a free, monthly publication

Publication

To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...

 produced by the Ulster-Scots Agency

Ulster-Scots Agency

The Ulster-Scots Agency is a cross-border body in Ireland which seeks "promote the study, conservation and development of Ulster-Scots as a living language; to encourage and develop the full range of its attendant culture; and to promote an understanding of the history of the Ulster-Scots...

, published in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It is a product of incentives to encourage awareness of Ulster heritage and often provided as a supplement with local newspaper

Newspaper

A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 The News Letter

The News Letter

The News Letter is one of Northern Ireland's main daily newspapers, published Monday to Saturday. It is the oldest English language general daily newspaper still in publication in the world, having first been printed in 1737....

. It was first published in November 2002.

The news topics are based around the heritage of Ulster Scots and the Ulster variant of the Scots language

Scots language

Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...

. The main content of the paper is written in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 with various tit-bit sections in Ulster-Scots. It reports on Ulster-Scots events such as dances and Burns supper

Burns supper

A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, sometimes also known as Robert Burns Day or Burns Night , although they may in principle be held at any time of the...

s, as well as releases of traditional music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 on CD and books about Ulster-Scots language and culture.

The Ulster-Scot has occasioned some controversy. The writer and broadcaster Malachi O'Doherty

Malachi O'Doherty

Malachi O'Doherty is a journalist, author and broadcaster in Northern Ireland.He is the producer and presenter of the audio blog Arts Talk ....

 reported in the Belfast Telegraph on 2 December 2002 that a republican friend thought the paper made Ulster Protestants appear "stupid".

A notable regular feature in The Ulster-Scot is "The Crack", a column written in Ulster Scots, which gives writer Conal Gillespie's opinion on recent news. It can be read online at the Ulster Scots Agency website, ulsterscotsagency.com.

The editor of The Ulster-Scot is the church journalist Billy Kennedy and its associate editor is Joanne Crockard.