In late 2017 and early 2018 the Foundation was involved in a project to create a folding map/pocket history exploring the Ulster-Scots heritage of counties Cavan and Monaghan. This looked at the impact of the movement of Scottish families into these counties in the seventeenth century, contrasting the situation in Cavan, where the official scheme for the Ulster Plantation was in operation, with that in Monaghan, which was not part of the official Plantation. The publication also considers at Ulster-Scots at worship, landowning families with roots in Scotland, and the contribution of people of Ulster-Scots background to a range of disciplines and causes.

These individuals include Anne Jane Carlile (1775–1864), a prominent figure in the temperance movement, Henry Cochrane (1836–1904), who with Thomas Cantrell established what became the world’s largest manufacturer of bottled mineral water; and Robert Anderson (1837–1921), one of the founders of Anderson & McAuley, one of Belfast’s best known department stores. The famous theatrical director Sir Tyrone Guthrie was descended from the Moorhead family of Annaghmakerrig, near Newbliss. He bequeathed the ancestral home – now known as the Tyrone Guthrie Centre – as a retreat for writers.

Sir John Young (1807–76), whose family owned the Bailieborough estate, was Governor-General of New South Wales and later Governor-General of Canada.

Cavan Monaghan map cover

Edgar Allan Poe is said to have descended from a tenant farmer from the parish of Kildallan, County Cavan. Henry James (1843–1916) is widely regarded as one of America’s most gifted authors. His brother William was a major figure in the philosophical movement known as pragmatism, while their sister Alice was best known for her diaries. The siblings’ great-grandfather was William James (1736–1822), a Presbyterian tenant farmer in Corkish, near Bailieborough.

The folding map/pocket history also features places of interest where it is possible to learn more about the Ulster-Scots heritage of Cavan and Monaghan. These include towns and villages, such as Bailieborough, Ballybay and Glaslough, as well as castles, country houses and places of worship, such as Castle Saunderson, the Farnham Estate and the now ruined church in Killeshandra.

In addition, heritage signs were erected at a number of locations in the counties: at the sites of former Presbyterian meeting houses at Broomfield, Cahans, Carrickmaclim, Glasleck, Loughmourne, Seafin and Urcher, and in the village of Drum.

The project was supported by the Ulster-Scots Agency, Cavan County Council and Monaghan County Council. The design work was carried out by Mark Thompson and the research and writing by Dr William Roulston. For their assistance with the project, special thanks are due to Angela Graham, Linde Lunney, Allen McAdam, Leslie McKeague, Grace Moloney, Rev. David Nesbitt and Elizabeth Steenson.