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Episode 2

Episode 2 of 3

Mark and Ruth explore Ulster’s links to the Scottish county of Ayrshire, from the former shipbuilding town of Irvine to the spectacular coastal castle of Culzean.

Mark Thompson and Ruth Sanderson explore Ulster’s links with the Scottish county of Ayrshire.

In the historic town of Ayr, they catch up with legendary broadcaster Billy Kay, a pioneer of Scots programming on radio and television. Ruth heads north to the village of Dunlop, where she visits a memorial built by James Hamilton, one of the masterminds of the Scottish settlements of Ulster. In New Cumnock, Mark meets up with three men from Northern Ireland who are all leading congregations in the area.

The coastal town of Irvine was once a thriving centre of shipbuilding which attracted thousands of folk from Ulster, and it's here that Ruth meets a local historian to discover more about those connections. And at the spectacular coastal castle of Culzean, Mark meets a young piper from Portavogie who is making his mark on Scotland’s traditional music scene.

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29 minutes

Last on

Sun 20 Feb 2022 22:00

Broadcast