The American Presence in Ulster: A Diplomatic History, 1796–1996 American presence in Ulster: a diplomatic history, 1796-1996

Preface

PREFACE 3 This book is a history of the United States consulate in Belfast. It is also a history of the American presence in Ulster and Northern Ireland for the past two hundred years. The two stories are intertwined, inasmuch as the consulate was opened in Belfast in  because of the important connections that flourished between the two societies at the end of the eighteenth century. These connections were both personal and commercial—personal, in that by  nearly a half a million people had emigrated from Ulster to the North American colonies and then the newly independent United States, and commercial, because the Ulster linen industry obtained most of its flaxseed from America and sold a very large portion of its finished goods there as well. Over the next two hundred years the nature of the connection evolved and changed, but it has remained a vital relationship right up to the present. And the consulate has been the bridge linking the two worlds year in and year out for the past two centuries. It should be said that this book is not a history of the Ulster presence in the United States. That is a wonderful topic, full of fascinating details and important ramifications for both cultures, but it is a topic that has been studied by numerous writers both in years past and in the present. This book is also not a history of Ulster or Northern Ireland. That too is a rich topic that has been well served, particularly in recent years. Nor is it a history of the Troubles of the last thirtyfive years. The Troubles have been the focus of interest by many scholars and commentators who have attempted to exvii plain and understand the seemingly intractable problems that have plagued the province. This book certainly does take account of the story of Ulstermen in the United States, the history of Ulster, the problem nationalism posed for the community, the intervention of international events such as the two World Wars and the Cold War, the sometimes uneasy relationship between Belfast, London, and Dublin, and the American link to the Troubles. This book attempts to focus on the American involvement in Ulster. Trade and commerce , shipping and industry, emigration and exiles’ return—these are some of the many threads that have stretched across the ocean over the past two centuries, forming bridges across the Atlantic. Recognizing this as early as , the United States government created a consulate in Belfast and subsequently a consulate in Londonderry and consular agencies in several other Ulster towns. The United States, its consulates, and Ulster have thus been linked during the turbulent years since. They have shared the history of those times—war and revolution, famine and prosperity, religion and ideas, politics and diplomacy. This book attempts to tell that story. The writing of a book depends on many people, and it is a pleasure to acknowledge their contribution to its coming to fruition. This particular book grew out of the desire of several institutions in Belfast to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States Consulate General in the city and the link that it had established. To do this the Bicentennial Fellowship was created to bring a scholar to Belfast to write the history of the consulate and the transatlantic connection . The British Council, the United States Consulate General, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland jointly sponsored the fellowship. I am particularly grateful for the support of Mr. Peter Lyner, O.B.E., the Director of the British Council in Belfast for his support and encouragement and specifically for his kindnesses in facilitating our stay in Belfast. Both Ms. Kathleen Stephens and Dr. Jane Benton Fort, the United States consuls general in Belfast while I was there, opened the consulate to me and made available their facilities and viii ⁄  their historical records. They and the staff of the consulate were gracious and helpful, indeed indispensable in a project such as this. Ms. Karen Morrissey, the assistant cultural attaché at the American Embassy in London, also made available to me the documentary resources of their vast collection of American materials. Dr. Anthony Malcomson, M.R.I.A., then deputy keeper of records, and his staff, particularly Dr. Gerry Slater and Dr. David Lammey, at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, were also crucial in gaining access to the rich collection...