Join Fi & Mac on their adventure across Ulster in new Ulster-Scots online resource
Date Posted: June 29, 2023
Meet best friends Fi & Mac, the stars of a new resource that is introducing young primary school children to Ulster-Scots language and culture.
Fi & Mac are the centre of a resource created by HopSkip Studios Ltd with funding from Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund and support from the Ulster-Scots Agency and CCEA. The resource features short animations, online games, lesson plans and printable classroom resources, all designed to help teachers introduce elements of Ulster-Scots language and culture to children in primary schools across Ulster and further afield.
Fi is a 5-year-old girl from somewhere in rural Ulster whose best friend is an Ulster-Scots speaking red squirrel named Mac. Together the two go on a series of adventures to places that are familiar to young children in Ulster. During their adventures Mac introduces Fi to some common Ulster-Scots words.
Writer and Producer Aisling Gallagher from HopSkip Studios said the resource was a joy to make, adding: “I had so much fun writing the scripts for Fi & Mac and working with the illustrator to design the characters. I hope that children will enjoy seeing Fi & Mac in familiar settings and hearing them speak like them or people they know. As a lover of words myself, I believe it is so important that we don’t lose the words and phrases that are unique to our part of the world.”
Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund Executive Heidi McAlpin added: “These beautifully animated adventures see Fi & Mac exploring key locations and using language that will resonate with lots of young Ulster-Scots people, as well as many others living locally. We are delighted with the series and its accompanying resources and look forward to them being used by schools and at home.”
To join Fi & Mac on their fun adventures and learn more about The Weather, The Shore, The Farm and The Band visit Discover Ulster-Scots’ website.
