Blue plaque approved for Ulster Scots Strabane poet William Starrat
Approval has been given by Derry City and Strabane council Business and Culture Committee to the Ulster History Circle to erect a blue plaque on the front of the Alley Arts Centre to commemorate the life and work of the poet, William Starrat.
William Starrat was a Strabane schoolmaster who penned the earliest known Ulster Scots poem as early as 1722.
However he was better known as a surveyor and mathematician than as a schoolmaster.
William Starrett is thought to have written six ‘Scotch Poems’, which were published in the Ulster Miscellany of 1753.The collection of poems is believed to be the first examples of Ulster-Scots printed poetry.
There are no cost implications for Derry City & Strabane DIstrict Council in regards to the approving or installing of the blue plaque.
The Ulster History Circle has secured funding from the Ulster Scots Agency for the erection of this blue plaque.