Archibald McIlroy (1859–1915)
Ulster Scots Storyteller, Businessman and Churchman
by
Very Rev Dr Donald Patton
“Keep him at readin’, writin’, an’ coontin’, bit dinna waste his time on jography; for, efter a’, whor’s the use o’ his learnin’ the names o’ a wheen o’ places ‘at he’s niver likely tae see.”
This quotation, from Archibald McIlroy’s book, When Lint was in the Bell (1897), as some parents gave advice to the local schoolmaster ‘Fractions’, illustrates how McIlroy captures the Ulster Scots vernacular and parochialism of the community in which he was raised. His stories were published in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and commanded wide sales at home and further afield, especially among ex-pats in what were known then as the British Colonies. They are set in later nineteenth century rural life in Ulster and reflect the everyday life of largely presbyterian characters and communities. McIlroy (1859–1915) based most of his stories on real people whom he had observed and to whom he gave fictional names. The stories are full of humour and pathos, in equal measure, and replicate spoken Ulster Scots for which he had a good ear. Considered by some commentators as nostalgic and idealized, they open a window into a way of life which has long since disappeared. In this mini biography, Donald Patton tells the story of Archibald McIlroy’s life and commends his writings to a modern audience.
The Very Rev Dr W. Donald Patton, BSSc, BD, PhD, DD, is a former Chairman of the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland.
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