08-07-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
GB News to air documentary on Ulster-Scots influence in America after Twelfth coverage
The documentary by GB News correspondent Dougie Beattie will follow live coverage of the Twelfth, which will be led by Dame Arlene Foster.
Coleraine has been chosen as the location for the broadcaster's live coverage this year.
It was chosen for its historic link to the first organised migration from Ulster to America in the early 1700s.
Mrs Foster has been a regular part of GB News' Twelfth coverage.
The channel stepped in three years ago after the BBC stopped its live coverage.
Last year, former Coronation Street actor Charlie Lawson teamed up with Mrs Foster for coverage from Carrickfergus. He will be joining Chief Executive of the Ulster-Scots Agency, Ian Crozier, and former military historian Dr Gavin Hughes as part of the coverage this year.
The new documentary, Architects of America: Foundations of Freedom, is funded by Northern Ireland Screen's Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund and will air at midnight on Saturday 12 July.
The broadcaster said the documentary uncovers the deep economic, cultural and spiritual legacy carried by Ulster-Scots migrants who helped lay the foundations for American independence.
They added: 'Filmed across key locations in Ireland and the United States, this special news programme builds on previous coverage of the Glorious Revolution and The Great Migration, charting the rise of the Great Awakening in 18th-century America - a new era of ideals fuelled by the desire for economic, cultural, and religious freedom.
"The documentary explores Colonial Ulster-Scots life and how ordinary men and women from Ulster arrived in a new world and built their future: from spinning wheels in the linen trade, to flax farming and land cultivation, to the rise of ironworks and maritime commerce - including the shadow world of covert trade. These industries and individuals laid the groundwork for revolution.
'With expert interviews, rich location footage, and the thoughtful use of modern digital techniques, the programme brings history to life with clarity and depth.
'A specially arranged soundtrack, developed under the creative direction of Féinics Productions, blends traditional instrumentation with contemporary compositional tools to reflect the emotional arc of the story - from sorrow to hope and resilience to triumph - allowing each piece to resonate with the journey on screen.'
