Senior Democrat ‘descendent from Ulster Scots stock’
A conversation about heritage and politics with the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party lead to US Special Envoy Gary Hart visiting the Andrew Jackson Centre.
“At our previous meeting, Senator Hart and I had been discussing how Irish Americans were more of a lobby group in America than Ulster Scots, even though there are many more of the latter in the USA, perhaps as many as 40 million and they made up the first wave of immigrants,” UUP leader Mike Nesbitt told the TIMES after the recent visit.
Mr Nesbitt continued: “Senator Hart surprised me by saying he was descendent from Ulster Scots stock, his ancestors following the tried and tested trail through the Appalachian mountains.
“Given that and the fact Andrew Jackson was a founder of the Democratic Party Senator Hart is a member of, I invited him to Boneybefore and he immediately accepted.”