Full House for New Thomson Talk

16 February 2026

Last week we welcomed award-winning American author, Courtney McKinney-Whitaker, to the Discover Ulster-Scot Centre in Belfast, as she delivered a special talk about an Ulster-Scots hero of the American Revolution, Charles Thomson.

The event, which was hosted by the Ulster-Scots Community Network, and attended by a enthusiastic audience including the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly, Mrs. McKinney-Whitaker explained how Thomson’s life had went from heart-breaking tragedy – his father died during the family’s voyage to America – to heart-warming triumph, culminating in his role as Secretary of the US Continental Congress, the body which created the Declaration of Independence.

Thomson came up with the original design for the Great Seal of the United States, essentially the nation’s ‘Coat of Arms’, which is still used today, and delivered the message to George Washington that he had been elected as the first President of the United States on April 14, 1789. He then travelled with Washington to New York for his inauguration on 30 April.

Widely regarded as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Thomson and many other Ulster-Scots/Scotch-Irish played a central role in the revolution, as soldiers, politicians, church leaders, business owners and more. Their story is key to understanding the development of convictions and principles around liberty and freedom which are writ large in the Declaration of Independence, but the beginnings of which can be traced back to earlier events like the Siege of Derry during the Glorious Revolution.

If you would like to visit the Discover Ulster-Scots Centre to see the Thomson collection, which will be newly conserved this year as a result of a USA 250 grant awarded to the Ulster-Scots Community Network from the Department for Communities, as well as many other interesting items telling the story of the Ulster-Scots community, you can visit for free Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm. 

Address: Discover Ulster-Scots Centre, 1-9 Victoria Street, Belfast, BT1 3GA. 

Photo (L-R): Dayna Jost, Ulster-Scots Community Network; Courtney McKinney-Whitaker; and the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly.