More than £5,500 in public money spent on JD Vance genealogy dossier – which failed to prove Ulster Scots heritage

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/more-than-5500-in-public-money-spent-on-jd-vance-genealogy-dossier-which-failed-to-prove-ulster-scots-heritage/a1503737366.html

More than £5,500 in public money spent on JD Vance genealogy dossier – which failed to prove Ulster Scots heritage

More than £5,500 of public money was spent by a Stormont department on a dossier tracing the genealogy of US Vice President JD Vance, it has emerged.

The exercise was ultimately a failed attempt to conclusively prove Mr Vance’s alleged Ulster Scots heritage.

JD Vance has long claimed to be a “Scots-Irish hillbilly”, however experts have cast doubt on this.

In his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, Donald Trump’s second-in-command wrote: "I may be white, but I do not identify with the WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) of the Northeast.

"Instead, I identify with the millions of working-class white Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree.

"To these folks, poverty is the family tradition… Americans call them hillbillies, rednecks, or white trash. I call them neighbours, friends and family."

When he became Vice President earlier this year, there was much buzz around his genealogy in Northern Ireland.
Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons went so far as to commission research to trace Mr Vance’s roots.

According to emails obtained by The Sunday Times, Mr Lyons’ office was advised in February that “it has not been possible to establish conclusive proof of a direct Vance link back to Ulster at this stage”.

It said that, while inquiries were ongoing in the US, the researchers had “run into the proverbial brick wall” and amid continuing work, there was “no guarantee” of success.

An official at Lyons’ office said: “There is maybe a bit more to do locally to better trace [the vice-president’s] roots, but at this stage, I think we have to go with what we have.”

It has now emerged how much public money was spent on this exercise.

Figures obtained from the Department for Communities (DfC) show that the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, a DfC arm’s-length body, spent £2,251 on the document. Including staff time, the total was £5,589.

Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland hit out at the spending on the research.

“The recent revelation that the Department for Communities spent a total of £5,589 researching Vice President JD Vance's heritage clearly shows where the priorities of the DUP Minister lies,” she said.

“This is a reckless use of departmental funds, especially at a time when all departments are facing significant financial pressures. I find it difficult to understand how this was justified as an appropriate use of money.

“We have heard time and again about the pressures facing the minister and his department. The minister should be concentrating on addressing the urgent issues that are actually affecting people’s daily lives. Instead, it seems he and his party prefer to devote their efforts to flattering the Trump Administration."

The dossier created from the research, titled The Family Footsteps of J.D. Vance, was subsequently sent to the Vice President, who earlier this month wrote to Mr Lyons and his DUP colleague Jonathan Buckley to thank them.

“I am honored to have received the beautiful book from you presenting my family lineage,” Mr Vance wrote.

“Thank you for taking the time to create this unique work about my ancestors and for sharing it with me.”

A DfC spokesperson said: “The Department’s initial investigation suggested a potential connection to Andrew William Vance who emigrated to America.

"This project was part of the Department’s work around USA-NI250 which highlights the people who travelled from Ulster to the USA and made a huge contribution in shaping the country we know today.

“The story of JD Vance highlights the influence and spirit of the Scots Irish and whilst record keeping in the 1700s isn’t of the quality that it is today, it has not deterred people like the Vice President from declaring their Scots Irish roots.

“Vice President Vance has written to the Minister acknowledging the document and thanking him for his work.”