THERE has been much made of the monies being spent by the Department of Communities on the forthcoming 250th anniversary celebrations of the birth of the American nation.

It is much ado about nothing if properly spent on education and not on junkets.

Nor should it be some kind of reimagined narrative about the true nature of our links to individuals with Irish or Scots-Irish roots who reached the White House.

Historians cannot quite agree whether the American presidency has been occupied by 22 or 23 office-holders with roots in Ireland.

It matters little, but it does explain the close ties between the island of Ireland and the USA – particularly in the formation of the latter.

Nearly half of all presidential office holders had links to this small island.

The early American Presidents had strong associations with the north east of Ireland.

They were of the planter classes – though would have had strong political differences from their Irish relatives who remained within the hierarchical system of British government/administration, which saw these sons of Presbyterianism politically and socially disenfranchised alongside other nonconformists and the native Catholic population.

These men were radicals influenced by the French Revolution and the writings of Thomas Paine, author of the Rights of Man.

They were of similar political pedigree to the United Irishmen of Wolfe Tone, Henry Joy McCracken, Robert Emmett and William Drennan.

If celebrating or marking the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the USA through education and discussion helps political unionists in Northern Ireland understand better the radicalism (dichotomy) in much of their own histories, the exercise may be worthwhile.

Bizarrely, many of those Scot-Irish who remained in Ireland ended up fighting in the colonial wars on the British side, opposing the strike out for American independence by their erstwhile ex-pat cousins.

The founding fathers of what would become the United States of America were the first to cast off the yoke of imperialism and colonialism from the British Empire.

Their principles were independence, liberty and individual freedoms for all (even if they did not actually mean people of colour at that time).

One of the driving forces for these men was to wipe out and vilify corruption in public office – which will be interesting when it comes to President Trump’s contribution to the 250th celebrations.

Trump has corrupted public office in a way the founding fathers and writers of the American constitution sought to constrain and prevent.

Washington, Madison, Adams and Jefferson were men of integrity (they said Washington could not tell a lie – such a contrast to the current incumbent of the Presidency).

Even the racist, offensive and white Supremacist, slave-owning President Andrew Jackson (whose roots are in County Antrim) noticed the importance of democracy when he prophetically said: “It is to be recognised that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.” (Trump take note – Jackson was impeached and his presidency constrained by Congress).

It is true that President Washington appointed a Belfast man, Mr J Holmes, to the second consulate opened by the new state in Belfast in 1796 when the Irish linen industry was at this height and largely concentrated in the north-east.

The new consulate was mainly concerned with trade. Dublin had to wait until 1859 to get its first US Consulate during the Presidency of James Buchanan, whose family roots were from Ramelton in Donegal and who is regularly rated one of the worst American Presidents ever.

All of the antecedents of Irish/Scots-Irish American Presidents were born in Ireland. Northern Ireland would not exist until 1921 – some 146 years later.

So the Scots-Irish heritage very much includes Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal too.

Indeed, most of the US Presidents of Irish/Scots-Irish lineage come from Irish Protestant backgrounds, though some Catholic conversions would have come about later through marriages.

Only two American Presidents have been Catholic in the past 250 years – Kennedy and Biden. Though one, Charles Carroll, a Catholic from the country of Offaly, was one of the 56 signatories to the Declaration of Independence.

He was joined by seven others of Irish/Scots-Irish backgrounds – three of whom were Irish-born.

Ulster manufacturing was the industrial powerhouse of Ireland whilst the island remained largely agricultural, though it was Dublin – not Belfast - which was the second city of the British Empire.

The history of American Presidents and Ireland has been mixed. The first to visit was Ulysses S Grant – after holding office.

Grant’s family hailed from Tyrone, and on his visit in 1879 he was awarded honorary citizenship of both Dublin and Derry.

By the time President Reagan came long for a state visit, the Kennedy Camelot era was long over, and Reagan was met with protests over US foreign policies in Latin America – including one Michael D Higgins (plus ca change).

The current incumbent in the White House has no Irish heritage, and his foreign policies and imposition of economic tariffs make him unpopular.

The Vice President has hillbilly roots, which will go down well in Ballymena, but even he seems confused about the heritage, as he wore bright green shamrock socks to meet with the taoiseach last year.

There is a story to be told about the Irish/Scots-Irish influence on the foundation of the USA and how they fled tyranny and fought for liberty.

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