Betsy Gray was an Ulster-Scots

Ulster-Scots

The Ulster Scots are an ethnic group in Ireland, descended from Lowland Scots and English from the border of those two countries, many from the "Border Reivers" culture...

 Presbyterian peasant girl from outside Lisburn

Lisburn

DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...

 in Co. Antrim in what is today Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 who was killed as part of the 1798 Rebellion of the United Irishmen. She is the subject of many folk ballads and poems written since her time down to the present day.

She fought in the Battle of Ballynahinch

Battle of Ballynahinch

The Battle of Ballynahinch was fought outside Ballynahinch, County Down, on 12 June, during the Irish rebellion of 1798 between British forces led by Major-General George Nugent and the local United Irishmen led by Henry Munro .-Background:...

 against the Yeomanry

Yeomanry

Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...

, and was killed in retreat along with her brother and lover, having her right hand cut off before being decapitated.

She is a folk hero

Folk hero

A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...

 to all Republicans in Ulster

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

, with both loyalists

Ulster loyalism

Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...

 and republicans

Irish Republicanism

Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

 claiming her as their own, as typified by the centenary celebrations where the locals broke a monument to her sooner than let Nationalists

Irish nationalism

Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...

 have a ceremony in her honour.

Betsy Gray Cup

Today the Betsy Gray Cup

Betsy Gray Cup

The Betsy Gray Cup is awarded by the GAA in Co. Down, for the pursuit of Gaelic Games. It is named after the local rebel Betsy Gray who died in the 1798 rebellion....

 is awarded by the Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 (GAA) in her memory in Ulster.

Betsy Gray in fiction

Betsy was featured in a novel which was semi-historical by Wesley Guard Lyttle

Wesley Guard Lyttle

Wesley Guard Lyttle was an Irish newspaper publisher, writer and editor.-Life:He was born in Newtownards, County Down. He worked as a junior reporter, schoolteacher, and editor, before starting, in 1880,...

, owner of a local newspaper The Down Herald.