Absolutely NOT emdee.
As I understand it, Cape Breton Music is actually a distinct form, with hundreds, perhaps thusands, of it's own tunes, & a very distinct way of playing those & all the Scottish tunes that the musicians over there would also have in their repertoire.
The only Traditional music I can find over here, which could be described possibly, as Ulster Scots Music, would be the handful of Fife tunes which are detailed in one publication.
ALL the rest of the music I have heard touted as being Ulster Scots, is in fact quite simply Scottish Music, & the musicians I have heard playing it, were either from the Irish tradition & so gave the tunes a wee Irish flavour, or they were simply copying a Scottish style.
Some folks within the Ulster Scots movement itself over here would love there to be a distinct Ulster Scots style of playing, with a large repertoire of locally
grown tunes, but that simply is not the case.
If you need proof, check out this YouTube video:
Ulster-Scots eXperienceOr any of the other YouTubes by the Ulster Scots Expererience, which is the Ulster Scots group with the highest profile over here.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of politics behind this Ulster Scots movement & while it is doing some good work by raising the profile of the local dialect, whether by design or accident, the process is still, sadly, managing to alienate those of a Nationalist persuasion.
The fact is, most country folk, whether catholic or protestant, use the vocabulary that is being described as Ulster Scots, but this present process is creating a wedge between folks. Likewise, country musicians play a huge mixture of Irish tunes with, depending on the region, a clatter of Scottish tunes thrown in too for good measure. This mixture is what I personally think of as Ulster Music, & with the strong Scottish influence, it is a truly wonderful mix. However, instead of the common language & common music being used to bring all the country folk together, I get the sense that the Ulster Scots movement is actually perpetuating the divide between folks here, which is a great shame.
On the positive side, it is making country folk proud of their old country words & dialect, which is all to the good. It is also giving folks of a unionist persuasion an opportunity to embrace traditional music again. Sadly, throughout most of the troubles, traditional music was seen by many as something only nationalists practiced &/or enjoyed. This of course was nonsense because throughout, loads of Protestants played Trad music. So at long last, classes teaching traditional instruments, even Tin Whistle & Fiddle, plus of course, Fife, Flute & Drum, are springing up all over the place, specifically in old Unionist & Loyalist strongholds.
To give you some idea of just how interested I am in this subject, as well as the numerous webpages I have devoted to the subject, at the link above, I have, over the last two years also posted over 400 posts, mostly on music, at the
Ulster Scots Online Forum Many of them were asking questions about this music, of the local musicians, but so far
NOBODY has been able, or is prepared to step forward & say what exactly they believe Ulster Scots Music is!
So, as you well know, Irish Music & Scottish music both have a huge, well documented history & each has a huge repertoire of literally thousands of tunes, in many books & collections. However, Ulster Scots Music remains a mystery, & with no recognized or documented repertoire to speak of, it is hard to see how anyone can justify that it actually does exist!
So does Ulster Scots music actually exist ....... I'm afraid the jury is still out.
That said, don't let it put you off from visiting, cause with your Fiddle under your arm & a few directions to some of the best sessions in Ulster { all 9 counties }, once that ferry gets going again & once you come over here again, you may not want to go home again! ;D
Cheers
Ptarmigan