Here in Donaghadee the Ulster-Scots heritage is taken for granted. I attended the 2017 Ulster-Scots Festival in Donaghadee. D'Dee was the gateway to Ulster for lowland Scots when Scotsmen James Hamilton and Hugh Montgomery received land in Down and Antrim as a reward for rescuing the chieftain Con O'Neill. This was 400 years ago and at a time before before the Plantation of Ulster and the Flight of the Earls. Over 10,000 Scots eventually settled in the agreed areas - they brought their customs and beliefs to Ulster. Over the years - I think that they made a positive contribution to the industrial growth of Ulster. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that either Hamilton or Montgomery was a founder of Trinity College - can't remember which one.
Anyway - in my opinion Ulster-Scots is a dialect not a language.