Crossword Genius

In Ulster, make a scene or keep it discreet? (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

downplay

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'in ulster' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'a scene or keep it discreet?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'a' is within the answer.
'keep' could be 'own' (I've seen this before) and 'own' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'make' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for downplay that I've seen before include "Not make a lot of" , "Treat as unimportant" , "Make light of" , "Avoid promotion" , "moderate" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times (Crosaire) and the Irish Times.
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