VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

Thursday, May 07, 09:16:25am [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, [3], 4 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 09/21/04 5:50:29pm
Author: Richard Hale
Subject: Re: Scotch
In reply to: Patrick Reardon 's message, "Re: Scotch" on 09/21/04 12:59:35pm

Scots-Irish is the modern term used to describe the people who settled the American frontier in the 100 years from about 1717. They were mostly Presbyterians whose ancestors had been lowland Scots who had arrived in the north of Ireland about 100 years before.
The term Scotch-Irish now causes offence to many of the Scots-Irish in Britain, as generally being devout and non drinking Presbyterian types, 'Scotch' is looked upon as an alcoholic spirit. The fact that the Catholic Irish have been traditionally associated with heavy drinking further alienates the Scots-Irish from alcohol. Since the founding of Northern Ireland the designation Ulster-Scots has been the more widely used term. Again it has seems to have developed to maintain a distinctive, non Irish, identity.
The term 'Scotch-Irish' does, however, have a historic reality and utility. The form 'Scoth-Irish' would have been used in the vernacular, as 'Scotch' was the proper term until the 20th century for both language and people. The early Protestant settlers from Ireland knew themselves simply as 'Irish' The later arrival and rapid growth of a very visible Irish Catholic community led many Protestants in the US to adopt the Scotch-Irish label.
It is all semantics, I know, but its just such semantics which makes the problems in Northern Ireland so intractable!
In period situations we are Scotch-Irish. In modern terms we are Scots-Irish, Ulstermen or British. The one thing we are not is Irish!
Glad that thats cleared up things with everyone! I'm really looking forward to falling in with everyone next week and following that big Texan redneck!

Richard Hale
Lazy Jack, Ulsterman and not alienated from Scotch.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.