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> I read this is relevant to the US, as Celts by and large settled the Appalachian uplands where soils were poor, and the population of the mountains has mainta
by brimble 5y ago
> I read this is relevant to the US, as Celts by and large settled the Appalachian uplands where soils were poor, and the population of the mountains has maintained a distinct Celtic culture and position in the US class hierarchy.
These are largely the "Scots-Irish", as we call them in the US. They originate as the Borderers, that is, the lowland folks who lived on the border of Scotland and England (an effectively lawless region for a long stretch of time). At some point a bunch of them were shipped off to Ireland, then a bunch of those moved to the US. Hence, "Scots-Irish".
The history of their migration paints a picture of a people disliked basically everywhere. Kicked out of the Border country, then kicked out of Ireland, then kicked out of Pennsylvania, before finally settling in Appalachia (and being hated there by almost everyone outside that country—it's still socially acceptable to say all kinds of horrible things about them).
We (I'm very, very much of that "stock" on one side of my family) seem to be some real bastards.
- Biologist123 5y agoThanks, very interesting. Wikipedia has a good page on Scots-Irish, with a suggestion lowland Scots were originally Irish gaels. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch-Irish_Americans https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch-Irish_Americans
- jessaustin 5y agoTo be clear, (we) Scots-Irish are indeed descended from Celts, both Gaels and Picts. I doubt any of us have only that background, however.
- cafard 5y agoKicked out of Pennsylvania? Did someone forget to serve the eviction notice on Simon Cameron, James Buchanan, James Laughlin, etc.? Those who settled in Ulster were looking for land (confiscated from the Irish). Those who came to America were looking for land. If they moved west and southwest, it was largely for more and perhaps better land. Weep not for the Scotch-Irish. They've done pretty well out of America. (I have Scotch-Irish ancestry, traced by an uncle back to Bushmills in Ulster.)