The Scots-Irish

Todat the BBC today carries an article by Joe Bageant about the influence of (what he calls) Rednecks on the US election this year. Rednecks are the descendants of the so-called "Scots-Irish", people who left Scotland for Ireland partly because of disagreement with the Church of England, which is "high church" and closer to Catholicism than their own "low church" Presbyterianism. Indeed the word "Redneck" comes from this background:

"Many Covenanters signed in their own blood and wore red pieces of cloth around their necks as distinctive insignia; hence the term "Red neck", (rednecks) which became slang for a Scottish dissenter"
http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/rednecks/rednecks.html

Originally Celtic, like many people already in Ireland, the people who came to Ireland from Scotland were independent and combative. These were the people who, in the past, had produced William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. The English were happy to move these troublesome people out of Scotland by granting them land in the north of Ireland.

The Scots-Irish "Redneck" vote has been a common sub-theme of this election campaign, lying somewhere below the major themes of pigs, lipstick, and house-counting. This Talking Points Memo article on Obama's Appalachian problem covered the ground, back in the Democratic primaries. The Bageant article goes beyond the Appalachians, mining areas such as Northern Minnesota in search of Scots-Irish rednecks.

James Webb wrote an important book on the Scots-Irish ("Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish shaped America") and for a while he was considered as a potential running mate for Barack Obama. But, Webb was not chosen, and now the Scots-Irish ticket is McCain-Palin. McCain is considered Scots-Irish, and up in New Hampshire I saw "Irish for McCain" placards.

I can see a lot of my own background in Ireland here. Where I grew up, in the hilly country of the north midlands of Ireland not far from the border, the population were hard-working small farmers who had guns (my father shot our neighbour's dog dead for disturbing our sheep), the signposts were pocked with bullet-holes (i waited for a school bus beside one such bullet-riddled Stop sign), poitín (moonshine) was popular as was whiskey, I went to stock-car races and demolition derbies, there was very little trust of "Dublin" (i.e. central government), and people worked hard and were (are) proudly self-sufficient. A compliment in rural Ireland is that someone is a "divil for work" [a devil for hard work, i.e. a hard worker]. Distrust of the "Dublin" government echoes the distrust here of the "Washington" government. When traveling in New Hampshire or West Virginia, I have thought "this feels like home". I mean, it literally even looks like home.

There is a religious aspect here too. But, I don't think it's as simple as people make out. Certainly, the Scots-Irish mostly come from a "low church" Presbyterian or evangelical background. They would be very much a product of the Reformation, very different from centralized, "big church" Catholicism. I'd definitely see the distrust of "big church" as sublimating into distrust of "big government", and I'm certainly not the first person to notice that. And, you can trace the thread of self-sufficiency, and the virtue of hard work (salvation through work, no predestination, etc). But, it's not so simple. In Ireland, where I grew up, the instincts for self-sufficiency and hard work stretched across the religious divide, it was not Protestant thing or a Catholic thing. I would attribute this to a number of factors: the hardscrabble life (everyone had to work hard), Saint Patrick's "Celtic Christianity" ("Christ beside me, Christ at my right hand" in Saint Patrick's Breastplate which we all learned at school) which talked about a personal relationship with God (no "big church"), the local influence of Protestantism, and the Irish (and Scottish) resentment at being told what to do. So, I'd argue that there is a lot of "Irish" in the Scots-Irish, and it should not only be seen in sectarian terms.

My own background includes the old Irish aristocracy who lost to the English at Kinsale, then lost large tracts of land to the Ulster Plantation. But it also includes people who moved to Ireland with the Scots-Irish hero (and probable homosexual) William of Orange, AKA "King Billy". One family legend is that we supplied King Billy with the white horse seen in paintings such as the portrait in the Bank of Ireland in College Green in Dublin. However, my family would be more "Anglo-Irish" than Scots-Irish. There are also French Hugenots thrown in for good measure (a story all of its own).

Like me, Ireland itself is a product of all those influences. In Ireland itself, there is a gradual acceptance of the "Scots-Irish" as being, well, Irish. Historically, the problem was that the land they were given in Ulster (the "Ulster Plantation") had been forcebly taken from Catholics (including the land of the old Irish aristocracy in places like Tyrone). That created grievances which have lasted to this day. Arguably, the conflict in Ireland was as much about land and freedom as religion. Indeed, Presbyterians fought alongside Catholics against the British in the Irish rebellion of 1798, not long after their co-religionists across the Atlantic had fought for freedom against the British in the US War of Independence.

Ireland now is moving on to include the "hillbilly" [the name itself means a follower of King Billy] Scots Irish in the definition of what it is to be Irish, through events like the opening of the Battle of the Boyne center which commemorates the famous victory by King Billy which is celebrated by Scots-Irish on the 12th of July.

And, indeed, the "hillbilly" Scots Irish are becoming part of the definition of what it is to be American, thanks to books like Jim Webb's "Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish shaped America".

Locally here in New England, the common definition of "Irish" seems to be all about more recent mostly Catholic Irish immigrants rather than the Scots-Irish who came before. It excludes people like John Stark, whose Scottish-born father first settled in Derry before sailing to America, whose special forces beat the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston, and who popularised the motto "Live Free or Die" which is New Hampshire's motto to this day. "Boston Irish" seems to apply exclusively to Catholic immigrants, whereas the Irish immigrants who came earlier now seem to be assimilated "non-hyphenated" Americans. Although, in another (good) way, it is often said that everyone is to some extent Irish in Boston, regardless of background.

Getting back to the main point, will these people decide the election?

Further reading: A great backgrounder on the Scots-Irish on Eric Stewart's Old Style Liberal Blog

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And here is an extract from the Joe Bageant BBC article:

American ethos

The term redneck indicates a lifestyle and culture that can be found in every state in our union. The essentials of redneck culture were brought to America by what we call the Scots Irish, after first being shipped to the Ulster Plantation, where our, uh, remarkable cultural legacy can still be seen every 12 July in Ireland.

Ultimately, the Scots Irish have had more of an effect on the American ethos than any other immigrant group. Here are a few you will recognize:

• Belief that no law is above God's law, not even the US Constitution.

• Hyper patriotism. A fighting defence of native land, home and heart, even when it is not actually threatened: ie, Iraq, Panama, Grenada, Somalia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Haiti and dozens more with righteous operations titles such as Enduring Freedom, Restore Hope, and Just Cause.

• A love of guns and tremendous respect for the warrior ideal. Along with this comes a strong sense of fealty and loyalty. Fealty to wartime leaders, whether it be FDR or George Bush.

• Self effacement, humility. We are usually the butt of our own jokes, in an effort not to appear aloof among one another.

• Belief that most things outside our own community and nation are inferior and threatening, that the world is jealous of the American lifestyle.

• Personal pride in equality. No man, however rich or powerful, is better than me.

• Perseverance and belief in hard work. If a man or a family is poor, it is because they did not work hard enough. God rewards those who work hard enough. So does the American system.

• The only free country in the world is the United States, and the only reason we ever go to war is to protect that freedom.

All this has become so deeply instilled as to now be reflexive. It represents many of the worst traits in American culture and a few of the best.

EU report finds that Irish people have less perception or experience of discrimination than the EU average

After Ireland's glorious 0:0 draw against the footballing might of Montenegro, another reason for Irish people to feel proud: A European Union survey shows that we are a tolerant people.

The EU report says that:

"In Ireland, all forms of discrimination are perceived as being widespread by a lower proportion than in the EU. This gap is at its highest for discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, but is generally a wide one for all types of discrimination under consideration. Discrimination on grounds of ethnic origin is the only type thought to be widespread by more than a half of Irish respondents."

The EU report shows that Ireland scores high on toleration for ethnic diversity, toleration for different sexual orientations, and toleration for religious diversity. It says nothing about toleration for alcohol, where I'd hope we'd score highly too (sorry, I could not resist).

Compared to the European average, Irish people were more likely to be happy to live next door to someone of a different ethnicity, religion, or someone who is homosexual.

The report shows that Irish people were less likely, compared to the EU average, to know someone who is homosexual or of a different ethnicity. I am reminded of my time growing up in rural Ireland, when it was hard to tell if racism was an issue, because there simply were no non-white people around. Most people, when asked, would have said "I have no problem with someone of a different ethnicity as a neighbour", but in reality there was very little chance of that happening. It would be like saying "I have no problem with a Martian as a neighbour". But, Ireland has changed a lot since then. As Gerald O'Neill notes:

I think by far the most powerful measure of our tolerance is the way in which we have responded to the extraordinary speed and scale of immigration to our country over the past 10 years or so. As noted in new research by my own company, the majority of Irish people consider immigration to have been a good thing on balance for Ireland. Almost no other country has experienced such a surge in the share of foreign nationals in its total population (to 10% in just 10 years) with so little real social, economic or political strife as Ireland. There is no greater testimony to our tolerance as a people in my opinion.
http://www.turbulenceahead.com/2008/09/tolerant-people.html

This is good for the Irish economy too, since it means Ireland is a good place for people to move to, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. This is what benefits certain US cities in "new economy" areas such as technology and media.


The full report is here: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_296_sheet_ie.pdf

Ireland has no balls, but too many bats

Over at the other Boston Irish in Dublin, Cormac Eklof puts out a plea for baseballs. He reports that "right now, Irish baseball has no balls. Send us anything you got! ... That's what I said. Irish baseball has no balls." I may bring some over when I am heading over to Dublin in a couple of weeks. If I am stopped by customers officers, I can say that I have just brought over "a load of balls" from America (they will ask: "What, you've brought over a box of election promises?").

Up north in Derry (not the one in New Hampshire), they have the opposite problem, too many baseball bats. A judge told the court there he is "amazed by the number of baseball bats in this town". Famously, during the "troubles" in the North of Ireland, there was a brisk trade in baseball bats, but very few balls or gloves were sold, and indeed there were no baseball teams. But why not whack people with hurley sticks, which are more common in Ireland? This discussion thread ponders that important question (snippits: "I believe that they are often heavier than hurley sticks--and they in recent years now tend to be narrower at the base where you grip them.", "I think that weight for weight, you'd get a bigger whack with a baseball bat. It would have less air resistance and force over surface area would mean greater pressure on impact.", "Protestant bad guys may prefer to be unarmed than to use this symbol of a Gaelic sport for their misdeeds").

Ouch.

$14.6 billion later, life is created

The Silver Line bus was a side-effect of Boston's Big Dig.

At Courthouse Station on the Silver Line we see another side-effect: The Creation of Life. Not only are the overhead wires live, they are also alive.

Postscript: Kilkenny Cats

Postscript to my match prediction: Kilkenny absolutely annihilated Waterford

"The winning margin of 23 points was every bit as devastating as it sounds, as Kilkenny simply out-classed and out-played Waterford in every sector of the field, inflicting the sort of defeat no team could have deserved, let alone expected."
http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/gaa/2008/0907/1220629604775.html

Kilkenny Cats

The All Ireland Hurling Final start in 15 minutes, and I'm getting my prediction onto the blogosphere: The Cats (Kilkenny) will beat Waterford. There is a match-tracker on the RTE website.

[ Where does the "Cats" nickname for Kilkenny come from? I've heard several stories behind it, all involving unpleasantness towards cats, and the stories are collated together on the Wikipedia Kilkenny Cat page ]

Allez les chats

The best way to get crabs in Boston

I think this slightly risqué sign for the Barking Crab is new, catching the eye of people (like me) exiting the Children's Museum.



"... and make them snappy."

Getting paid $25,000 to go home

This week a politician suggested paying unemployed foreigners over $25,000 on the condition that they leave the country. Where? In Ireland. Leo Varadkar represents Dublin West, and suggested that unemployed foreigners receive six months of benefits (equivalent to over $25,000) if they agree to leave Ireland. The reason is that Ireland, like much of the Western world, is experiencing an economic downturn.

In Spain, the same Irish Times story reports, unemployed foreign nationals from 20 countries have been offered €18,000 to go home on condition they do not come back for three years.

In the UK, there does not seem to similar calls to pay people to leave, but the Economist reports that some of the people who moved to the UK since 2004 from Eastern Europe, numbering over one million people, are returning home now.

It is hard to draw analogies with the US. In many parts of the European Union, it is possible to travel and work anywhere. Ireland and the UK allow people from many Eastern European countries to work in their countries, and have seen an influx of people from Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, etc. As such, the analogy may be migration between US states rather than immigration into the US from (let's say) Mexico. It may be more analogous to like California paying migrants from the East Coast to return home. Also, European countries have more generous benefits, so they are worried that yesterday's visiting worker becomes tomorrow's benefits tourist. Finally, most of the workers being paid to leave by Spain (and maybe Ireland if Leo Varadkar's idea takes off) are there legally. But, in the US much of the discussion seems to be about illegal/undocumented workers. Indeed, I have seen some US proposals that are the opposite of the European idea, where the workers themselves are paying to stay (rather than being paid to leave) and become legal residents.

In any case, Leo Varadkar's proposal was shot down in Ireland. It is good to see that Ireland is still "Ireland of the welcomes".

Cultural vagueness and an "extratropical" storm

Boston is set to experience an "extratropical storm" this weekend. What is an "extratropical storm"? Well, according to the Boston Globe, it means that:

"...the center of the swirl of clouds will cool down, causing the storm to lose some of its punch. The strongest winds will be aloft -- not on the ground -- and less rain is likely to fall than would with a warm tropical storm or hurricane."
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/09/tropical_storm_2.html

One striking feature of the US is the level of technical jargon about weather (witness the "doppler radar" forecasts on Boston TV). When I look at weather forecasts in Ireland, they seem hopelessly vague by comparison. I hear "there may be some scattered showers over the weekend" and I think "where?", "when exactly will the showers start?", "how long will they last?". But, in my experiences of Boston weather forecasts, the very technical and specific forecasts often do not actually turn out to be accurate, and I think "why be so specific?".

Where does this difference come from?

Shades of grey ("gray" in US English) are acceptable in Ireland, and it is often seen as being unreasonable (or worse, "pushy") to try to nail something down. Whereas, by contrast, in the US things have to be black and white and it is unacceptable to be vague about anything. Remember that the Irish Language survived for thousands of years without words for "Yes" and "No" (as William Safire notes in the New York Times). One of my personal theories is that the Irish weather itself may contribute to this vagueness, since it is never really summer or winter weather, even in winter or summer, and always somewhere in between. It is often "half-raining", and "half-light" goes on for hours in the evenings during the summer months.

As an Irish person, I also think that often life itself is vague. In the US, there is a strong cultural pressure to have a life plan, to plan things exactly. When the plan breaks down, you make another plan, but you don't say "maybe it's futile to plan like that, maybe I should just formulate rules which will work in an unplannable world". In Ireland, people are more likely to "muddle through". This looks hopelessly disorganized to Americans. By contrast, Americans may seem to Irish people to try to place undue expectations and controls over inherently vague things (like the weather). I think this goes back to the cultural DNA of America: pioneers taming the natural country and forging their own destiny.

A case in point is travel and holidays. One lesson I've learned is that when planning a holiday in the US, it is perfectly acceptable for Irish people to say "We'll arrive into New York on Friday, then leave from Boston the next weekend, and when we're there we'll figure out the bit in between", and have a great holiday. By contrast, most American holidays in Ireland are planned ahead like military operations, with schedules nailed down and little leeway. Then, pieces do not work out as expected (e.g. a B&B loses a reservation) and all hell breaks loose. If you forced an Irish person into this nailed-down schedule, they would feel constricted, and think "how can you plan like that?". If you forced an American into the free-form roving holiday ("vacation"), they may feel annoyed by the lack of a nailed-down schedule. Americans expect this nailed-down black-and-white organization. Irish people expect vagueness.

Yes, I am generalising here. But, just my observations from living in both countries. I would be more in the "shades of grey" camp. But, I'm a bit vague about that...

ICONS Festival of Irish Music and Arts

The ICONs Irish Festival in Canton, Massachusetts (which has a blog here) takes place from 12 to 14 of September.

On Saturday 13th it features Irish Dancing sessions for kids, and then Cape Breton music in the evening. Hopefully I'll be there...

The US J1 visa rite of passage

The Irish Times today features a piece written by a 61-year-old who traveled to the US this summer on a J1 visa. Now, usually J1 visas are used by considerably younger people, as it's designed for students who want to spend a summer working in the US. But, you can be a student at 61, so you can of course work in the US in the summer on a J1.

"Doing a J1" used to be a rite of passage for Irish students, and indeed still is. The popularity of the J1 visa took a bit of a hit post 9/11 when the US gained a reputation for heavy-handedness when issuing visas, but it's rebounded somewhat. However, Australia stepped in to become a favoured destination for Irish students. And, there is always the European mainland (a friend spent a memorable summer in Germany, in sweltering heat, cleaning the tin roofs of a former concentration camp under the watchful eye of a very conscientious foreman).

I "did the J1" in the summer of 1994, when I worked for a traveling carnival on the US East Coast. I spent time in Amish Country, on Cape May in New Jersey, Atlantic City, New York State, and rural Virginia and West Virginia. I have fond memories of meeting Oliver North (whose family is from Cork), calming down co-workers who had Vietnam flashbacks, and one night making an elaborate crop circle. After saving up money at the carnival, I hitched a ride to New York City on the back of a pick-up truck, then flew to San Francisco. From there I took a went down to Southern California and Arizona (Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino, like in the Route 66 song). Then Flagstaff for the Grand Canyon. Then up to the Mid-West where I met my friend John who'd spent his J1 on Cape Cod, and together we traveled to Chicago and then down to New Orleans for the jazz (John is a big jazz fan). After that, we headed to Washington DC, and spent some time there, staying in Georgetown. Then New York, and then back to Ireland to start college again.

Reading that last paragraph, I wonder how I managed to do all that in the days before I had a mobile phone, a US bank account, a credit card, or ready access to email. I wonder now "how did I book that flight from New York to San Francisco" (the answer, thinking back, is that I simply walked into a travel agency next door to the youth hostel near Columbia University in New York City, and paid cash).

I encourage any student in Ireland thinking of a J1 to take advantage of it. Although working for a traveling carnival was insane at times, it was a better experience than flipping burgers on the coast somewhere.

It is a little known fact that the J1 arrangement between Ireland and the US goes the other way too. US students can work in Ireland legally for a summer. We don't have traveling carnivals over there, or a Grand Canyon, but even with an economic downturn there is plenty of casual summer work to go around.

[ Cross-posted to my Travel Blog ]

It's Kerry versus Tyrone

After the semi-finals over the weekend, Kerry and Tyrone won through to play each other in the All-Ireland Football Final on September 21. I'll be in Ireland that day, though I don't have tickets for the game.

I'll watch it on TV instead, and hear commentators talk about Kerry's "champagne football", comparing them to the Brazil soccer team, and hear them talk patronisingly about the "more workmanlike" football of Tyrone. [well, the RTE commentators will say that, but the BBC Northern Ireland commentators would be more sympathetic to Tyrone].

I'll be supporting Tyrone. After all, it's the "O'Neill County" (whose logo features the O'Neill Red Hand shown below) and I'm an O'Neill. And, I know more people from Tyrone than Kerry. Although, I do remember, as an eight-year-old farm boy up in Dublin for the Spring Show, being thrilled to get Jack O'Shea's autograph. But now I'd like to see Tyrone win in 3 weeks time.

Tír Eoghain Abú




[ Tyrone image from this Tyrone Supporter's Bebo page. Kerry image from Wikipedia.]