As near as I can tell, my ancestors were likely Catholic Highlanders who left Scotland for Ireland after Culloden. They married into Irish families and in the late 1800's emigrated to Nova Scotia, then entered the US through Boston and settled in Maryland as coal miners. Sometime in the 1910's or 20's my grandfather settled in Western PA.
My uncles steadfastly maintain their "Irish-ness" despite our surname being clearly Scots. After visiting Scotland in 2008, I wanted and found our family tartan and got myself a kilt. I now own 5.
Oh, I am a mutt, too. My mother is Czech-Slovak,Austrian-Hungarian, with rumors of some Romany blood...