Family traditions

[PEEDYC]

I could not agree more. My son and daughter are not really interested in the family traditions. My daughter became interested when she gave her daughter the middle name Mae. I told her she had an ancestor who spelled her name Mae instead of May. She was the daughter of a Hugh Corrance who moved to Dubuque in the USA in 1860. This did get her interested.

One of my nephews married an Australian born girl with very mixed ancestry. She was delighted when I gave her a print out of our family tree going back only as far as 1790. She wanted to know more about our family now that she was part of it.

Unfortunately my son has a daughter so unless either of my nephew's fathers a son then the line stops ..... One has a daughter so far, the other isn't trying ..... yet.

[Laird_M]

Unfortunately my son has a daughter so unless either of my nephew's fathers a son then the line stops ..... One has a daughter so far, the other isn't trying ..... yet.

That was a concern for me.
My two brothers don't have kids as whilst my eldest is not biologically mine, but in my heart his is no matter what CAFCASS say, our line was looking shaky, but when my wife felt ill when she ate ice cream a few years ago, it turned out the line is safe, for the youngest current generation at least.

Once I've finished my research I'm burning a copy for both of my boys, so the knowledge isn't lost.

[Lime]

I say. Steady on chaps!

I type with a twinkle in my eye and a good natured guffaw... sorry if it didn't quite come out like that!

[OC Richard]

This blending of Scots and Irish here in the USA is an interesting topic.

Behind it all is the ancient fact that the Highland Gaels were a people and culture imported to Scotland from Ireland. For centuries there was ongoing contact between the two. Young Highland pipers were sent to Ireland for training in their art. The English commented upon the Highlanders speaking "the Irish language".

Our modern notion of Scotland and Ireland being seperate political entities would have meant nothing to a 14th century Gael, who could have passed from the Highlands to Ireland speaking the same language and being within a shared culture.

Anyhow the muddling of the concepts of Scottishness and Irishness here in the USA has been helped along by the unfortunate term "Scotch-Irish". These Ulster Scots came here in an 18th century mass migration (c1717-1775).

But to many modern Americans the term "Scotch-Irish" is thought to mean people of mixed Scottish and Irish ancestry. Once I was out piping somewhere and a teenage girl came up and told me that her ancestors were from "Scotch-Ireland".

[Lime]

Thank you OC Richard; how very interesting. I had never even heard the term "Scotch-Irish" but I gather from the internet (which is never wrong) that this is not unusual this side of the pond.

I do really find the whole concept, that the two could be confused, astonishing. I suppose that those in the United Kingdom and Ireland are much closer to and aware of the various traits and differences. I am sure that I am guilty of unconsciously lumping together people from other parts of the world into convenient groups without realising that they have their own distinct identities... we call them "foreigners"! (joke!).

[piperdbh]

I had never even heard the term "Scotch-Irish"...

It's a corruption of "Scots-Irish", which some sources refer to as "Ulster Scots". When Americans use the term, we're referring to either
a) Irish people who were moved to Scotland for various political/social reasons, who then emigrated to North America, or
b) Scots and Irish immigrants who intermarried over the course of time and now the family tree is a tangled thorn bush, or
c) both.

Confused yet?

[HeathBar]

a) Irish peolpe who were moved to Scotland for various political/social reasons, who then emigrated to North America

I think you have that reversed.