A bit of gold in Appalachia☘️
Happy St. Patrick's Day! To celebrate, we're diving into the rich history of the arts in Appalachia, a region which credits many cultural traditions to the Scots-Irish immigrants who settled there. The Appalachian region, including Western North Carolina, is known for its arts: folk music, storytelling, quilted patterns, and square dancing, to name a few.
A Brief History Lesson
Before we explore how each art form was influenced by the Scots-Irish, let's review the brief history of how this group of people came to live tucked away in our beloved Appalachian mountains.
1660s - King James I of England seized Ulster, a traditional province in Northern Ireland, from the Gaelic (native) Irish people and gave the land to Presbyterians from southern Scotland. This scheme is known as the Plantation of Ulster.
Lees McRae College's 'In the Mountains' series, says, “Migration between Scotland and Ireland continued throughout the 1600s as the Scottish Presbyterians, the British Anglicans, and the Irish Catholics fought over land and sovereignty.”
1718 - Deteriorating conditions led the Scots-Irish to begin migrating to the colonies, primarily in Pennsylvania.
1740s-1760s - Increased Native American raids (pre-cursors to the French and Indian War) caused them to move to the Carolinas.
According to J.D. Lewis, they were drawn to the mountainous regions of Appalachia because it reminded them of the land they were used to back in Northern Ireland and in western Pennsylvania.
*Before continuing, we must acknowledge that the Scots-Irish people settled on Cherokee land. While the relationship between the native people and the Scots-Irish is documented as friendly, we know that stories of colonialism are largely told by whites and that colonialism brings disease & displacement to native people. More information can be found here & here.
Scots-Irish 🤝 Appalachian Arts
The arts of Appalachia are a testament to the resilience & creativity of the Scots-Irish. For the most part, the community they built was isolated in the hard-to-reach mountains, leaving them disconnected from the rest of society... which allowed their cultural traditions & arts to flourish without much influence from the outside world🌸
Visual Art - Symmetrical patterns that resemble the Celtic knot can be found in many quilt designs of the region. Another Appalachian craft, weaving, played a large role in Irish history (detailed by the Weavers of Ireland).
Storytelling - Storytelling was a central part of Scots-Irish life, an art that they carried over into Appalachian culture. The stories they told were tales, myths, and legends that have their roots in the ancient lore from the Scots-Irish.
For a deep-dive into this, read Annalee Tull's essay, Telling Tales as Oral Performance: A Cross Cultural Comparison of Storytelling in Ireland, Scotland and Southern Appalachia.
Music - Appalachian music began with soulful Irish ballads, usually using the song to tell a long, sorrowful story. As new musical influences entered the scene, "bluegrass music specifically, with its strong reliance on storytelling and instruments like the fiddle, was heavily influenced by music traditions from both Scotland and Ireland" (also from Lees McRae College's 'In the Mountains' series).
Dance - Clogging, "flatfoot" dancing, and square dancing in the Appalachian region each draw influence from the Scots-Irish's jigs & reels. We're not talking about Instagram Reels—traditional Scots-Irish reels were "set dances that had a characteristic weaving movement," according to Ballad of America's Southern Appalachian Square Dance: A Brief History.
As we celebrate St. Patrick's Day and the cultural heritage it represents, take a moment to acknowledge the vibrant & diverse arts that the Scots-Irish contributed to the Appalachian region. Whether you're a lover of art, storytelling, music, or dance, there's something for everyone in the world of Appalachian arts💛
NC Events🌸
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Black Mountain, NC - Tonight at 7pm, enjoy traditional Irish music & poetry at the 10th Annual Celebration of the Heritage of the Irish with Music & Poetry! Show is $25 at White Horse Black Mountain.
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Raleigh, NC - At 2pm today, watch traditional Irish step-dancing by the Triggle Academy of Irish Dance at the North Carolina Museum of History. This show is free!
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Wilmington, NC - Learn how to quilt! Join Susan Brubaker Knapp with the Quilters by the Sea Guild on Friday, March 24th at 9:30am. The kit fee is $20, workshop fee is $50.
SC Events🌼
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Greenville, SC - Enjoy music from female electric strings group BellaNova Strings from 7pm-9pm tonight at Fireforge Crafted Beer🎻 Show is free!
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Columbia, SC - Tartan Day South is taking place March 30th-April 2nd. Listen to Irish music, watch the Highland Games, and more!
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Charleston, SC - This weekend, it's time for the Charleston Show, an antique, fine art, and design show at Charleston Festival Hall. Exhibitors from the US, England, and Europe display "period to mid-century furniture, traditional and contemporary art and ceramics, jewelry, folk art, oriental rugs, silver, prints and maps, garden and architectural antiques."
Do you know of a fantastic arts event happening in the Carolinas in August? Tag us on social media and let us know so we can help spread the word!
As always, we appreciate your feedback and are always receptive to your thoughts & ideas. Email us or DM us on Facebook or Instagram to share :)
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Learn more about our first in-person show, Carolina Muse: Arts Jam, and buy your tickets today!
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Visit our submission guidelines and submit your creative work (poetry, dance, music, visual art & photography, short stories & scripts) by April 12th.
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Read our latest issue (and check out our new website)!
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Apply for one of our open positions (we're in search of a social media manager, art editor, newsletter writer, and ads manager).
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We have a very limited supply of our stickers left for sale:
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Email us at carolinamuse.arts@gmail.com if you're interested in one!
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WRITTEN BY
Madison Foster