Ulster Scots in Dixie

Sam Early

​"If all else fails, I will retreat up the Valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Ulster Scots of that region, and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger".
-General George Washington

ULSTER-SCOTS: Scotch-Irish (also called Scots-Irish), Rednecks, Covenanters, Hillbillies and Irish Protestants comprise the Ulster-Scots. They are not a homogeneous people but rather a mixture of Irish Protestants, Border Scots (the English along the north-western border of Scotland) and Scots, although the Scots make up only 9% of the DNA of those who call themselves Scotch-Irish. They are Presbyterians, Episcopalian, and in America, Baptists and Methodists. What they do have in common is a good work ethic, strong families, stable communities and the ability to survive and thrive in harsh, isolated environments. Ulster-Scots you may be familiar with are Brad Pitt, Alec Baldwin, Tallulah Bankhead, Kim Basinger, Mel Gibson, and Agnes Moorehead.
    Most Scotch-Irish came to America following the Williamite War (1689-1691) fought in Ireland between England's Catholic King James ll and Protestant King William lll, also known as William of Orange (The College of William and Mary was named for him and the Mrs.) for the throne of the United Kingdom. Unlike the Cavaliers,the Ulster-Scots sailed into America's northern ports and moved inland, past the already claimed and settled parts, to the Appalachians. They settled along the ridges of the mountains from New York to Georgia, preserving and developing their own unique culture over many generations. They couldn't have known then what we know now: that the hills of northern Ireland and Scotland were the northern parts of the same Appalachian Mountains millions of years ago. No wonder they were so at home in western Virginia and Tennessee. Ulster-Scots refused to adopt the Episcopal (Anglican) Church's form of government and were called Covenanters and Rednecks. They wanted to keep their form of government using elders rather than the Episcopal form of church government which uses bishops, so they signed covenants in their own blood protesting any change. To show they had signed the covenant they wore red bandanas around their necks. For nearly 300 years Redneck was a proud name. Their descendants in America continued to boast of themselves as Rednecks and proudly used the name in events from revivals to weddings. Then starting in 1912 and ending in 1936, West Virginia engaged in a series of bloody conflicts between the Southern miners and the northerners who had owned the mines since the end of the War Between the States. The Southern miners, being descended from The Presbyterian Covenanters, wore their red bandanas and called themselves Rednecks as their ancestors had done. The northern mine owners fought the strikers in every way possible to defame their Southern workers in the public eye, including defaming the miners' religious faith and national background. The word "Redneck" has yet to regain a term of honor and pride of sacrifice it originally held. 
   Another term for Scotch-Irish is "Hillbilly". In the 1600's people thought it clever to substitute a word that rhymed with the intended word. A fad at the time, we've lost most of the "rhyme game" names but retained it in some cases. For example, Bob is a nickname associated with Robert; Rob is short for Robert; Rob rhymes with Bob; Bob, which meant to jerk, is still commonly used for Robert. Another was Richard, or Rick; Rick rhymes with Hick (possibly short for hickory, a term no longer used for Richard) and Dick. Dick, which meant friend, is still used. So, when the Ulster-Scots fought for William lll, or "Billy", in the hills of northern Ireland, they became known as Hillbillies. Billy, like buddy, derives from "brother" and means "friend".
   The Scotch-Irish and the Crackers have a similar way of speaking because they are both Celtic people and have a very dry, non-nasal way of vibrating their sinus cavities that is unique to the Celts. Also, the Crackers and Ulster-Scots word selection is sometimes different. Scotch-Irish say "waspers" for wasps. Or "yuns" instead of y'all. Or "warsh" for wash. The Ulster-scots also gave us Bluegrass, and many Country music stars have Ulster-Scots backgrounds.