Scottish Society of Indianapolis, Inc.
Why are Scots at Irish Fest?
by Ed Adams, Vice-President
The Irish are "Celtic cousins" of the Scots. We share much in terms of Celtic history, music, kilts, bagpipes and a healthy taste for ale and whisky. The people known as "Scots" came to Scotland from Northern Ireland - a kingdom known as Dalriada. The Scots - through conquest and intermarriage came to dominate the region inhabited by Picts, Britons, Saxons and Northumbrians to such an extent that the kingdom became known as "Scotland."
The patron saint of Ireland - St. Patrick - came from what we call today Scotland. He was kidnapped as a boy by Irish pirates and became a slave in Ireland. He escaped his captors and returned home. He then became a priest and returned to Ireland, where his name became synonymous with the island. In return, St. Columba - a student of the followers of St. Patrick - came to Scotland from Ireland and converted the native Picts to Christianity.
In fact, the modern St. Patrick's Day celebration is a creation of the Scots. In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day was a religious feast day - the pubs were closed!
The first formal celebration of St. Patrick's Day took place not in Ireland, but in Boston in 1737. It consisted of a dinner attended by wealthy Protestant gentlemen and merchants who had recently come over from Ulster to settle in the colonies. By 1775, the Boston celebration included a march with 70 soldiers from the British Army who were at the time occupying Boston (an interesting note is that exactly 1 year later, in 1776, the British Army was marching again — but in double time — as they were retreating from the city. So in Boston, March 17 holds two causes to celebrate — St Patrick's Day and Evacuation day.)"
http://www.routledge-ny.com /util/resources.asp?filename =cronin17htm
Who were the Ulster protestants? Principally, they were the Scotch-Irish, who were Scots that had settled in Northern Ireland.
Who started the parades?
"The first St . Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
http://www.historychannel.com /exhibits/stpatricksday/index .jsp?page=history Which units of the British army employed bagpipes? The Scottish regiments. "St . Patrick's Day was even acknowledged by General George Washington during the American Revolution . In 1780, during the Continental Army's bitter winter encampment in Morristown, New Jersey, Washington permitted his troops, many of whom were of Irish descent, a holiday on March 17. This event is now known as the St. Patrick's Day Encampment of 1780." http://encarta.msn.com/encyclop edia_681500369/Saint_Patrick %E2%80%99s_Day.html |
At that time, the "Irish" Washington referred to were the Scotch-Irish, of which Washington had this to say:
"If all else fails, I will retreat up the valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region, and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to British tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger."
George Washington, at Valley Forge.