Today is St. Patrick's Day. There have been all kinds of celebrations this weekend including a parade in Raleigh--our capital city here in North Carolina.
Years ago, you didn't hear about celebrations-- at least not that I remember. In our small Southern town, there weren't ethnic communities that maintained their cultural practices in their close neighborhoods-- like in large cities. I never heard my Grandmother, Ola Gilchrist Smith tell a story about our ancestors, about how they came to the U.S. But I do remember hearing her say we were "Scots-Irish." Never just "Scots," never just "Irish," but "Scots-Irish."
Grandma was a woman of faith--specifically, Presbyterian. She was a longtime member, leader, Bible teacher at her small church in rural Harnett County. Driving through the countryside, it's dotted with many such churches. When I first went to Scotland in 2017, I explored the history of those who settled in North Carolina. I learned they came as early as the late 1600s, and many of the first large group of Highland Scots, settled along the Cape Fear River. That river runs through Lee County, where I grew up, and on down into Harnett--close to my Grandma's house.
On that trip to Scotland, I took my Solo Journey to Iona to attend a retreat at The Abbey, where St Columba, an Irish abbot, brought Christianity into Scotland. The largest tall cross found at that site, was said to be inscribed with "made by Gilchrist." I discovered that in Gaelic, Gilchrist meant "servant of Christ." My Grandma would have loved that she shared that name with the stone carver. I had packed a photograph of her to take on that pilgrimage. She always wanted to go to "the Holy Land" as evidenced by the map she had pinned to her family room wall. When I was in Iona, and found that tall cross, I symbolically joined those two Gilchrists --placing that photo against the cross.
Five years after that trip to Iona, I got to take my Solo Journey in Ireland. I'd enjoyed the ease of traveling in Scotland--the people helpful, with a reserved friendliness. But when I traveled in Ireland, the people in my path seemed more high-spirited, with quick smiles and easy banter. And yes, some of that was because I visited more pubs in Ireland than Scotland 🙂 I remember an especially entertaining bus driver in Dublin who could have been a poster man for the "gift of gab"! He told jokes-- a lot about the Irish reputation for too much drink, and he would break into song---all while navigating that hop on-hop off bus around the busy city streets.
Riding the train from Dublin on my way to the village of Doolin, the Irish landscape made me feel like I was back home. It was so relaxing, chugging through the countryside, looking out at the green pastures with cows grazing---lots of cows to produce all that delicious Kerry butter.
I'd wondered about the phrase "the luck of the Irish." In doing an online search, I found this in the IrishCentral Newsletter. https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/luck-of-the-irish-saying According to Edward T. O'Donnell, an Associate Professor of History at Holy Cross College and author of "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History," the term is not Irish in origin.
"During the gold and silver rush years in the second half of the 19th century, a number of the most famous and successful miners were of Irish and Irish American birth... Over time this association of the Irish with mining fortunes led to the expression 'luck of the Irish.'
"Of course, it carried with it a certain tone of derision, as if to say, only by sheer luck, as opposed to brains, could these fools succeed."
So, the phrase didn't originate in Ireland and our celebrations and the foods we eat--corned beef and cabbage--are also more of an Americanization. No matter where the phrase and traditions originated, I do think that there has been a "luck" in being Scots-Irish. Both countries, both peoples, have a unique beauty, that I'm proud to say, are part of me. I see characteristics of both in my family: helpful, friendly, the gift of gab, the love of language--especially conversation.
I wish you all a Happy St Patrick's Day, a Happy Scots-Irish Day wherever you reside on the globe.
Connie
Doolin, Ireland September 2022
