The Center for Scotch-Irish Studies is pleased to announce that the Sixth Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at the McCelvey Center, York, South Carolina. The symposium will be preceded by a reception and welcome dinner at the McCelvey Center on the evening of Friday, June 3, 2011.

The theme of the symposium is The Scotch-Irish and Their Culture. We hope to discuss the cultural identity of the Scotch-Irish in its widest sense and to look at variations over time and in different parts of the United States. Our approach is multi-disciplinary and we encourage contributions from scholars in a variety of disciplines.
We are particularly interested in presentations in the following areas:

1. Scotch-Irish customs and culture
2. Scotch-Irish music and dance
3. Scotch-Irish literature and drama
4. Scotch-Irish art and architecture
5. Scotch-Irish political culture
6. Scotch-Irish material culture
7. The Scotch-Irish in a multicultural society
8. Regional differences among the Scotch-Irish

However, we also welcome scholarly work on other Scotch-Irish topics, and we are particularly happy to receive abstracts from graduate students.
We ask that you read the requirements for Symposium presentations in the statement on Goals and Standards on the website <www.Scotch-IrishCentral.org>
Please direct any questions to Michael Scoggins at the McCelvey Center, at micscoggins@chmuseums.org, to Dr. Joyce M. Alexander at the Center for Scotch-Irish Studies, at cntrsis@aol.com, or to Dr. Richard K. MacMaster at rmacmast@ufl.edu. Abstracts (approximately 250 - 300 words), together with a brief C.V., should be sent to the Center as file attachments (Microsoft Word preferred) as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2010. Authors will be informed by January 15, 2011 if their abstracts have been accepted. Texts for accepted presentations will be due on or before March 15, 2011.

Outline of Schedule

The symposium will open on Friday night with a special event: a bluegrass concert given by the well-known Flowers Family Band. The Flowers Family Band consists of Alana Flowers, age 22, on lead vocals, banjo and guitar; Hannah Flowers, age 16, on vocals and fiddle; and Dillon Flowers, 12, on mandolin and guitar. They have been playing professionally for over six years and have won numerous awards at regional bluegrass competitions, including MerleFest, RenoFest, and Fiddlers' Grove. The Flowers Family has recorded two CDs and a live DVD and has appeared twice on South Carolina ETV's Emmy-nominated concert series, The Bluegrass Express. Later this year, the band will appear on the highly acclaimed UNC-TV bluegrass program Song of the Mountains. The Flowers Family specializes in the old-time country, bluegrass, and gospel music that is rooted in the Scotch-Irish traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Carolina Piedmont.

The symposium proper will take place on Saturday with an interesting variety of presentations, ranging from Scotch-Irish family histories to studies of Scotch-Irish identity in the eighteenth century, the Scotch-Irish in colonial New York City, Canada and the Scotch-Irish Society of America, the Scotch-Irish influence in western North America, and the Scotch-Irish influence on traditional country music. This is a chance to hear the latest research in the area of Scotch-Irish Studies, and there will be ample opportunity for discussion.

On Sunday morning, there will be an opportunity to visit an old Scotch-Irish church and, after the service, to have lunch and to tour the old cemetery. The day will conclude with a visit to Historic Brattonsville in McConnells, SC.

 

Reservations and Registration

Attendees may register and pick up their packages (badges, admission tickets and other materials) in the lobby of the McCelvey Center on Friday evening from 3.00 P.M. through 7.00 P.M., and on Saturday morning from 8.00 A.M. through 9.00 A.M. Reservations should be made using the Registration Form provided. There will be a limited amount of space available for those who do not pre-register. If you need additional information or clarification, please call Michael Scoggins at (803) 684 3948 X31 or e-mail micscoggins@chmuseums.org

 

Hotel Accommodations

The Symposium Committee has negotiated a special room rate of $99.00 (plus tax) per night, for June 3 and June 4, at the Hilton Garden Inn, Rock Hill (approximately 19 miles from the McCelvey Center), which is the official Symposium hotel*. This rate may be available for extra nights for those who wish to make a longer visit to the York area. For hotel reservations, call (803) 325 2800 and quote the code SIS for the Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium in order to obtain the special rate. Please note that attendees are responsible for their own hotel reservations and hotel bills. A shuttle service between the hotel and the conference will be available for a small charge but you must notify us when you register for the symposium if you wish to use this service.

*Attendees may, of course, choose to stay at another hotel in the Rock Hill or York area. You may obtain a list of hotels from the York County Convention and Visitors' Bureau at 720 Anderson Road, Rock Hill, SC (1-888-702-1320, http://visityorkcounty.com/).

 

Transportation

If you are coming by air, you will arrive at Charlotte Airport, NC, which is approximately 35 miles from York, SC and 27 miles from Rock Hill, SC. If you do not want to rent a car, you may take advantage of a special shuttle service from the airport to Rock Hill and from Rock Hill to the airport, provided that you reserve seats in advance. The proprietor of the shuttle service is Mr. Ron Ricks, work phone (803) 658 0527, cell phone (704) 277 7577, e-mail ready2go@rcarpool.com. Please contact him directly with details of your travel arrangements, so that he can coordinate trips. The rate from the airport to the Hilton Garden Inn is $45 per person (one-way) or $100 for a group of three to eight persons.

The Other Scotch-Irish: A Five-Generation Analysis of Social and Economic Change in the George Magee Family of Maryland and Georgia, 1683-1865
Knight, Thomas Daniel
The University of Texas - Pan American

 

Thomas and John Lesslie and the founding of Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Leslie, Donald W
Independent Scholar

 

Scotch-Irish Identity in Eighteenth-Century Pennsylvania
MacMaster, Richard K.
Center for Scotch-Irish Studies and the University of Florida

 

Success of the Scotch-Irish in Colonial New York City
McGimpsey, William J.
Independent Scholar

 

Truth in Nomenclature . . . and the Scotch-Irish Society
Montgomery, Michael
University of South Carolina

 

American Innovations to Scotch-Irish Religious Traditions: Rev. John Hemphill and the Covenanter-Seceder Presbyterians in Chester, SC
Moore, Joseph
Gardner-Webb University

 

Moving West: Scotch-Irish Influence in Western North America
Ray, Nina Graham Evan McDonnell
Boise State University Independent Scholar

 

Canada and the Scotch-Irish Society of America
Rogers, Edmond
University of Toronto

 

The Scotch-Irish Influence on Traditional Country Music
Scoggins, Michael
Historian, Culture and Heritage Museums, York, SC
Research Director, Southern Revolutionary War Institute

Friday, June 3
3.00PM - 7PM Registration
Lobby
5.00PM - 7.00PM Opening Reception
Jane Bratton Spratt Room
7.00PM - 9.00PM The Flowers Family Band
Lowry Family Theater

 

Saturday, June 4
8.00AM - 9.00AM Registration
Lobby
9:00AM - 9:15AM Welcome
Lowry Family Theater
9:15AM - 12 noon Presentations
Lowry Family Theater
12 noon - 1:00PM Lunch
Jane Bratton Spratt Room
1:00PM - 5:00PM Presentations
Lowry Family Theater

Sunday, June 5 (post-symposium activities)
11:00AM - 12noon Worship Service
Bethesda Presbyterian Church, McConnells, SC
12:noon - 1:00PM Lunch
1:00PM - 3:00PM Cemetery tour
Bethesda Presbyterian Church, McConnells, SC
1:30PM - 4:00PM Site tour
Historic Brattonsville, McConnells, SC

 

Sixth Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium

June 3 - June 4, 2011

The Center for Scotch-Irish Studies is pleased to announce that the Fifth Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2009 at the Philadelphia International Airport Ramada Hotel.
The theme of the symposium is The Scotch-Irish: Past, Present, and Future. We hope to discuss not only the contributions of the Scotch-Irish in the past, but to look at how they have adapted to present conditions, and how they might fare in a rapidly changing and more diverse society. Also, since James McHenry published "The Wilderness" in 1816, American writers in every generation have reflected on the Scotch-Irish experience in novels and essays. Papers on writing about the Scotch-Irish would be welcome.
Our approach is multi-disciplinary and we encourage contributions from scholars in a variety of disciplines.
We are particularly interested in presentations in the following areas:

Scotch-Irish contributions to the establishment of political, religious, and educational philosophy and institutions
The urban Scotch-Irish
Scotch-Irish writers and artists
Scotch-Irish customs and culture
The Scotch-Irish in the twenty-first century
The Scotch-Irish in a multicultural society

However, we also welcome scholarly work on other Scotch-Irish topics, and we are particularly happy to receive abstracts from graduate students.

The Center invites research presentations on any of the following aspects of the Scotch-Irish experience:

Trade between Ulster and the American colonies and its influence on migration in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and early nineteenth centuries.

The role of Ulster immigrants and their Scotch-Irish descendents in the settlement and economic development of the eighteenth century frontier.

Scotch-Irish contributions to the establishment of political, religious, and educational philosophy and institutions.

Comparative approaches to the study of the Scotch-Irish experience (for example, how they interacted with other ethnic groups).

Eighteenth century Ulster immigration to parts of North America other than the Thirteen Colonies, its scale and measure of success.

Scholarly work on other Scotch-Irish topics will also be considered for inclusion.

The Center for Scotch-Irish Studies invites proposals for papers and sessions for the Third Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium, which will be held in Philadelphia on Saturday, June 4, 2005, with a welcoming dinner on Friday, June 3, 2005.
We are concerned with the development of introductory material on the history and culture of the Scotch-Irish, suitable for elementary and high school students and for others who are not familiar with these topics. A primary focus of the symposium will be to identify parameters and guidelines for appropriate materials; we invite contributions in this area.
Another area of interest would be presentations on methods of estimating the number of Ulster immigrants to the American colonies and the United States. We are particularly interested in approaches that examine levels of commerce between Ulster and early America, for the light that this might shed on levels of immigration. Also of interest are the economic factors influencing levels of trade between Ulster and the Colonies in the eighteenth century. (For example, how much flaxseed was needed to support the linen industry in Ulster?) We would encourage quantitative and statistical approaches to this subject. Presentations on proposed research in this area are welcome.
Proposals and abstracts for papers and sessions related to the above subjects are invited. However, even if your work, or proposed research, is not directly related to the above topics but relates to some further aspect of the Scotch-Irish experience, we would welcome a preliminary inquiry from you.

The Center for Scotch-Irish Studies invites proposals for papers and sessions for the second Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium, which will be held in Philadelphia in May 2003. The conference will focus on the Scotch-Irish in Industrial America.

A steady stream of emigration from Ulster brought skilled and unskilled workers, entrepreneurs, bankers, ministers, educators, and shopkeepers to American cities and towns from the late 18th through the 20th century. These newcomers provided the impetus for industrial enterprises and, especially in the textile industry, for the transfer of technology across the Atlantic. In response to tariff challenges, several firms in Gilford and Lisburn relocated to the United States. Other enterprising Ulstermen went into retail trade, developed new concepts of marketing, and built chain store empires. Others developed banks and networks for finance capital. They made a major contribution to the growth of cities like Pittsburgh.

Much of this involved the chain migration of family members and neighbors over more than one generation. In many cases, businessmen of Ulster background provided jobs for emigrants from their former home and otherwise facilitated emigration from Ulster.

Proposals and abstracts for papers and sessions related to this subject are welcome. These would include: case studies of chain migration; immigrant life in American towns and cities; self-identity; the role of churches, lodges, and friendly societies in the Ulster-American community; relations with other ethnic and religious groups; and analyses of economic, social, and religious movements impacting the Scotch-Irish experience.

Please send your abstract (300 words), brief C.V., and any questions to:

The Center for Scotch-Irish Studies, in cooperation with the Scotch-Irish Society of the USA and the Scotch-Irish Foundation, will sponsor a symposium, June 2, 2001, at the Ramada Hotel Philadelphia International Airport.

The theme of the 2001 symposium will be:

Abstracts are invited on the impact of 18th and 19th century immigration from Ulster on the cities of Philadelphia, PA, Chester, PA, Baltimore, MD, and Newcastle, DE (and their hinterlands). This could be illustrated by case studies of the adaptation to a new cultural identity (Scotch-Irish), the involvement in business enterprises, associations, and educational and religious institutions, and the interactions with other groups and with the descendants of earlier Ulster immigrants.

The following topics would also be of interest: persistence of cultural traits, and the mechanisms that facilitate this; the effect of chain migration of family members from one location in Ulster; internal migration and the development of new Scotch-Irish communities.

Abstracts on other aspects of the Scotch-Irish identity are also invited.

Please send your abstract (300 words), brief C.V., and any questions to: