Where Have All the Scots-Irish Gone?

[Grace O'Malley]

Apparently the number of Scots-Irish have been dropping with each census. This is from Irish Central (which I don't value too highly for accuracy) but they do give a good selection of topics.

The term is first known to have been used to refer to a people living in northeastern Ireland. In a letter of April 14, 1573, in reference to Ulster, Elizabeth I of England stated, "We are given to understand that a nobleman named 'Sorley Boy' [MacDonnell] and others, who be of the Scotch-Irish race...” This term continued in usage for over a century before the earliest known American reference appeared in a Maryland affidavit in 1689/90.
The name Scots Irish is a misnomer. Ulster Irish, descended from Scottish settlers, is a fairer description as very few emigrated from Scotland to the US.

Scots Irish states by the numbers:

- Texas 287,393 (1.1%)

- North Carolina- 274,149 (2.9%)

- California- 247,530 (0.7%)

- Florida- 170,880 (0.9%)

- Pennsylvania- 163,836 (1.3%)

- Tennessee- 153,073 (2.4%)

- Virginia- 140,769 (1.8%)

- Georgia- 124,186 (1.3%)

- Ohio- 123,572 (1.1%)

- South Carolina- 113,008 (2.4%)

- North Carolina (2.9%)

- South Carolina, Tennessee (2.4%)

- West Virginia (2.1%)

- Montana, Virginia (1.8%)

- Maine (1.7%)

- Alabama, Mississippi (1.6%)

- Kentucky, Oregon, Wyoming (1.5%)

http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/an...-way-down.html

Anyway I'd just presume that as time goes on the proportion of the population that are Scots-Irish would decrease. I mean Scots-Irish wouldn't marry other Scots-Irish but would likely marry people of other ancestries. Also Scots-Irish came to the US centuries ago now so the amount of people identifying as such would be decreasing.

Another reason would be that people are just identifying as American.

[Graham]

Many Scots-irish would claim only American like you said. Being one of the key groups in the American Revolution, compared to the Irish Catholics who came in the 19th Century.. Likewise you don't get English-American.

Another reason I think what I saw in another thread here, is that you can only pick a limited amount of your ancestry. The Scots-Irish group will be diluted with other groups.

[Neon Knight]

Are there more Protestant Irish Americans or more Catholic Irish Americans?

[Jägerstaffel]

Are there more Protestant Irish Americans or more Catholic Irish Americans?

Without researching this I would guess Protestant.

[CordedWhelp]

This might sound a tad off, but to a Chicagoan as myself, the Scotch-Irish seem more exotic and far-flung than the Catholic Irish. Ulster Scots ancestry is Rarely reported here.

[Neon Knight]

Without researching this I would guess Protestant.

That's what I read once, and the writer pointed out the irony of Irish Americans supporting the IRA when most of them were descended from Protestants.

[Brianna]

Grace, you have it right. Most Americans, of Scots-Irish descent, are mixed with other ancestries. Many of them just consider themselves to be American, especially people whose ancestors go way back to the colonial period. I'm both Scots-Irish AND Scots-Irish.

[Gooding]

Dad put English on the survey, Mom put Scots- Irish, French on the survey. I put English, Scots- Irish on the survey. We stood up to be counted and believe me, we're here and we're not going anywhere.

[Brianna]

That's what I read once, and the writer pointed out the irony of Irish Americans supporting the IRA when most of them were descended from Protestants.

It's also ironic that there are pro-British unionists closely related to descendants of American Revolutionary War soldiers and Confederate Civil War soldiers. Scots-Irish Americans are more emotionally linked to Republican Irish in that regard. The main difference is religion but both groups have some similarities with revolution and secession. Both groups gained independence from Britain and both groups fought an agricultural David versus industrial Goliath conflict in which they were greatly outgunned and greatly outmanned and definitely greatly outspent. Both groups also used guerrilla warfare. One group hates Cromwell like one group hates Sherman. They even share musical roots.

[Brianna]

By the way, this thread title reminds me of a 1960s American folk pop song called "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?". I can't get the tune out of my mind now. Thanks, Grace.