Southern ACIS post #01

First post from Columbia SC, the Southern Chapter meetings of the American Council for Irish Studies.

This is usually an enjoyable, cross-disciplinary conference with fun people. Arriving (late) last night, my bag lost, and went directly to the banquet, where I was pleased to find my old friend Turloch Boylan (flute), originally from Antrim but now living in Houston, leading the trad band playing during dinner.

First session Saturday AM:

VC. “Black” Irish

An investigation of the various phenomena associated with the interaction of Africans and Irish in the New World. Potentially a very interesting topic, historically very much neglected by scholarship.

My old friend Turloch Boylan (flute), born Antrim but now living in Houston, was playing trad tunes with fiddle and guitar at the banquet. Banquet was at the “Capstone” restaurant—very weird rotating “space-needle” style

Scholar #1 “The Black Irish – or White Slavery? – in the Atlantic World”

Looks at the myths versus reality of those indigenous Irish (especially in the West) who had dark hair and dark skin, who were popularly believed to be the survivors of sailors from the 1590s Spanish Armada shipwrecked on the west coast. This paper looks at the actual numbers of survivors (a very small number) and questions whether this is possible.

Paper suggests that the term “Black Irish” may originate from the indentured status of early Irish immigrants to the New World, and more specifically from the intermarriage of African slave and Irish indentured fathers and mothers. Very early in the colonial period, not only African slaves but also bought-and-sold “contracted labor” brought poor Irish emigrants there. “Black Irish” in the period was a euphemism for “slave Irish”—meaning Irish emigrants, famine victims, or petty criminals—or “bond slave.”

Cromwell’s invasion and defeat of Ireland 1651-1662, and his evocation of laws that permitted the enslavement of “vagabonds and the destitute” led to the exportation of poor Irish, for sale, to work in sugar and tobacco plantations in the Caribbean and SE part of American colonies. “Those who fail to transport themselves to Connacht or Clare will be regarded as felons and subject to deportation.”

Circa 40,000 transported b/w 1651-54, or 80,000 by 1660. Kidnapping, “shanghai-ing”, to be “Barbadosed” (that is, to be kidnapped into Barbados from Ireland). Essentially: there was a slave trade from the West of Ireland into the Caribbean in the 17^th century. Numerous first-person accounts and legal actions confirming this, especially in colonial courts. Those courts took action by enacting laws setting limits on, but not forbidding the practice of, such forced kidnapping. [also not only in the South, but also in the North, including the Puritan town of Salem Massachusetts]. Clearly there was a great deal of profit to be made.

Many characteristics reminiscent of the African slave trade, including the exportation of very young women to breed additional human stock. Children of mixed-race (Irish mothers, African fathers) were regarded as hereditarily slaves as well. This suggests in turn a very intimate if very brutal interaction between African and Irish imports. “Black Irish” also associated with maroon and slave rebellions. “Black Irish” in Montserrat and Jamaica. Irish slaves treated at least as badly as Africans, due to the blame that attached to their Catholicism.

Interesting primary source research here, but conclusions are very weak; e.g., “they died.” Posits that the later term “Redleg”, used in Barbados, may be a reference to the tendency of the Irish to sunburn, and later associated with their offspring. This term also shows up in South Carolina to refer to those of mixed blood—explanation is plausible, because many Barbadans relocated to South Carolina. Back to the question “So what and who cares?” Meaning: what is the significance of this information, what insights does it lead to, and what implications might it carry for other scholars’ research on related topics?

Scholar #2

“Why Were So Many of My Black Classmates Named Mac-Something?: Afro-Celtic Culture in the Pee Dee Region of South Carolina and the Cape Fear Region of North Carolina.”

She grew up in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, and there seem to be similarities b/w this and Cape Fear. She is speaking from her own experience, very impromptu, and mostly talking about her home town and experience.

Cites jazz musician Willie Ruff on parallels between African-American and Anglo-Scottish music practices, including hymn singing and improvisation (call-and-response, “lining out”, etc). Not very well-informed about musical practices or the actual facts of interaction b/w Anglo-Celts and African-Americans. Digresses to speaking about street names and the persons after whom they were named. She presents some interesting anecdotal/biographical information about interplay b/w historically black and historically “Scotch-Irish” neighborhoods. Interesting historical fact that Carolinian planters advertised in European newspapers to persuade “drains” (e.g., poor working- or peasant-class people) to immigrate to America. Influx of Scottish Highlanders and French Huguenots (note that both these groups are religious dissidents).

Question: why assume that black families with Scots-Irish names acquired those names early on? Surely this could also be the outgrowth of slavery days: white masters giving their names to offspring they had fathered on black women? If that’s not the case, evidence is absent.

Insofar as there is a point here, it’s that genealogical techniques can be employed to discover some interesting patterns of intermarriage.

A few interesting primary facts:

Ulster Scots from 1660s into Charleston Harbor

Presbyterian Scots Lowlanders from 1720s

Scottish Highlanders from 1730s: note Argyll colony of Lowlanders, already settled

Next session is mine at 9:30; will add a post-mortem.