What the hell does "Scots-Irish" even mean?

[Communists For McCain]

I've heard everybody and their grandmother give different interpretations of it.  There are those who say that the "Scots-Irish" were merely Scottish people who lived in Ireland for like five minutes and then went to America.  And then there are other people who seem to believe that "Scots-Irish" was adopted by non-Catholic Irish who were in America for decades by the time of the massive immigration waves of the 1840's and the 1850's to avoid confusion with the unpopular Catholics who were then coming over.

So color me confused and ignorant over exactly what the hell this even means.

[Torie]

Nixon's people were from Ireland, and not Catholic, but not imported by William of Orange from Scotland either. He didn't consider himself Scots-Irish. In any event, the bulk of them had lived in Ireland (Antrim in particular), for a couple of hundred years before they started coming to America to "conquer" the frontier (they were considered ideal for that task, including in particular, being able to "handle" hostile Native Americans).

[afleitch]

It appears to be a bit of a mish-mash but I gather many were what we would consider to be 'Ulster Scots', those who settled in the Plantation. It wouldn't suprise me if they did indeed add the 'Scots' part to differentiate from the Catholics.

[patrick1]

Nixon's people were from Ireland, and not Catholic, but not imported by William of Orange from Scotland either. He didn't consider himself Scots-Irish. In any event, the bulk of them had lived in Ireland (Antrim in particular), for a couple of hundred years before they started coming to America to "conquer" the frontier (they were considered ideal for that task, including in particular, being able to "handle" hostile Native Americans).

Yes, they were quite used to committing genocide and taking land that did not belong to them....

The real term is Scotch Irish.    They are pretty proud to celebrate the link in many parts of Northern Ireland, they even have some tourist sites to visit mediocre and bad Presidents' homesteads.  This is now probably merely for $$$ but did have some past efficacy.

As with any/all? of the hypenated _____-American names, the meaning is really useless.

[memphis]

Wikipedia to the rescue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch-Irish_American

[ilikeverin]

Rather confusingly, I have Irish Catholic, Scotch-Irish, and apparently what does not qualify as Scotch-Irish (it was about 100 to 150 years too late for that) but was Northern Irish Presbyterian ancestry.  Maybe I should join the Alliance Party

[Sibboleth]

People who like to wear bowler hats.

Rather confusingly, I have Irish Catholic, Scotch-Irish, and apparently what does not qualify as Scotch-Irish (it was about 100 to 150 years too late for that) but was Northern Irish Presbyterian ancestry.  Maybe I should join the Alliance Party

No, the Catholic bit rules that out in practice, even if never in theory. lol.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

My ancestry is about half Scottish and half Irish with a little German (Pennsylvania Dutch) for good measure, but my family always refers to our ancestry as "Scotch-Irish."  Some of my ancestors who immigrated to Canada from Ireland during the Potato Famine probably were descended from the original "Scotch-Irish" settlers in Ireland.  Oh, and just about all my ancestors that I know of were Protestant.

[politicus]

Scotch-Irish=Ulster Scots.
The rest is just misinterpretation by later generations.

[I Can't Get That Sound You Make, Out Of My Head]

Aren't they Northern Irish? (so the Irish who aren't Catholics)

[Lloyd Bentsen's Ghost]

It appears to be a bit of a mish-mash but I gather many were what we would consider to be 'Ulster Scots', those who settled in the Plantation. It wouldn't suprise me if they did indeed add the 'Scots' part to differentiate from the Catholics.

This. The Scots part refers to their Scottish Presbyterian lineage.

Being of Irish (Catholic) and "regular" Scottish ancestry does not make one Scots-Irish (and certainly not "Scotch Irish," which is not a thing).

[pugbug]

Here's another definition for you -- Scots-Irish refers to people who are of Irish decent but speak Scots, a Germanic language variety spoken mostly in Lowland Scotland and Ulster (which goes along with the Ulster theory presented earlier). My English cousin married someone who considers herself "Scots-Irish", since she is from Ulster and knows a bit of Scots, and this is the only definition I was aware of until now.