Appalachian Celtic Roots

[rms2]

Take a look at this short old film of country folks dancing in North Carolina in 1964:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs2j8f7H2WY

I think in this music and dancing you can really see the Irish, Welsh, Scots, and Scots-Irish roots of the people who settled in the Appalachian Mountains.

[rms2]

Here's another, more recent, example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=X4HjuL0_VNw

[Iain Seoras Gunn]

Really enjoyed those two clips. Reminded me a little of the Riverdance themes. We don't get to see that kind of entertainment my side of the pond. Thanks for that.

[rms2]

I haven't done any research on the history of Blue Grass music, but it has always struck me how much it resembles Celtic music, and the dancing ("clogging") that goes with it sure looks a lot like Irish step dancing.

[Curtis Pigman(Pigmon)]

Living here in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian mountains I have noticed the resemblance as well!

I have been to a Riverdance performance and indeed the difference is the music and the arms in Irish dancing are strictly down by the sides.  In clogging they are all over the place!

There is a place called Hoedown Island at Natural Bridge, only about 10 miles from where I live,  and they have clogging there every weekend during the summer.  It is a real treat to see if you are ever in the area.

Genealogically speaking this area was settled mostly by Scots and Irish although not everyone was Scots-Irish.

[rms2]

Living here in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian mountains I have noticed the resemblance as well!

I have been to a Riverdance performance and indeed the difference is the music and the arms in Irish dancing are strictly down by the sides.  In clogging they are all over the place!

There is a place called Hoedown Island at Natural Bridge, only about 10 miles from where I live,  and they have clogging there every weekend during the summer.  It is a real treat to see if you are ever in the area.

Genealogically speaking this area was settled mostly by Scots and Irish although not everyone was Scots-Irish.

I live in Virginia, and we have plenty of bluegrass music and clogging around here, too.

I like bluegrass, but sometimes the singing can get pretty nasal-sounding and whiny. It depends on who is singing, though.

[Curtis Pigman(Pigmon)]

Living here in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian mountains I have noticed the resemblance as well!

I have been to a Riverdance performance and indeed the difference is the music and the arms in Irish dancing are strictly down by the sides.  In clogging they are all over the place!

There is a place called Hoedown Island at Natural Bridge, only about 10 miles from where I live,  and they have clogging there every weekend during the summer.  It is a real treat to see if you are ever in the area.

Genealogically speaking this area was settled mostly by Scots and Irish although not everyone was Scots-Irish.

I live in Virginia, and we have plenty of bluegrass music and clogging around here, too.

I like bluegrass, but sometimes the singing can get pretty nasal-sounding and whiny. It depends on who is singing, though.

I really don't care much for any of it. I do like the historical aspects of our culture.  My great grandfather "Chippy" Jones was a champion fiddler for the square dances here.  When I was in grade school here we had folk dancing lesson for P.E. class.

 We mostly listen to classic rock.  Our radio station is out of West Liberty,Ky (the town was wiped out by an EF-3) and was down since our tornado until a few days ago.  It's back on now! The owner of the station died a few days after the tornado.

[samIsaack]

Living here in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian mountains I have noticed the resemblance as well!

I have been to a Riverdance performance and indeed the difference is the music and the arms in Irish dancing are strictly down by the sides.  In clogging they are all over the place!

There is a place called Hoedown Island at Natural Bridge, only about 10 miles from where I live,  and they have clogging there every weekend during the summer.  It is a real treat to see if you are ever in the area.

Genealogically speaking this area was settled mostly by Scots and Irish although not everyone was Scots-Irish.

I live in Virginia, and we have plenty of bluegrass music and clogging around here, too.

I like bluegrass, but sometimes the singing can get pretty nasal-sounding and whiny. It depends on who is singing, though.

I really don't care much for any of it. I do like the historical aspects of our culture.  My great grandfather "Chippy" Jones was a champion fiddler for the square dances here.  When I was in grade school here we had folk dancing lesson for P.E. class.

 We mostly listen to classic rock.  Our radio station is out of West Liberty,Ky (the town was wiped out by an EF-3) and was down since our tornado until a few days ago.  It's back on now! The owner of the station died a few days after the tornado.

Howdy my fellow Kentuckian! I'm from Somerset, Pulaski county and my heart goes out to you guys. I was actually in West Virginia when the storms hit. From what I've heard we had a few touch down in Somerset as well. Crazy weather in this state, one minute we have snow and the next we have tornadoes.

[Curtis Pigman(Pigmon)]

Howdy Sam Issack,

I have seen you on here and on DNA-forums.org before but I didn't realize you were a fellow hillbilly!

Just heard a new one today.  I took my Stihl weedeater into the shop because it would't start.  The guy said the problem could be a loose nut on the handle.  Yuck yuck that's what it was  - it was flooded.  It took a new spark plug and air filter to get it going though.

Kinda reminds me of the problem with the computer being a pebkac (problem exists between the keyboard and chair).

btw I am L-2+ L-20- and L-196-


                                             "Never give up the search!"

[samIsaack]

Howdy Sam Issack,

I have seen you on here and on DNA-forums.org before but I didn't realize you were a fellow hillbilly!

Just heard a new one today.  I took my Stihl weedeater into the shop because it would't start.  The guy said the problem could be a loose nut on the handle.  Yuck yuck that's what it was  - it was flooded.  It took a new spark plug and air filter to get it going though.

Kinda reminds me of the problem with the computer being a pebkac (problem exists between the keyboard and chair).

btw I am L-2+ L-20- and L-196-


                                             "Never give up the search!"

I remember you now! I wasn't sure until you mentioned being U152.

Kind of makes me wonder how much P312 there is Appalachia? Obviously alot, but it would be interesting to have a good assestment of the region.

[Curtis Pigman(Pigmon)]

At lot of French sounding names here like Maynard, DuFour, Perry, Pigmon and others.  I think most Americans have lost their heritage and it seems practically impossible to find out where our ancestors came from.
 
Mine were rumored to have come from France but as you may know the French records are hard to find.  That seems to be changing however.  There are more and more French records on line but you still have to figure out which village they were from before searching.

There are studies of the Appalachian people in certain areas like the extreme southeast corner of Kentucky.  The Melungeons have been studied although I don't remember where to find that study at the moment.

Cheers,
Curtis