The Irsh and the "Scotch-Irish"

If you're looking for a brief overview of the Scotch-Irish and their role in American history, here's an interesting place to start. Unlike most accounts of the Scottish families who re-settled in Ulster beginning in 1612-1620 and continuing through most of that century, Linehan's essays focus less upon the animosities between the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and Irish Catholics and more on their cultural commonalities. Drawing on studies of language, religion, and history, the author contends that, in terms of ethnology, literature, and tradition, the Scotch-Irish had more in common with their Irish heritage (in Scotland as well as Ireland) than was customarily believed.