The Scots-Irish in the Carolinas (Kennedy, Billy. Scots-Irish Chronicles.) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Carolina regions of the United States of America were settled in large numbers during the 18th century by tens of thousands of Ulster-Scots Presbyterians, who left their native shores for reasons of religious persecution and economic deprivation.

In this third volume of the series on the hardy Scots-Irish communities who tamed the wilderness of the American frontier, journalist-author Billy Kennedy heads on a journey from the north of Ireland to the port of Charleston, South Carolina and the Carolina Piedmont, along the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania, through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, into the western highlands of North Carolina and down to the historic Waxhaws, where President Andrew Jackson spent his childhood and early youth.

On this trail of the Scots-Irish in the Carolinas, five American Presidents emerge as direct descendants of the first frontier Carolina settlers. Also, John C. Calhoun, American Vice President for two terms, was the son of an Ulsterman who settled in the Carolina upcountry and literally hauled himself up by his bootlaces from a log cabin to a position as one of the nation's most influential policy makers.

The culture, political heritage, and legacy of the Scots-Irish so richly adorn the historical fabric of American life. Through this series on the Scots-Irish, people on both sides of the Atlantic may develop an awareness of our illustrious past which will assist them in facing the future with renewed insight and wisdom. The contributions of the Scots-Irish to the building of the great American nation were profound and deserve our full recognition.

About the Author

Billy Kennedy, a native of County Armagh, Northern Ireland, has been a leading journalist for the past thirty years, occupying the roles of news editor, assistant editor, and leader writer for the Belfast News Letter, the primary morning newspaper in Northern Ireland. He is now a freelance journalist, author, and public relations consultant, combining news, features, business, and sports coverage in Northern Ireland for the national press and media outlets in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. On his regular visits to the United States, he lectures on the subject of the Scots-Irish diaspora at universities, colleges, historical and genealogical societies and public authorities in cities and towns of the southeastern American states.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Emerald House Group (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840300116
• ISBN-13: 978-1840300116
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #273,927 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #4 in	Books > Reference > Genealogy > United States > North Carolina
  #9 in	Books > Reference > Genealogy > United States > South Carolina
  #45 in	Books > Travel > United States > States > North Carolina

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scotch-Irish in the Carolinas, July 31, 2000

By A Customer

I found this book to be very informative. It provides some information genealogically and describes the historical perspective of the region. I bought both the Carolinas and the Tennessee book and found that there was repetition. Therefore, I recommend buying one book on the Scotch-Irish written by Mr. Kennedy.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not very helpful, September 25, 2002

By A Customer

I did not find this book to be helpful. I thought it was unorganized and the lack of footnotes or other citations made it useless.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Needed an editor, July 15, 2008

By	L. Lewis (Smyrna, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book should have contained very useful and interesting information on the Scots-Irish in the Carolinas, but instead it reads like a biased diatribe of the vaunted religiosity of the Scots Irish and their persecution under other groups. I happened to see the author at the Scottish Highland games in Atlanta a few years ago, and was further unimpressed with his partisanship. However, I may be a little sensitive to the attitudes unnecessarily inserted into his book, since I lived in Belfast as a protestant American during my childhood, and witnessed first-hand the result of such thinking. I just wish this had been a more academic endeavor.