Quick Review
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We know the McUisdean name had its origins in Scotland. We also know that a lot of the more modern spellings seem to begin in Ireland. It seems apparent, by now, that our family was in Ireland from at least 1565 until the early 1700's when immigration to America began in earnest. Hugh of Sleat's grandson, Alexander, and also Alexander's sons, including one named Donald, are all recorded as going to Ireland around May 2, 1565. Many McUisdeans are still living there.
In Belfast there is a church known as McQuiston Memorial, or just plain "McQuiston" by its membership. It was once the largest Presbyterian church in Ireland, with 1610 children in Sunday school, and is still an active congregation.
One common spelling on recent gravestones is McQueston and there are family members, using this spelling, still living in most of the old hometowns of the family in County Antrim.
So from 1565 to the current year (2005) we have had a presence in Ireland. That is 440 years! - making us, without much question, Irish. We are Irish of Scottish descent and thus we are Scotch-Irish.
If a Scotsman or Irishman moved to America, and had a child, that child would be called an American, immediately. He or she might be called an Irish American or a Scottish American, but, regardless, they would be an American.
If this same rule applied to the early Scots coming to Ireland, then the first generation born in Ireland would be Irish, although they might be called Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irish. Some take exception to the use of the word Scotch, even though the very first usage of a word to describe this race of Scots, who moved to Ireland, was the combined words of Scotch-Irish.
This was in a manifesto issued by Queen Elizabeth, in 1573. There is no older known use of these words. There is also no organization known as the Scots-Irish Society of the United States of America but there is the Scotch-Irish Society of the United States of America, which is a pretty old organization. This group vehemently defends the use of Scotch-Irish and even goes so far as to not allow articles in their publications that use the words Scots-Irish.
Professor Carlton Jackson explained it this way, when he spoke to us in Kentucky at the 2005 Clan Uisdean, USA, Inc. meeting. The first generation of Scots in Ireland could well have been legitimately called Scots-Irish, as they were in fact Scots in Ireland. But the second generation were Irish with a Scottish heritage and thus Scotch-Irish would better represent their nationailty, much like African-American is used in the United States.
Scotch is a commonly used descriptive term as in Scotch whiskey, Scotch Tape, Scotch Guard, Scotch Pine, Scotch College, Scotch Software, Scotch Corner, Scotch Heritage, Scotch Egg, Scotch Productions, Scotch Ale, Scotch Collie, and the list goes on.
Contrary to the belief of some, the word Scotch does not mean a hard liquor drink. In the term "Scotch whiskey", it is describing the source of the whiskey - Scotland, just as in the words "Irish whiskey", Irish is not referring to whiskey per se, but to the origin of the whiskey.
If we change Scotch to Scots in describing our race does this mean we also have to refer to products as Scots Tape, Scots Guard, Scots Pine, or organizations as Scots College, Scots Corner, Scots Productions? You get the idea. None of these usages are referring to Scotch as a liquor. They are referring to a product or organization or thing, or even a race, which has some type of roots in Scotland. PERIOD.
True, some people do associate Scotch with a noun for a hard liquor, but in truth it is only describing the noun, "whiskey". Because a few people are confused as to its use, do we eliminate a word, which has been around for over 400 years?
The word "gay" for instance, once only meant happy and/or delightful, as in the song, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" - "all the world seems bright and gay". Then, for several years it took on the connotation associated with gender preference. Now it is being used, especially by the younger generation to mean "bad", or "no good", having nothing to do with its previous two meanings.
Because a listener applies a meaning not intended to a word, such as Scotch or gay, do we quit using it? Do we rewrite "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" - to say "all the world seems bright and happy"? I say, "No." I say we use words in their original usage and meaning when appropriate.
This is why I use Scotch-Irish - because it is the originally coined word, it is the "officially" accepted word for the main organization representing our race, and because Scotch is the most commonly used descriptive word for products with some type of Scottish connection, as in the examples given.
This page will begin to explore our involvement in the Scotch-Irish race from the very beginning - from 1573, and even before.
Ireland
In 1565 a battle was fought in the Glens of Antrim, Northern Ireland, which would change the history of the McUisdean family dramatically. The first generation after Hugh of Sleat is recorded as John Makhuchone and Donald VickHuiston in Scotland. But it was this battle, in 1565 that brought the second generation of Hugh to Ireland in the form of Donald's son, Alexander.
Alexander went to Ireland to help his first cousin, Sorley Boy McDonnell, fight against both the English and the "native" Irish tribes in the Northern Ireland region usually known as Ulster. Sorley ruled the McDonnell Clan from his base in County Antrim. His aunt married Donald Gallach of Caithness and Skye, in Scotland (the second son of Hugh of Sleat), and the son of this couple was Alexander, known in Ireland as Alexander McHugh Galta, and in Scotland as Alexander McUisdean Gallach.
It wasn't until April 14, 1573 that Queen Elizabeth of England coined the term Scotch-Irish to describe "Sorley Boy and others who be of the Scotch-Irish race". No one has ever been able to find any earlier reference to a term like this, and so that date is considered the beginning of the recognition of this special race of people. However, the nature of the race would change along the way, while the name stuck.