"Blackberry Blossom"

A long-standing cultural connection between Scotland and Ireland is the tradition of ceili/ceilidh gatherings, community-wide “parties” of vernacular music and dancing. They transmitted values, language, history, and stories to future generations, and they were social outlets to build resilience in hard times. This tradition was so integral to Scots-Irish identity that it crossed the Atlantic with them, eventually transforming into modern-day jam sessions and song circles throughout Appalachia from front porches to general stores. Some old-country tunes continue to be played in Appalachia today, like Blackberry Blossom (featured), Miss Mcleod’s Reel, Soldier’s Joy, and Flowers of Edinburgh. However, the songs were also organic, subject to stylistic drift and adaptation, and changed hands over hundreds of years with no one source or ‘official’ version: “Songs belonged to an entire community, enduring across time and place. Although some came to be associated with great singers in different eras, they belonged to a living communal song pool.” They were the collective creative and emotional expression of a culture that had no concept of individual intellectual property.

Many of these folk songs were written down centuries after their creation by a group of ethnographers called ‘songcatchers’ in the mid-20th century. During that time they underwent change and adaptation, reflecting the new tastes and interests or each generation. While it is difficult to trace many modern Appalachian folk songs back to specific Scots-Irish roots, the essence of the origins remains. The Scots-Irish relied on oral tradition in preserving and conveying communal identity, and their songs understand the importance of community and language in determining identity. Many of the original songs were in Gaelic, although the influence of English colonization ultimately led to that language’s decline. This trend was no doubt amplified by American assimilation, so few Appalachian folk songs contain Gaelic.