Why J.D. Vance’s “Scots-Irish Hillbilly” Pose Matters
For the 250th anniversary of the US, UCD’s Clinton Institute and EA WorldView have produced Ireland and the Making of America, an 8-episode VideoCast.
In the first episode, historian Patrick Griffin of Notre Dame tells hosts Liam Kennedy and Scott Lucas of the thousands of Scots-Irish migrants who crossed the Atlantic from the 18th century.
Griffin traces their journey from Ulster to colonial America, exploring migration, settlement, and a complex legacy. We examines how a community on the margins became central to the making of America, and why their story still matters today.
