A slippy slope
From dialect to music, region has Irish roots
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Editor’s note: This is the first in a
three-part series on Irish heritage.
Thank-- or blame -- the Scots and Irish if: "Yinz gotta redd up this room!"
This familiar phrase to many has its roots in the region's earliest settlers.
The depth of Irish influence in central and western Pennsylvania dialect comes through a concept known as the "founder's principle," according to Scott F. Kiesling, professor in the department of linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh
"It's the idea that people who come first have the biggest influence on the language," he said, adding that as others settle in a region, they adopt the characteristics of the original settlers.
The Scottish and Irish were some of the first Europeans to settle this region, bringing phrases like "yous ones," which became "yinz," and "redd up," as well as words like "slippy."
The local grammar of a phrase like "the clothes need washed" also likely comes from Scots-Irish -- a distinction from the standard English "needs washing" or "needs to be washed."
The regional twang is maybe the most prominent gift from the Scottish and Irish settlers, however, certainly not the only. As immigrants from these countries began to settle Appalachia, they brought their music.
These tunes became foundational for popular American genres like country, folk and bluegrass.
Still, some in the region continue to perform and share the traditional melodies from the British isles.
Local artist Deb Bunnell, 63, long has been drawn to Irish culture even though only a small part of her ancestry is Irish (from her grandmother, Virginia McAvoy). Bunnell said, "feeling Irish is independent of DNA."
"As I grew up, Irish was my favorite piece of heredity. I liked the accent, the humor, the love of music," she said.
Bunnell, a Hollidaysburg resident, plays a hammered dulcimer -- a large trapezoid-shaped wooden box strung with piano wire and struck with lightweight wooden "hammers" -- which she finds especially suited for Irish music.
Over the years, she has played in Irish and old-time bands, including a local group she formed with Stephanie Everett called Heartstrings. St. Patrick's Day was always a big night, Bunnell said, with her bands landing four to five gigs, playing from happy hour until midnight.
Bunnell said that while Irish drinking songs are prominent in the culture, Irish music really covers a range of emotions.
"Jigs can be spritely and happy," she said. "Irish airs can be sad and sweet. There are love songs, there are fighting songs. There are tunes by the blind Irish harper, Tulough O'Carolan, that sound classical in a baroque way."
Her favorite is a jig called, "Road to Lisdoonvarna."
On a trip to Ireland with her family in 2011, she visited Lisdoonvarna, known for its fall matchmaking festival.
"Lisdoonvarna is actually a small charming town near the iconic Cliffs of Moher (another Irish tune title). I confess to choosing some of the places we visited because they were in titles of tunes I knew," she said.
Over the years, Bunnell has passed along her love of Irish music to younger generations. Her last role in a musical group was leading a youth folk band (which included her son, Kyle, on bass) that played a mix of the sounds of Ireland and Appalachia.