The Irish Connection in Our Community

Thanks to everyone for joining us last Saturday for our second HEARTS event, The Irish Connection. If you were unable to attend, here are some highlights to share. The featured theme this month was the Irish connection to Hugh Torance who immigrated with his brothers and thousands of others to America in 1763 from Ireland to Pennsylvania. Hugh eventually settled in Huntersville, where he built the Hugh Torance House and Store in 1780. Dr. Hugh Dussek shared a very informative presentation on Hugh’s life and the Scots-Irish 18th-century immigration story.

Michael Connor, performer, playwright, and professor, presented his personal connection to the Irish and shared his family’s history, which approximately 38% of African Americans also share. Both presentations revealed unique insights into our local past, giving new perspectives on the Scots-Irish heritage of many Americans.

As with all HEARTS events, the arts were alive throughout the site, with musical sessions at Cedar Grove and Hugh Torance House and Store with vocalists, Castle and Crowns, as well as the living history and music by the Carolina Thunder Mugs, the Charlotte Folk Society’s Celtic Session Group, and Phillip Diaz on bagpipes.

The Connick School of Irish Dance provided dancers for the afternoon presenting the amazing talents of their students in the parlor of Cedar Grove.

The ecological feature for the afternoon was our connection to Irish shamrocks, which we learned are the same as the clover in our lawns! Trifolium repens (white clover) is the true shamrock, although Oxalis or wood sorrels are often sold as shamrocks. The word shamrock derives from the Irish “seamróg,” meaning "young clover.” Native to Ireland and Europe, white clover was brought over by early immigrants and has since naturalized throughout America. A beneficial plant, clover has many medical and environmental benefits. Check our Shamrock blog post to learn all the details of this important species.

The store was bustling with visitors taking tours and enjoying the variety of sundries for purchase. This was a free community event organized by the Hugh Torance House and Store, sponsored by Lake Norman Realty and Armin’s Catering, and made possible by dedicated volunteers. We hope you can attend our next HEARTS event on May 14, 2022.