North Carolina
The Legacy of the Scots-Irish: Historical Migration to Cultural Inspiration
Program No. 20141RJ
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The Legacy of the Scots-Irish: Historical Migration to Cultural Inspiration
The Legacy of the Scots-Irish: Historical Migration to Cultural Inspiration
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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
14 meals (
5B, 4L, 5D
)
13 expert-led lectures
4 expert-led field trips
3 performances
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
check-in (arrival), getting settled, dinner, and orientation
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
Inn check-in from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your name-tag (sent previously)
Afternoon:
Note: You will share the Inn this week with other Road Scholar programs; check to see if the other programs might be of interest to a friend or traveling companion (if you don't already have one). Assembly Inn check-in 4:00-5:30 p.m. Pull up to the Assembly Inn porch to unload, then park your vehicle in any designated spot close to the Inn or by the lake and check in. Program Registration. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Feel free to relax in your room, meet and enjoy fellowship with other participants in the beautiful lobby, or stretch your legs with a walk around the campus before dinner.
Dinner:
Our buffet dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Evening:
Orientation: 7:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will also meet the instructor. This is a Road Scholar Retreats program. Programming at Retreat locations includes opportunities for light morning exercise, interaction with members of the local community, a farm-to-table meal, and evening entertainment. Sleeping and dining facilities are in one building, with approximately 300 yards walking required. On some evenings, there will be entertainment such as a concert, dance, or storyteller followed by opportunities for fellowship in the lobby of the Inn. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We’ll finish up around 8:00 p.m. with some “get to know you” activities and then have refreshments and fellowship in the lobby. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Day
2
Who are the Celts? Celtic Christianity, Influence on America
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
coffee in lobby around 6:30; join us 7:30 - 7:45 for early morning stretches with Martha Nelson; you can decide about walking in afternoon
Breakfast:
(buffet) is served 7:30 - 8:30 am in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Morning:
Who are the Celts? Daniel Pierce will present the background of Celtic origins and the lasting impact of their culture, traditions and migrations. We'll discuss the ancient Celts, Mirgration to Great Britain, the Romans, Angles, Saxons, and the Celtic Fringe. We'll talk about an emerging Celtic / Scottish Culture. Our mid-morning refreshment will be in the lobby. Afterward, we'll return to the classroom for our presentation on the Scots-Irish Influence on America with Righton McCallum. Because of their Presbyterian religion and heritage, the Scots-Irish were literate in a land of otherwise undereducated settlers. No matter how destitute a family on arrival, if they were industrious, they prospered in some endeavor. We'll explore their contributions!
Lunch:
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., (buffet) lunch is served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Afternoon:
This afternoon, with Anne Lough, we'll go "Down the Great Wagon Road" and into the Southern Appalachians. We'll seek an understanding of the importance of the "carrying stream" of culture, music and traditions. After, there is an opportunity to explore the Montreat campus with a local resident. Come learn a little history, see some sites, and hear some stories (we'll leave you to decide which ones are true).
Dinner:
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. (buffet) Dinner will be served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Evening:
Evening program will be a local band, Sourwood Ridge. games/cards and tv available in the lobby for fellowship.
Day
3
Life in the lowlands, Influence on America, Ballads
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
coffee in lobby around 6:30; join us 7:30 - 7:45 for early morning stretches with Martha Nelson; boarding vans for field trip (travel time 40 minutes r/t); walking during field trips
Breakfast:
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. (buffet) breakfast is served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Morning:
With professor Daniel Pierce, we'll discuss lowlands and highlands, an emerging polity, the Scots and The English: the early conflict, William Wallace, and Robert the Bruce. Mid-morning, we'll have a refreshment break and then return to the classroom for more explorations on the Scots-Irish Influence on America with Righton McCallum. Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was drafted by Scots and signed by 21 men of Gallic descent?
Lunch:
12:30 - 1:30 (buffet) lunch is served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Afternoon:
With Anne Lough, we learn about and appreciate the value and importance of centuries old ballads as the history and literature of the Scots-Irish. After class, the class will venture to the Folk Art Center located on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville. Since 1930, the Guild has exhibited the handmade crafts of the people of NC and the Southeast, and today is one of the strongest craft organizations in the country, representing just over 800 makers in 293 counties from 9 states. What started as a way to bring together the area’s creativity and arts while boosting income — during the Great Depression the Guild cultivated commerce for craftspeople in the Appalachian region — has become an iconic fixture of the craft revival movement.
Dinner:
5:30 - 6:30 dinner buffet
Evening:
Our very own Anne Lough will delight us with the variety of musical instruments she plays. Sing along if you know the words!
Day
4
Reformation, Lowlands, Museum, free afternoon
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
coffee in lobby around 6:30; join us 7:30 - 7:45 for early morning stretches with Martha Nelson; field trip is 40 minutes (round trip) and we will stay about an hour.
Breakfast:
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. breakfast buffet is served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Morning:
With Daniel Pierce, we'll learn about the Reformation in Scotland. Let's talk about John Knox, Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland, and the Scottish Kirk. Then we'll discuss lowlands life in the 1600s. A refreshment break mid-morning will keep us going! During our last session with Anne, we'll explore sacred musical traditions of the Southern Appalachians including the heritage and beautiful harmonies of the shaped note tradition.
Lunch:
12:30 - 1:30 (buffet) lunch is served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Afternoon:
Immediately after lunch, we will board the vans for another field trip. This time to the Swannanoa Valley Museum located in nearby Black Mountain. Located in a former fire house, designed and built in 1921 by Richard Sharp Smith, supervising architect at the Biltmore Estate, the Swannanoa Valley Museum is the primary museum of general local history in Buncombe County. The Swannanoa Valley Museum preserves and interprets the social, cultural, and natural history of the Swannanoa Valley, a pathway to western North Carolina, by developing dynamic programs and engaging exhibitions for the education and enrichment of the community, its children, and future generations. Visit history-swannanoavalleymuseum.org for more info. After the field trip, enjoy Free time. Vans will return to the Inn for those who wish to explore on their own; a van will pick up in Black Mountain for those who wish to stay longer. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.
Dinner:
5:30 - 6:30 Farm to Table dinner.
Evening:
During our evening program with Righton McCallum, we'll learn more about how the Scots Irish have influenced America.
Day
5
Becoming Scots Irish, Influence; Oak and Grist
Spirits
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Assembly Inn
Activity Note
coffee in lobby around 6:30; join us 7:30 - 7:45 for early morning stretches with Martha Nelson; field trip is 30 minutes (round trip) staying about an hour at the Distillery
Breakfast:
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. breakfast buffet
Morning:
With Daniel Pierce, we will discuss "Becoming Scots Irish," the difficulties in Ireland, Plantation of Ulster, life in Ireland and the incentives to migration. Our mid-morning break will be in the lobby and then we'll return to the classroom for "Scots-Irish Influence on America" with Righton McCallum.
Lunch:
12:30 - 1:30 lunch (buffet) is served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Afternoon:
Back in class with Righton McCallum, we'll finish up our discussion on how the Scots Irish have influenced America. We might even have a special guest make an appearance! After class, we will take a field trip to the Oak and Grist Distilling Company where we will have a tour of the facility, learn about them, and have a tasting of some of the spirits they produce. As one of the Southeast’s few 100% grain-to-glass distilleries, Oak and Grist’s small-batch whiskey and gin capture the unique flavors of the region and celebrates Appalachian farmers, producers, and artisans. Crafted from locally grown and malted barley. Founded in 2015 to craft a regionally inspired Single Malt, Oak and Grist offers a new generation of 100% from scratch spirits informed by the traditions of Scotland and inspired by those of Appalachia. The same passion and curiosity our mentor Edwin brought to his storied career in Scotland, is evident in every small-batch of Oak and Grist’s spirits.
Dinner:
5:30 - 6:30 dinner (buffet) is served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Evening:
Bobbie Pell, the Moonstone Ministrel, will delight us with stories, followed by an opportunity for games/cards/TV in lobby for fellowship. Prepare for check-out and departure.
Day
6
Scots Irish in America
Location:
Montreat, NC
Meals:
B
Breakfast:
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. breakfast buffet is served in the Assembly Inn Dining Room
Morning:
Our last class with history professor Daniel Pierce has the Scots Irish coming to America, Moving South, and Adapting to the New World. Class will end by 10:15 am, and hotel check-out must be completed by 10 am. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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Please Note:
This program has itinerary variations on certain dates.