Appalachia And Ulster: A Quest for Identity (Preview)

A preview for a documentary I began in 2018 as part of the Brueggeman Fellowship Program for international, independent research through Xavier University. This documentary seeks to examine the current state of cultural identity in the often historically linked regions of central Appalachia and Northern Ireland (Ulster) through the lens of traditional culture, particularly music. These regions have long been stereotyped, misunderstood, politically exploited, and misrepresented in national narratives for decades and have often been linked to each other in an almost mythological sense, often through music. In this film, I speak with local musicians and artists in central Appalachian communities of East Kentucky and Ulster Scots communities of Northern Ireland to discuss these issues and understand how they view the state of cultural identity within their own communities and what they hope for the future. The full documentary should be released by summer of 2020.