In celebration of the anniversary of the nation’s founding, Irish and old-time musicians are joining scholars from East Tennessee State University and Ireland, May 15 and 16, to discuss and celebrate America’s Irish Influences.

The two-day event, “America 250: Celebrating The Role of the Irish,” will be held at the Reece Museum on the ETSU campus on Friday, and at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton on Saturday. Attendance for both days is free and open to the public.

Friday’s gathering at the Reece Museum on the ETSU campus begins at 5 p.m. with a panel discussion titled “The Irish Influence on American Music.” Panelists include Dr. Hannah Gibson, an ethnomusicologist in Northern Ireland; Dr. Ted Olson, music historian and professor of Appalachian Studies at ETSU; and Dr. Lee Bidgood, ethnomusicologist and professor of Appalachian Studies at ETSU.

The panel discussion on Friday will introduce performances at 7 p.m. by two groups featuring Irish and old-time music. Will MacMorran, Chad Beauchaine, and Jason Herrara will open the concert, followed by the Empty Bottle String Band.

On Saturday, a second panel discussion, titled “The Role of the Irish in the Founding of America,” takes place at 2 p.m. at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park Auditorium on West Elk Avenue in Elizabethton.

Panelists will include Dr. Aaron Ward of the National Museums of Northern Ireland; Dr. Ron Roach, chair of ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies; and Dr. Daryl Carter, professor of history at ETSU.

The Irish scholars participating in the panel discussions will bring a combination of educational experience and specialized research to the conversation. Gibson has served as a museum educator at Ulster American Folk Park in Ireland. Her ethnomusicology research has focused on the cultural intimacies of Irish country music.

Ward serves as director of public engagement at National Museums Northern Ireland, where he has led strategic initiatives focused on how people encounter history through place, storytelling and shared cultural experiences.

The events are sponsored by ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies in partnership with the Consulate General of Ireland, Atlanta.