www.clanlivingstone.info

I have just returned south after The Gathering at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh and, knowing that those of you who weren’t there are keen for information, I thought I would give a very brief posting. I have returned to a mountain of work so will need to wait a few days before giving a longer one.

Our tour party had a great time. Mother, despite being ill with bronchitis, organised a delicious lunch at Bachuil on the Thursday. Duncan and Ann Livingstone, Duncan’s sister Margaret MacDonald and John and Dorothy Livingstone joined our house party to help entertain our visitors.

Many of you will know of the late Rob Livingston who started our DNA project. His brother Mark, and Mark’s two sons Cody & Jesse came over from California. Cousin Bob from New Jersey was due to come but was not able to make it at the last minute but his relatives, James and Eileen Livingstone and Marie Dickerson managed to come over. Very sadly on the Monday night, Marie fell, broke her wrist and damaged the other elbow so had to return home before even getting to Lismore.

Well, first of all it was a very ambitious project and, in my opinuon, a wonderful idea. As with all big projects some things went wrong and this did cause a great deal of frustration and, to be honest, many of the Chiefs were very angry. However, on the Saturday the sun shone and we had a glorious day. There was certainly a great deal to see and do and I have the impression that most people really enjoyed themselves.

Incredibly there were 90 full three feather Chiefs there and many more two feather chieftains, as well as numerous armigers wearing one feather (something I had never seen before). Most of us had Golden Eagle feathers and we probably looked a very cocky lot! I am afraid that we were rather on duty all Saturday morning, being mustered here and there to meet Righ nan Eilean and his Ban Righ. As the communication was not all it could be, I found the whole thing quite stressful and exhausting at times. As a result regrettably I was not able to talk to many of the people I wanted to. For instance, I had so looked forward to meeting Jill Richmond, but it was so fleeting and frustrating not to have had the opportunity to do much more than say hello.

I think the publicity surrounding the event was very poor as most people who found our tent had, I think, come via this website. Nevertheless one or two did find us including one serving officer just returned from Iraq.

Tommy Livingstone was there with his extended family and had a few of his prize winning sticks for sale. They were much admired. He generously gave me a beauty!

On Saturday evening we gathered for the parade up the Royal Mile from the Palace of Holyrood to the Castle. After a long wait we moved off, with James “Titch” Livingstone as my Banner Bearer. As we turned the corner onto the Royal Mile we were greatly surprised by the vast numbers lining the streets. Well, I have to tell you that my clan are a noisy and rumbustious lot. James and Tommy were acting as cheerleaders, winding the crowd up so we were cheared very loudly all the way up. At one point I made the mistake of looking behind to find that the prettiest girls in the crowd were literally being swept off their feet by Tommy (Seargent at Arms) Livingstone, Jesse and Cody and carried off horizontally for a few yards until a prettier one came along. Towards the top I saw my daughters watching so gave them an extravagant bow and flourish of my bonnet, ordering James to dip my Banner in salute. Well that wasn’t enough for my sisters Deirdre and Morag who dragged them out to join us, much to their embarassment! The parade was the highlight of the event.

Having spoken to many Chiefs I think that we all felt rather humbled by the enthusiasm of our kinsmen. I am reminded of this poem.

My humility is equal to my pride.
My arrogance and obedience on one great music ride.

I told Jamie, Lord Sempill, the event originator and organiser, and Malcolm, The Earl of Caithness, the Convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, that despite everything I felt a fair assessment was a 7/10. Yes, there are many lessons to be learnt. In the main they are easily rectified so the next event, and I think there will be one, should be even better.

Our party alone must have taken hundreds, if not thousands, of photos so hopefully some will appear on the gallery.

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

St Moluag, pray for us

Niall Bachuil

The Gathering is hailed big success after 50,000 flock to Holyrood Park

Date: 27 July 2009
By HAZEL MOLLISON
ORGANISERS today hailed the weekend's huge clan gathering a success, after almost 50,000 people flocked to Holyrood Park from all corners of the world.

Clan chiefs, ex-pat Scots and curious locals were among those soaking up the atmosphere – and occasional sun – yesterday on the second day of Homecoming centrepiece The Gathering.

They enjoyed traditional Highland Games, dancing displays and live ADVERTISEMENTmusic performances.

And organisers hope the event will become a regular fixture as the economic benefits have surpassed expectations.

One couple who will have a special reason to remember the event are Dick Boyd and Sherry Thompson, from New Hampshire. They tied the knot in a traditional wedding ceremony with other members of the McTavish clan yesterday afternoon.

A total of 47,000 people attended over the two days. Most came on Saturday, when 30,000 enjoyed the sunshine, while the rain put off some visitors yesterday.

Around 20,000 people lined the Royal Mile on Saturday night to watch thousands of people and pipe bands march up to Edinburgh Castle, before a performance celebrating Scotland's history.

Lord Sempill, the co-director of the Gathering, said: "This tremendous event has not only been everything I dreamed but has exceeded my expectations. It has been wonderful to see so many local people."

Highlights of yesterday's events included a tossing the caber competition, a race around Arthur's Seat, dancing demonstrations and the Pipe Idol competition,including the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, the Battlefield Band and the Lothian Gaelic Choir. Many visitors dressed in traditional costumes, with kilts and tartan skirts and dresses on display. Dozens of clan chiefs welcomed relatives at the "clan village" in the park.

Nathalie Coriton, 38, a teacher from France who now lives in Prestonpans: "I've been here for ten years and I really love Scotland. We've really enjoyed looking round the clan village."

Deva Gallagher, 30, a full-time mum from Gorgie, said: "We loved the music, especially Capercaillie, and the Highland Games. It's a shame there's been a bit of rain, but the weather was actually better than we expected."

John MacArthur, the chief of the MacArthur Clan, said it had been a unique opportunity to bring the clan together. The 58-year-old works as head gardener at Castle Kennedy in south-west Scotland.

He said: "Being part of a clan gives you a sense of belonging, and pride in being Scottish. We've had a great response from MacArthurs all over the world.

"The parade was absolutely stunning, and the atmosphere at the castle was amazing."


http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/The-G ... 5495880.jp

Clan gathering draws 30,000

Rowan Brooks, 2, crawls through the legs of his father during yesterday's historic gathering. Picture: TSPL

Date: 26 July 2009
By David Leask and Tom Peterkin
THEY came in their tens of thousands, from the old world and the new, a tide of tartan marching down the Royal Mile to Edinburgh's Holyrood Park.

Scotland's clans and lowland families last mustered like this when novelist Sir Walter Scott coaxed King George IV north of the Border in 1822. But yesterday's gathering of more than 30,000 people was far bigger than its 19th century predecessor. By last night fully 124 clans and families were said to be represented in the Park for a Highland Games that preceded an 8,000-strong clansmen's evening march back up the Royal Mile to the castle.

View a gallery of pictures from the Gathering http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/Cu ... geID=79924

The Homecoming Year Gathering, launched by Prince Charles at Holyrood Palace, attracted visitors, as the Scottish Government had hoped, from across the world. Pouroto Ngaropo, a 40-year-old of Scots and Maori descent, travelled to the events from Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, in New Zealand. "Maoris and the Scots are very similar people – we have a clan system, too," said Ngaropo, who has a traditional moko, or tattoo, across his face. "I lead a hapu, or sub-tribe, of 841 people and we have many similar rituals, including long wakes."

Dick Boyd from Stratham, New Hampshire, said the meeting provoked strong emotion.

"This is a coming home for me, as I can trace my family back to the Clan Macintosh in the 1100s," said Boyd, his eyes welling with tears. "I am a direct descendent of the Seventh Earl of Kilmarnock and we Scots Americans are fiercely proud of our roots."

As the clans gathered in the tented village in Holyrood Park, the parliament hosted a Diaspora Forum.

The lead speaker, Scottish historian Professor Tom Devine, bemoaned what he called a "national education scandal", arguing that Scots knew far too little about their past.

He was speaking after the Culture Minister Mike Russell had welcomed delegates from all over world and told them of the Scottish Government's efforts to maximise the benefits from developing the relationship between Scotland and the 40 million expats across the world.

Devine said: "Our population is so... historically illiterate because of the glaring inadequacies of the teaching of the nation's past and culture."

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/ed ... 5494256.jp

3:21pm UK, Saturday July 25, 2009

Jane Chilton, Scotland reporter

The Prince of Wales has officially opened an enormous Scottish clan reunion in Edinburgh attended by tens of thousands of people.

Tartan and kilts at the opening of the clan gathering

Wearing a kilt made of the ancient hunting Stewart tartan, he described the event as the "most splendid of gatherings".

The Prince said The Gathering 2009, of which he is patron, was "a stirring meeting of Scotland's history and its living heritage".

He added: "Thankfully in 2009 the lives of clan chiefs and their clansmen, both in Scotland and abroad, are somewhat less blood-soaked and unhappy than those experienced by thousands of their ancestors."

Prince Charles Opens Clan Gathering

Lord Sempill, co-director of The Gathering, welcomed the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, to "the greatest international gathering of the clans".

He said: "We are delighted and honoured that Their Royal Highnesses are joining us for this magnificent celebration."

Thousands are attending event

It is the first time in more than 200 years that all the Scottish clans have converged.

They are meeting in Holyrood Park for a chance to retrace their roots, meet clan chiefs and watch the largest Highland Games to be held in Scotland.

Around 125 clan chiefs from all corners of the globe are attending, some travelling from as far away as Tasmania.

Clanspeople Patrick Colquhoun and his wife Julie, from Arkansas, say they would not have missed the opportunity to attend.

"It's all about history. The love of history, the love of family, the love of country and to have everyone together for the first time in 200 years," they said.

"It is quite an historic occasion, just to be here and be part of The Gathering in 2009."

On the surface it might seem to be all smiles and politeness, but there are still deep rivalries among some clans.

Organisers are ensuring that old enemies, such as the Campbells and the MacDonalds, are being kept firmly apart.

The Gathering director Jenny Gilmour says any rivalry should be good-humoured.

"The ties that bind are really strong for Scots around the world.

"There is obviously the romantic sense of Scotland's unique history and culture. So they're coming to engage with that and also to engage with Scots at home."

The Gathering is one of the main events in Scotland's Year of Homecoming, which marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-New ... yrood_Park_

Organisers of the world's biggest gathering of Scotland's clans have pledged to hold the event again following the success of its inaugural outing.

Around 85 clan chiefs and 47,000 spectators descended on Edinburgh at the weekend for the centrepiece event of the Homecoming celebrations, which is expected to generate around £8m for the Scottish economy.

Hundreds of clan representatives and expats from around the globe had also travelled to the capital to take part in the two-day event, billed as the largest meeting of the clans since Culloden.

Organisers said demand for tickets had been "phenomenal" despite the event not selling out, and said it was hoped it could become a regular fixture on Scotland's cultural calendar.

The two-day tartan extravaganza was officially opened by the Duke of Rothesay on Saturday, with more than 30,000 people enjoying traditional highland games, including caber tossing, under the sun in Holyrood Park.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California, provided a touch of Hollywood glamour, with a message of good luck to his American compatriots who had travelled thousands of miles to take part in the heavy events.

The two-day meet also included traditional Scottish music, pipe bands, a hill race and hundreds of exhibitors showcasing Scottish food and drink.

More than 10,000 people gathered to watch a spectacular clan parade along the city's Royal Mile on Saturday evening.

Lord Semple, director of The Gathering 2009, said: "This event has proved that if one plays the ancestral card we can deliver good tourism income for the country.

"It has exceeded all my expectations.

"The figures from VisitScotland suggest that The Gathering will generate around £8m for Scotland's economy.

"These people are not just here for the event in Edinburgh. The vast majority are here for about 10 to 14 days and they are travelling all over Scotland.

"If we look at the objectives of Homecoming, which is to bring more people into Scotland and generate revenue for the country's tourism industry, then we have succeeded on every level.

"This has been a very expensive and time-consuming event to put together - it has been two years in the making.

"For events of this scale, it would be realistic to suggest that it could be staged every four or five years."

First Minister Alex Salmond said the event, which attracted people from 40 countries, was more than just a marketing tool for Scotland.

Mr Salmond said: "Obviously the Homecoming year has a visitor aspect to it.

"But all of these people are celebrating their heritage and roots.

"These are deep roots and affinities that stretch back centuries. To mobilise that wonderful diaspora to make a contribution to the future of our country is a massive thing."

The event, set in motion in 2007, was given funding from EventScotland, Edinburgh City Council and Scottish Enterprise.

Meanwhile, in Scotland's largest city, the organisers of this year's River Festival were hailing the event as their biggest success yet, despite yesterday morning's heavy rain.

Around 90,000 people gathered on Glasgow's Clydeside over the weekend to watch a range of aquatic events, including jet ski demonstrations and zapcat rides.

For the first time in the festival's six-year history, spectators enjoyed a live pirate show on The Tall Ship, complete with firing cannons and sword fighting. The Clyde was turned into a sea of yellow as 20,000 rubber ducks were launched on the Clyde for the festival's annual fundraising race.

The race is one of the most popular attractions, and this year it was organised to raise money for the Marie Curie Big Build appeal, which aims to raise £16.1m to build a new hospice in Glasgow.

The city is gearing up for the annual Glasgow Show, which takes place on August 1 and 2 in Glasgow Green.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/di ... _event.php

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Instead of claymores clan chiefs brandish relevance

Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent guardian.co.uk, Sunday 26 July 2009 20.03 BST

The last time so many clan chiefs marched in Edinburgh, they came to wage war on the Hanoverian monarchy. In 1745, they laid siege to the Scottish capital, and threatened to reclaim the Scottish throne for Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Yesterday, in a rain-drenched carnival beside the Queen's official residence at Holyrood, they brandished glossy leaflets on tartans, ballads and coats of arms, displayed antique relics in the "clan village", and talked earnestly about relevance.

Thousands of Scottish clansmen and women from across the world have converged on Edinburgh for the Gathering, the centrepiece to the Year of Homecoming set up by Scottish ministers to mark the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth.

But clan chiefs, the inheritors of 900 years of martial history, Gaelic culture and, to some, a source of great national pride, fear that in Scotland the clans are struggling. Too many young Scots believe they are irrelevant or, at worst, an embarrassing anachronism.

Many of Scotland's 140 clans and families are now being kept alive by enthusiasts in Ontario and Auckland, rather than Auchterarder or Oban. So clan leaders are now talking about joining Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, launching websites and lobbying ministers to teach clan history in Scottish schools.

Jamie Sempill, organiser of the largest-ever conference of clan chiefs at the Scottish parliament on Friday – where a third of the 120 chiefs were American – said: "The issue is to do with the appeal to today's younger generation. In Scotland, clan membership is very, very low and if it wasn't for the fact that there are our international organisations, they probably wouldn't survive."

This is a paradox, he said. Young Scots proudly wear kilts in their family tartan to weddings; the national football team boasts its vast and passionate "Tartan Army" of supporters; the popularity of Highland games and dancing is undiminished. Yet very few will ever join a clan society.

Heather Munro, 24, suggests he may be right. An assistant psychologist from Morayshire now living in north London, Munro won the English championship for Highland dancing two weeks ago.

Despite more than 20 years of Scottish country dancing, it has never occurred to her to join clan Munro – its motto "dread God". "Maybe it's not out there enough," she said. "I would access something more modern like through Facebook or other sites: I would definitely tick the 'yes' box if I was invited to join my clan, but I wouldn't spend the day looking for it."

While many clan societies in Scotland can only claim a few hundred members, in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, membership is counted in the tens of thousands.

Ian MacIntyre, the 17th chief of his clan, which claims to predate the clan most believe was the first, clan Donald, said the clan society is penniless in Scotland. "In America, they're terrifically active. They're tremendously enthusiastic. I believe their games are massive." His colleague Colin McIntyre said Scottish schools were unwilling to teach clan history. Recruitment, he said, was "an uphill battle. Hopefully, it will change but how that happens, I don't know."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jul/2 ... membership

Kilts and controversy as Scottish clans gatherEdinburgh
July 27, 2009
There was caber-tossing and a touch of controversy as more than 40,000 Scots from around the world descended on Edinburgh for an event billed as the largest gathering of the clans in 200 years.

Members of the Scottish diaspora from the United States to New Zealand assembled on Saturday for The Gathering 2009, part of a year of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns.

Prince Charles formally opened the two-day event, which includes a traditional Highland Games, whisky tasting, and a parade of 8,000 clansmen along Edinburgh's Royal Mile from The Queen's official residence in Scotland, the Palace of Holyrood House, to Edinburgh Castle.

But one academic said organisers had made little effort to invite people of Scots descent from the Caribbean, a region with links to Scotland since the days of slavery. Geoff Palmer, of Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, said the clan gathering gives "too narrow a definition" of Scottishness, and should include those who don't belong to a specific clan.

Prince Charles recalled the historic battles between Scotland's clans, such as the centuries-long feud between the Forbes and Gordon clans.

"Thankfully, in 2009 the lives of clan chiefs and their clansmen, both in Scotland and abroad, are somewhat less blood-soaked and unhappy than those experienced by thousands of their ancestors," said Charles, who wore a kilt made of the ancient hunting Stewart tartan.

Around 125 clans and 85 clan chiefs joined in the ceremonies. Organisers say there are about 500 clans registered around the world.

Pouroto Ngaropo, a 40-year-old of Scots and Maori descent, travelled to the events from Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, in New Zealand.

"Maori and the Scots are very similar people - we have a clan system, too," said Ngaropo, who wore a traditional Ta Moko tattoo across his face. "I lead a hapu, or sub-tribe, of 841 people and we have many similar rituals including long wakes."

The Gathering is a tourism initiative backed by the Scottish government, which is led by Alex Salmond of the separatist Scottish National Party. Though he enlisted the help of Scottish movie star Sean Connery to promote the event, some people complained that the meeting wasn't adequately marketed in the Caribbean.

"The Caribbean Scots should have been invited to The Gathering, as I believe the Scots are not afraid to face up to their forebears' role in the bloody past of slavery," said Palmer, who was born in Jamaica and is of Scottish and African descent.

Organisers said efforts had been made to include people of Scottish ancestry in the Caribbean.

Danus Skene, chief of the Clan Skene - whose rank is signified by three eagle feathers in his elaborate bonnet - said he hoped the meeting could start a revival for the clans. "What we need to do is somehow connect the five million Scots who live here with 40 million Scots who live around the world," he said.

The clan system has struggled to find relevance in modern Scotland, particularly since 1999, when the country established a new parliament devolved from London's Houses of Parliament with fairly wide ranging lawmaking powers.

"We are looking at a dawning of a second enlightenment in Scotland; it's about the diaspora engaging with the new Scotland which has been emerging since the Scottish Parliament was reconvened in 1999," said Joe Goldblatt, a professor at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, .

AP

http://www.theage.com.au/world/kilts-an ... -dxe2.html

Edinburgh sees the largest ever gathering of clan chiefs

Thousands come together from around the world to celebrate their heritage

By Charlotte Chambers

A pipe band takes part in the Gathering 2009 during the march through Edinburgh's Holyrood Park yesterday

They came in all shapes and sizes, a trail of tartan kilts weaving their way through Edinburgh's historic streets to the sound of the bagpipes. For many American pilgrims at yesterday's gathering, it was the first time they had visited their ancestral homeland.

And while clan activity has been dying out in Scotland, the Highland Games event in Edinburgh this weekend was a chance to welcome the burgeoning clans from across the world – and to mark a resurgence in national pride at home.

Although there had been a decline in the popularity of traditional Scottish games and heritage on home soil, the opposite is true abroad. North America alone has 100,000 clan members and holds 300 Highland Games each year. Many US visitors are expected to take advantage of the chance to research clan histories and genealogy.

Organisers said they decided to hold the Gathering 2009, opened yesterday by Prince Charles, partly to celebrate what Scotland has given the world but also to mark the 250th birthday of its favourite son, the poet Robert Burns.

Prince Charles said the gathering was a "stirring meeting of Scotland's history and its living heritage". It celebrated the "diversity of backgrounds, experience and occupations" of modern clan chiefs, he said. "Thankfully, in 2009 the lives of the clan chiefs and their clansmen, both in Scotland and abroad, are somewhat less blood-soaked and unhappy than those experienced by thousands of their ancestors. I happen to believe that it is Scotland's traditions of writing, language, speech, music and poetry which will continue to nourish this and future generations."

The two-day event will attract an estimated 50,000 people and representatives from 125 clans, and is the centrepiece of Homecoming Scotland, a celebration of all things Scottish and the focal point of a year-long calendar of events. Golf, whisky and the national dish of haggis are all commemorated as part of the nation's contribution to the world. There is also a highland fling competition as well as a heavy events championship featuring caber tossing.

It is the first time in recorded history that more than 100 of Scotland's clan chiefs have assembled in one place and the first time since Sir Walter Scott's Royal Pageant in 1822 that so many clans have been seen together in the city. Kitted out in perhaps the world's best-known national dress, the clans are meeting to discuss the future of the clan system in the 21st century and the role of the clan chief.

Celebrations will also feature talks on Scotland's historical greats, including the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and the designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Jamie Sempill, director of the Gathering 2009, said it was a "great honour" for the event to have Prince Charles, who is also known in Scotland as the Duke of Rothesay and the Lord of the Isles, as patron.

In a speech that paid tribute to the royal connection the historical Highland Games hold, stretching back to Queen Victoria, he described the prince as "the chief of chiefs". "His presence will mean so much to all those who have travelled from overseas to take part in this unique gathering. It is important to remember that the renaissance of clan gatherings can largely be attributed to Queen Victoria's patronage and her love of the Highlands with all its traditions."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 61486.html

A lovely clip here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8169106.stm

You can briefly see Johny Drummond Murray commading a contingent of the Atholl Highlanders before the speach of the Lord of the Isles

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edi ... 167998.stm