summer 2013 summer scottish happeningsbrash/sst/thistledown/... · 2013-07-26 · the thistledown...

THE THISTLEDOWN

VOLUME 30, ISSUE NUMBER 3 SUMMER 2013

Scottish Society of Tidewater, Inc.

SST William Wallace Commemoration Wednesday, August 7

A t our monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 7, the SST will celebrate our annual William Wallace Night. This commemoration will mark the 708th anniver-sary of his murder.

We will watch a screening of Heroes of Scotland: William Wallace (2006). Informative and entertain-ing, this DVD is different than the one we watched last year, but online reviews suggest it is every bit as good.

This will be a pot luck affair, so please bring a tasty dish to share. The SST will provide soft drinks, ice and beer.

There will also be a raffle item or two, so bring some cash!

Annual SST Picnic, Jointly hosted by SST, St. Andrew’s Society and the Irish Society Saturday, September 14, Church of the Ascension

G et ready for the SST annual picnic on Saturday, September 14, 2 pm - 6 pm. It will be at the Church of the Ascension pic-nic shelter. This picnic will be co-hosted by the SST, St. Andrew’s Society and the Irish Society. This is always a fun and enjoy-able event. Children and dogs are welcome!

The SST will provide hamburgers, hotdogs, buns and fixings, as well as soft drinks. We ask that you bring your favorite picnic dish to share. You may also BYOB.

Also, we’ll be having the 2nd Annual Celtic Corn Hole Challenge—Scots vs. Irish! You’re going DOWN, Irish! We are hoping our session musicians can join us and play their toe-tapping Celtic tunes. All are free to bring an instrument and

join in.

Summer Scottish Happenings

At left, session musicians Charles Murla and John

McGlynn on fiddle, Edward Brash on guitar, and Skip Hunter on bodhrán at last

year’s picnic.

At right, representing the Irish in the Regional Pan Celtic Corn Hole Tournament, Edward

Brash tosses a bag o’ potatoes.

T he Scottish Society of Tidewater exists to promote the preservation and study of Scottish cul-ture, including music, language, art, history, folk-lore, dance, literature, athletics, and all other things distinctively Scottish among interested persons in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area and to cooperate with like-minded persons, groups and organizations here and abroad.

A meeting is held on the first Wednesday of each month at the Church of Ascension Community Cen-ter, 4853 Princess Anne Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23462-4446. Social time begins at 7:00pm, and the meeting starts at 7:30pm. Anyone interested in Scottish culture and history is invited to attend.

About the Scottish Society of Tidewater, Inc.

301 E. Randall Ave., Norfolk, VA 23503 www.tidewaterscots.org

SST Executive Board President: Stacy Apelt [email protected]

Vice President: Manny Willis [email protected]

Secretary: Marcey Hunter [email protected]

Treasurer: Ruth Fraser [email protected]

Board of Directors: Tom Chenowith [email protected] Donna Looney [email protected] Nancy McKay [email protected] John Miles [email protected] George Phillips [email protected] Connie Smith [email protected]

SST Committees Webmaster: Scott MacGregor [email protected] Membership: Marcey Hunter [email protected] Program:

The SST Board of Directors Newsletter Editor: Marcey Hunter [email protected]

PAGE 2 THISTLEDOWN SUMMER 2013

A Few Words from the President

G reetings to the members of The Scot-tish Society of Tidewater.

I want to start by thanking all of you for your support and kind thoughts during the time after my son’s sudden death. Things are calming down now, but there will be years of helping his children. I apologize for not being at several events during that time.

The summer is hot, but we Scots perse-vere. The Joint Spring Picnic between SST and SAS turned out to be a pleasant day, and those who attended ate very well.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our recent Sunday Brunch on July 21at Park Lane Pub in Hampton. It was a fun way to spend part of our Sunday, and see so many folks we don’t get to see very often. The food was excellent and the staff very efficient. Great time!

In August we have our Wallace Day celebration. This year it will be a pot luck supper at the Church of the Ascension, held at our monthly meeting Wednesday August 7th. See page 1 of The Thistledown for more details.

Saturday, September 15th we will hold out Joint Fall Picnic. The location will be the pavilion at the Church of the Ascen-sion. The event will be from 2-6PM, with the meats, sodas, and bottled water provided. Please bring side dished, deserts, and any adult beverages you want.

This fall we hope to have some good programs, and as al-ways good social contact with our fellow members. If you know of a Scot or Scots-minded person, please bring him/her to one of our meetings or events.

We all want to keep Skip Hunter and Marcey in our thoughts and prayers while Skip is overseas.

Yours Aye, Stacy Elliott Apelt, FSA Scot, President SST

CALL FOR NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTIONS Want to contribute to the newsletter?

I am looking for a few good ideas. Some suggestions: Book and/or music reviews

Photos, both old and new (do you have a vintage SST photo to share? We would love to see it!)

Gathering & Games information Poetry/Fiction & Recipes

Please e-mail Marcey at [email protected] Remember: This is YOUR newsletter!

Stacy Apelt SST President

THISTLEDOWN SUMMER 2013 PAGE 3

Flowers of the Forest Carolyn Barkley

Wintergreen, Virginia

Carolyn L. Barkley Virginia Beach - Carolyn Linda (Lopes) Barkley, 65, of Wintergreen, VA passed away on Sunday, May 12, 2013 at Augusta Health. Born December 16, 1947 in Springfield, MA, she was the daughter of the late Olivio and Lois (Smith) Lopes. She was the granddaugh-ter of Clifford F. Smith, long time City Clerk of Springfield, and Mildred Carolyn Abbe. In addition to her grandparents and parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, William L. Barkley in 2010. Carolyn earned her B.A. from Wellesley College and her Mas-ters in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh. She was employed by the Vir-ginia Beach Department of Public Libraries for over thirty years. After her retirement, Carolyn continued to work as a freelance editor and researcher. She spent much of her time traveling. Carolyn has been the genealogist for Clan Barclay International, served as President of the St. Andrew's Society of Tidewater, the Scottish Society of Tidewater, the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society, the Virginia Library Association and many more too numerous to list. Most recently, Carolyn was President of the Wintergreen Nature Foun-dation. Survivors include her son, Kelley and wife Kimberly (Murray) Powell of Roanoke; granddaughters, Megan Murray, Samantha Kate Powell and Mackenzie Grace Powell all of Roanoke. A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, at the Waynesboro Chapel of Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Homes, 618 W. Main St., Waynes-boro, VA with Pastor Matthew Coiner officiating. The family will receive friends following the service. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to donate may make donations to the Winter-green Nature Foundation, R.R. 1, Box 770, Roseland, VA 22967. Relatives and friends may share condolences and memories with the family online by visiting www.reynoldshamrickfuneralhomes.com. Published in The Virginian Pilot May 15, 2013

Goodbye and God Bless, Carolyn. You are missed.


This and That Have news to share? Contact Marcey Hunter at 480-4217 or

[email protected] Please continue to keep Don and Ruth Fraser in your thoughts and prayers. Don is at the VA Palliative

Care facility. He welcomes visitors, so let Ruth know if you would like to pay a visit. Wedding bells are in the air! John McGlynn and Donna Looney have decided to take the plunge, and

are planning a wedding in the summer of 2014. This is wonderful news! Congratulations to you! Rev. Ray McGarr has been assigned as senior pastor at a church in Colonial Heights, Wesley United

Methodist Church. Rev. Ray is loving the new assignment so far. For several years, he organized the Kirking of the Tartan at Epworth UMC on the Eastern Shore while he served as pastor there. He is look-

ing into establishing this tradition at his new church. Good luck, Rev. Ray! Manny and Robin Willis will be traveling to Merry Olde England to take part in the Jane Austen Festi-

val in Bath in September. Sounds like a fascinating trip, and we can’t wait to hear all about it! Enjoy! At press time, Skip Hunter is heading to Kabaul, Afghanistan. Chief Hunter will be serving there for

about 10 months. He and Marcey are already planning a trip to Charleston next spring for a Hurling tournament, and a trip to Ireland and Scotland next fall! Hurry home, Chief!

Pixie Treasures has a new home! Proprietors Jeanne and Bob Rider secured a prime spot for the Celtic-themed shop in Lynnhaven Mall. Here’s hoping that business will continue to be booming!

Wish some Gaelic luck to three of our members who are travelling to Nova Scotia for Gaelic Immersion this summer - Connie Smith, Brendan Sweeney and Jason Wilson. Connie and Jason are this year’s Baird Scholarship recipients, and Brendan is a past scholarship recipient. Look for them to provide the

monthly program at the October meeting! Andrea & Colin McGlynn, and Anne McGowan, will be heading to Scotland in a few weeks to visit

family. Colin is excited that he will be meeting his cousins for the first time! Look out, Scotland! Arthur and Anne Korff, who are old hands at planning trips to Scotland, are off to the Outer Hebrides

next month. Anne will give us a fine write up for the next newsletter!

Though the weather was torrential, several SST and St. Andrew’s Society members braved the elements and got together at the Norfolk home of Stacy & Judith Apelt in May for a picnic. Stacy, far left, and Judy are gracious hosts with a lovely backyard and a welcoming deck. The food was plentiful, as was the cold

beer and the lively conversation!


Don Fraser holds the tartan wreath that Lynnette Fitch Brash made for him, using bits of tartan that many members of the Scottish Society donated. Ruth proudly hung it up

on Don’s hospital door, and loves talking about it with Don’s many visitors.

Jason Wilson Wilsons of Oxford

[email protected]

CEUD MILE FAILTE! "One Hundred Thousand Welcomes"

to New SST Members!

Ian Amorosi recently graduated from St. Andrews Uni-versity in Fife, Scotland. Ian studied Medieval and Scot-

tish history with a double major in archaeology. Ian is the son of long-time members Carol and Dave Amorosi,

and the sister of Megan Amorosi Baker. We are so proud of you, Iain!

THISTLEDOWN SUMMER 2013

T he Hampton Roads Hurling Club continues to grow and has had an exciting spring and sum-mer! Hurling, a team stick sport, is known as the fastest game on grass, and it is really starting to take off in America. It’s not too late to check us out and get in-volved in this exciting sport with ancient Irish warrior roots! New hurlers (all ages, genders, and fitness levels), supporters, and people interested in learning to officiate for us are always wel-come! Look us up on Facebook and our website (http://hrhurling.com/) for info on weekly Tuesday (Virginia Beach) and Thursday (Hampton) evening skills practices, Sunday morning scrimmages (Peninsula), and up-coming HRHC activities.

Almost the entire HRHC team plus quite a few of the HRHC spouses and kids traveled down for the inaugural Holy City Cup hurling tournament in Charleston, SC, in May. This tournament was hosted by the Charleston Hurling Club, and they really pulled out all the stops to make it a great week-

end. Also participating in the “clash of the ash” were hurlers from Gaelic Athletic Association teams in Charlotte, NC; Greenville, NC; Carrollton, GA; Atlanta, GA; and Augusta, GA. Ultimately, an impressive Char-lotte team (young and nearly all Irish expats) won the Holy City Cup tournament trophy, but one of our own, Pat O’Carroll, won the “Poc Fada (Long Puck) Cham-pion” award for a ridiculous puck out he made that went from one end of the pitch to the other. The

fierce lady hurlers from Atlanta, who played on a composite team with the lads from Carrollton, won the “Hurling Skills Champion” award as a group.

While we did not get a trophy for it, our team SURELY deserved one for BEING the after party in Charleston at Molly Darcy’s Irish Pub! We descended en masse, arriving early to get things going and closing down everything at the end of the night. When we travel, we bring the craic – we had TWO singers, a piper, a high-land dancer, Scottish whisky, Irish whiskey, American bourbon, and a large rowdy contingent all sport-ing the HRHC colors. Our young, single lads had various additional interesting adventures that are already legendary, but I can’t dis-cuss that any further because, as they say, what happens in Charleston stays in Charleston! We made a big impression, and we look forward to going back in future years and matching that impressive pub showing on the pitch as well. Many thanks to the Charleston Hurling Club and to Molly Darcy’s for their excellent hospitality. Fantastic people, fan-tastic city, fantastic hurling tourna-ment - we shall return!

The Brashes, the Hunters, and Bob Akamine and his girlfriend Erin Kerrick road tripped down for the James Connolly Cup tourna-ment in Charlotte, NC, in June. Edward Brash, Skip Hunter, and Bob Akamine played on a com-posite team made up of hurlers from various Southeast region GAA clubs. Though the Greenville Gaels ultimately won the hurling tournament, the “Irish Volun-teers,” as Edward dubbed the Southeast composite team, held their own. Reffing the match was

Hurley Happenings by Lynnette Fitch Brash

Wouldn’t be a proper team road trip with partying into the wee hours at the local Irish pubs.

Action shot of Edward Brash, #10, against the Atlanta team in Charleston.


Colm Egan, a five-time All Ireland hurling medal winner from Co. Tip-perary; what an honor to have our guys get tips and feedback from him! Colm coaches for the North American GAA in Chicago. As Games Development Administra-tor, he is very interested in foster-ing hurling in our region, and of-fered a special skills competition. The prize was a half set of team jerseys, a very generous prize in-deed! Each team with hurlers in the tournament was allowed to en-ter two hurlers to compete.

It was an exciting competition! Whiskey Bob won the long puck by a large margin in round one. Bob and Edward were the only two to get it over the bar in round two. No one from any team got it over the bar in round three. One of the other teams tied it up in round four. We kept the score tied in round five, so it went to a tie-breaker, which we lost by one shot. SO CLOSE!!! Not bad at all for a rookie club with no Irish-born guys on the pitch that day! This GAA event also included Gaelic football and women’s Gaelic foot-ball. It was very cool seeing the two final teams being piped out onto the pitch by a pipe band in Irish saffron kilts. It was also lovely to hear the Irish national anthem in Irish -- and the “Star Spangled Banner” with an Irish accent! The after party at Connolly’s Irish Pub rounded out the weekend. Many thanks to Charlotte for hosting the tournament, to Connolly’s for a

great after party, and to Colm Egan for all he did to make the tournament awesome!

In addition to the tournaments, some HRHC members have prac-ticed while travelling with other GAA hurling clubs around the country. Skip Hunter practiced with the San Antonio GAA in TX; Ed-ward Brash practiced with the St. Joseph’s Hurling Club in Palo Alto, CA; and Bob Akamine practiced with the Pittsburgh Pucas in Pitts-burgh, PA. Jason Wilson has scrimmaged as part of composite teams down south in Georgia and Carolina. Not only does it strengthen the American GAA for this kind of networking and cama-raderie to exist, but it also helps the individual clubs to improve as they learn by interacting with other clubs.

The HRHC also has close ties to some GAA clubs in Ireland. Pat O’Carroll has established a rela-tionship between the HRHC and his home club, St. Monica’s GAA in Edenmore, Dublin, who were kind enough to supply jerseys for the HRHC lads last year. Liam Walsh has established a “twinning” partnership with his family’s club in Cork. The Glen Rovers Hurling Club in Blackpool, Cork City, wants to help out the HRHC by sending over gear. Many thanks!

The HRHC would like to wish the very best to one of the co-founders, Lee Wangenheim, and his beautiful clann ruadh (wife Les-lie and kids Tristan, Callum, and Moirin) on their move out of the area this summer. We hope to all meet up again on the hurling pitch.

The HRHC also sends wishes for a safe and speedy return to our first goalie, Skip Hunter, who de-ploys this summer to Afghanistan. If we know Skip, he will establish both a hurling team AND a whisky tasting society while he is over there! Rest easy that we all will look after Marcey, your fur babies, and the Red Shoe (official club pub of the HRHC) while you are gone. Haste ye back!

Three members of the HRHC joined with other hurlers for a composite team at the Connoly’s Cup in Charlotte.

The athletes were piped onto and off the field by the Charlotte Pipes & Drum band.


What’s going on with SST members this summer?

T his summer, Donna Looney fulfilled a long-time dream and walked the Way of St. James, or El Camino de Santiago, which is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. Donna hiked about 800k, or 500 miles over the course of several weeks. She made great friends, had incredible food and wine, and then spent another 10 days in Ireland, with John McGlynn joining her. What a memorable experience!

Donna Looney, second from left, met many fellow pilgrims, several of whom have become life-long friends.

Donna was elated as she received her certificate, verifying that she had completed the pilgrimage.

So proud of you, Donna!

Lads of the 76th Regiment of Foot, including past SST Vice-President James Taylor, far right, participated in the “Under the Redcoat” event in the streets of Williamsburg. The regiment camped out, with other Loyalist re-enactors, to re-create

the siege of Williamsburg during the American War of Independence. The event is popular among summertime tourists, as it presents a different perspective of American and Virginian history.


SST Sunday Brunch, July 21, 2013

Andrea & Colin McGlynn Arthur & Anne Korff

Judy & Stacy Apelt

Jason Wilson & Connie Smith Wee Colin and his fiddle.

Eileen & Mark Walker, with grandson Liam.

From left, George & Kathleen Hoffman, and Donna Looney.

Stephanie & James Taylor


In Search of Scotland In New York A Road Trip to The Empire State

by Lynnette Fitch Brash

E dward and I made a dash to New York State for a long weekend visit in late May this year. Our objectives included some family events as well as some cul-tural activities on which the window of opportunity was about to permanently slam shut. Two of those cultural activities were Scottish in nature: THE MODERN HISTORY OF CELTIC JEWELLERY ex-hibit, and Scottish actor Alan Cumming’s performance in MACBETH on Broadway.

The Modern History of Celtic Jewellery exhibit was the brain child of Stephen Walker. I was already a fan of Stephen Walker, having admired his uniquely gor-geous Celtic jewelry designs online for years; he has a Facebook page for his business as well as a website. Stephen Walker is a goldsmith with an MFA. He specializes in Celtic design and has trav-eled extensively throughout the Celtic isles doing research and finding inspira-tion. The stunningly unique frame rings in mixed colors of gold with various gem-stones and iconic Celtic designs incorpo-rated are my favorites of all the beautiful things he creates. His business, Walker Metalsmiths Celtic Jewelry, has two store-front locations: one in Andover, NY and one in Fairport, NY http://www.walkermetalsmiths.com/

I have also heard Skip Hunter refer to Stephen Walker repeatedly as “the Hunter family’s jeweler” over the decades we have now been friends. Many of Skip’s family members have one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces designed by Stephen Walker. I most recently saw one at the SST Tartan Day 2013 celebration: a gor-geous pierced-silver collar necklace Skip’s aunt was wearing! I believe the Celtic ring set with green Iona marble that Skip wears is also a Stephen Walker piece as well. The Hunterston Brooch you may have seen Marcey wear at formal events is also a Stephen Walker creation.

Stephen had the idea to put together an exhibit of modern Celtic pieces from circa

1840 (the beginning of the Celtic Revival) to circa 1980 (the beginning of the current Celtic Renaissance). He persuaded pri-vate collectors here and across the pond to loan him their precious pieces for the temporary exhibit. He also convinced

museum curators and other Celtic art experts from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England to contribute to the exhibit and its accompanying book. In fact, Stephen’s three co-authors for the exhibit book, The Modern History of Celtic Jew-elry 1840-1980, are Dr. Tara Kelly, a Trin-ity grad, art historian, and curator; Dr. E. Mairi MacArthur, a St. Andrews and Uni-versity of Edinburgh grad as well as an expert on art from Iona; and Aidan Breen, a Dublin native and owner of Aidan Breen Gold and Silversmith. Stephen is the main author and the editor of the book. His

wife, Susan Walker, did the professional photography for it, which makes the book a pleasure to look at as well as read.

The book is available for purchase in both of the Walker Metalsmiths Celtic Jewelry locations as well as on Amazon, which is how I bought it prior to my visit to see the exhibit. The book is paperback, but I am proud to add it to my personal library nonetheless. It is well worth order-ing for anyone with a serious interest in Celtic art, Celtic history, Celtic jewelry, and/or Celtic craftsmanship. The specifi-

Stephen Walker signs Lynnette’s copy of The Modern History of Celtic Jewellrey.

A wall tapestry by Inverness artist Ruth Black. Beautiful!

“The stunningly unique frame rings in mixed colors of gold with various gem-stones and iconic Celtic designs incorporated are

my favorites of all the beautiful things Walker creates.”


cally Scottish sections include chapters on “The Highland Dirk as Jewellery”, “Scottish Pebble Jewellery”, “Luckenbooth brooches,” and “Post WWII Scottish Celtic Jewellery”. Specifically Irish sections include chapters on “The Claddagh Ring” and “Commercial Fac-similes of Irish Archeological Jewellery, 1840-1868”. Celtic Cross jewelry and marker’s marks and hallmarks are cov-ered as well.

The book makes a great present, espe-cially if you can visit one of Stephen’s shops; he will be happy to personally inscribe it to whomever you want for whatever occasion you wish. In fact, Stephen’s shops are packed full of awe-some presents for yourself or anyone else on your list with Celtic heritage and/or interests. I was able to pick up a beau-tiful silver Luckenbooth brooch for a cousin’s baby shower and a silver St. Bridget’s cross pendant for my aunt/godmother. In addition to jewelry, there are also beautiful Celtic items of clothing and home décor. For example, I saw some gorgeous small wall tapestries there by a Scottish artist based in Inver-ness named Ruth Black with whom I was not previously familiar. Her textile work is very unique and incorporates fabrics such as Harris Tweed (her mother is from the Isle of Harris) and techniques such a tra-punto, hand-dyeing, and embroidery.

To be honest, Edward was not really looking forward to the Celtic Jewellery exhibit; he was going just to be a good husband! But when we got there, he ended up really enjoying talking with Stephen AND checking out the exhibit.

Stephen, like many Celts, is a great story-teller. That particular morning, he was being contacted by various news organi-zations as an expert on Celtic jewelry because of some medallion that had been discovered in Florida!

When we passed Skip’s regards along, Stephen immediately launched into a discussion of the Hunter Clan, many of whom live in that part of New York. He especially commented with great respect on Skip’s paternal grandmother, who is a very impressive woman. Edward and I met her at Skip and Marcey’s wedding, and we both thoroughly enjoyed talking with her. Stephen clearly reveres her. Stephen plays the pipes, as does his own mother, and so he has been to many of the Highland Games on the east coast of the US and Canada that I had been to when I used to be a competing Highland dancer. And, as it turns out, there’s a wee connection between the Walkers and the Fitches as well. Several of Stephen’s family members taught at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, which my father and his nine siblings attended, in the Vil-lage of Fayetteville, NY!

Stephen walked us through the exhibit and gave us special insights into how certain things were made or where they came from, which Edward and I both loved. The collection was quite impres-sive. Stephen would have liked for it to be able to tour so more people could see

it, but that wasn’t possible for security reasons with so many valuable pieces belonging to other people. Edward and I independently decided our favorite piece in the exhibit was the Dunvegan Teapot. Sterling silver with a dragon head for a spout, it was made in Dublin in 1914. We were both also excited to see an an-tique Highland dirk carved of bog oak and a sterling silver and enamel GAA champi-onship medal in the exhibit! The Scottish-pebble-inlaid jewelry reminded me of my friend Peggy Marshall’s awesome antique Scottish pebble brooch collection, and the Celtic Revival penannulars reminded me of my friend Heather Hanchett Burns’s astonishing collection of genuine Water-house brooches. I wish they both could have been there to see the exhibit, too!

All good things must come to an end, so Edward and I had to wrap up our visit with Stephen and get back on the road for our next destination. Edward took some pic-tures of the exhibit while Stephen in-scribed my copies of the exhibit book. And then we were off!

Our final destination was New York City, where we were THRILLED to see the National Theatre of Scotland produc-tion of “The Scottish Play” by William Shakespeare starring Scottish actor Alan Cumming on Broadway. WOW! It was mind boggling! Only three actors were used to enact the entire play live. It was so cleverly done, especially the “supernatural” and psychological ele-ments. Edward and I were both abso-lutely riveted from start to finish. I have read Macbeth many times, taught it to at least three classes a year for twelve years, and seen countless live produc-tions and film versions. This version was brilliant. Just genius. Alan Cumming is phenomenal and put on the performance of a lifetime. And how lovely to hear the lines in a Scottish accent! From now on, in my mind, Alan Cumming’s insane, am-bitious, jealous, murderous, AND re-morsefully broken-hearted Macbeth IS Macbeth. This production really got into the heart, psyche, and soul of the play.

Editors Note: For additional images

from Stephen Walker, see page 15.

The Dunvegan Teapot, Sterling silver with a dragon head for a spout, was made in Dublin in

1914. It is on display at Modern History of Celtic Jewellery exhibit

“Alan Cumming’s insane, ambitious, jealous, murderous, AND remorsefully broken-hearted

Macbeth IS Macbeth.” Shakespeare’s “The Scottish Play” is currently on Broadway.


E ven before Canada existed as a nation, the Antigonish Highland Games (AHG) were being celebrated. This year’s Games marked 150 years of this Scottish tradition. The Games have expanded greatly since the first gathering in 1863, but the competitions remain keen. In the original Games, there were piping and dancing competitions, races over uneven ground and the throwing of stones and cabers. Today, the piping and drumming competitions take place in a beautiful shaded Piper’s Glen, the dancers enjoy the double triangular shape of a shaded “springy” stage, and the runners compete on an all-weather track at nearby St. Fran-cis Xavier University. From the top of the grandstand one can simultaneously take in the dancing, heavy events, pipe band competitions and tug-of-war.

This year’s three-day event benefited by excellent sunny, hot weather and served as an unofficial homecoming for thou-sands of Antigonishers. The beer and entertainment tent was doing a thriving business because of the heat and good music. Many in the audience jumped up on the dance floor when Rodney Mac-Donald and his cousin, Glenn Graham, started bowing their fiddles. The kilts were swaying to the jigs and reels on those from two to ninety-two. The step dancers took turns as well. I overheard a spectator say that on the previous day he pulled

himself away from the Ceilidh Stage (the beer tent) at 2 a.m. where Rogues & Sig-nal Hill were rocking. Missed that!

I think it was 1948 when I first started attending these Highland Games, travel-ing down the thirty-five miles from New Glasgow with family and friends. I have missed very few Games over the years. A lot has not changed: I still hear the Gaelic being spoken here and there as I move through the crowds, and there is great

camaraderie among both competitors and visitors alike. However, as time moves on I have seen tremendous improvements in the quality of the dancing and piping and greater consistency in the judging. The introduction of international rules in grad-ing has helped tremendously for both.

The same can be said for conformity in dress. For dancing competitions, as a young girl I wore a balmoral, sporran and hand-knitted argyle socks with my Mac-Donald tartan kilt and plaidie. The girl be-side me might also be wearing “miles” of starched lace under her black velvet jacket, but that is all we would have in common. Thank goodness for new rules and similarity. It’s much easier on the eyes!

For those of you who missed these Games, these were some of the highlights for David and me: cheering on the com-petitors of the 5-mile road race as they came down Main Street just before the beginning of the parade; listening to at least eight pipe bands as they paraded past us on their way to Columbus Field; watching the wee lassies and premier dancers performing not only the Fling, Sword Dance and Seann Truibhas, but some of the reels, Scottish Lilt and Sailor’s Hornpipe as well; listening to the difficult piobaireachd competition in the shady Piper’s Glen; trying to discern the differ-ences in the pipe bands, grades five to one.

Master of Ceremonies Francis Brebner’s commentary, with his beautiful Scottish burr, added much to the enjoyment of the heavy events competition. This Interna-tional Highland Games Federation World Team Championship saw competitors from Scotland, Poland, the USA and Can-ada, and was one of the most exciting I had seen over the years. On the first day, the caber toss defeated all except Dan McKim from Kansas City, Missouri, and that required sawing six inches from its length. There were four successful tosses

First Hand Account of the Oldest Highland Games Outside of Scotland: Antigonish 2013

by Nancy Montgomery

This year, the AHG was host to the World Highland Games Team Championship in

Heavy Athletics.

Highland Dancing has been a part of the AHG since its beginning 150 years ago.


At Your Service MUSIC

Newport News Police Pipe & Drum Corps

Tom Crouch [email protected] http://newportnewspolicepipe.homestead.com

Pipers For Hire Rob Lockwood [email protected]

http://www.roblockwood.com

Scottish Gaelic Song Performances Edward Brash [email protected]

Connie Smith [email protected]

CELTIC DANCE

Scottish Highland Dancing Scottish Dance Theatre of Virginia

Eleanor Unger [email protected]

Scottish Highland Dancing Scottish Ceilidh (Social) Dancing, &

Scottish Step Dancing Lynnette Fitch Brash [email protected]

Southside Ceili(dh) Class & Irish Ceili Dancing

Lisa Hunt [email protected]

MISC.

Kilts, Alterations Christine Lawler [email protected]

Photography - British Isles Manny Willis [email protected]

Photography - Scotland

Linda Lucas [email protected]

Scottish Gaelic Lessons Scots Gaelic Society of Tidewater

Marcey Hunter [email protected]

Travel in Scotland Highland Ways

Arthur & Anne Korff 757-596-6063 [email protected]

Scotch Whisky Tasting

Mike Lawler [email protected]

on the final day including McKim. He and his teammate Sean Betz of Omaha, Ne-braska were overall winners in this crowd-pleasing event.

The other great favorite is the tug-of-war. The ten-man team on each side for the men’s contest can weigh no more than 1700 lbs. This meant that some of these lads had to doff their heavy protec-tive suede jackets to qualify. The ten la-

dies are allowed a total of 1450 lbs. The grandstands were filled to witness the Pictou County men best the Antigonish team in the finals. Antigonish evened the score when their ladies pulled the anchor for the Pictonians over the line.

Last year David and I attended the pre-miere of a very moving play, Ships of 1801, and it was offered again during Games Week this year. It tells the story of

five ships that carried Scottish settlers to Pictou County, Nova Scotia in 1801: the Sarah, the Dove, the Nora, the Hope and the Good Intent. The story was told through original music, stories and dance. Some of it was sung in the Gaelic. It is a serious work and was written to help the many living descendants in Nova Scotia understand the courage and persever-ance of these hardy souls. I am one of those descendants on the Forbes side of the family.

Needless to say, this was a very memo-rable Antigonish Highland Games, and I hope some of you will consider attending in 2014. It is well worth the drive. For further information on this year’s Games and results in the competitions go to www.antigonishhighlandgames.ca.

Och, ye braw lads! Pictou Co. beat out Antigonish Co. this year. Well done!


Calendar of Upcoming Events Sunday, July 21

SST Brunch Meeting Park Lane Pub

Address Website

Please RSVP to Marcey at [email protected]

Wednesday, August 7 SST Monthly Meeting and William Wallace Night

Church of the Ascension, 7 pm Join us to commemorate the 708th anniversary of

William Wallace’s murder. We will show a DVD detailing Wallace’s life and

legacy. This is a pot luck affair. Please bring a tasty dish to

share.

Saturday, August 24 Acoustic Music Gathering

Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd., Va. Beach, 10:30am

with concerts and workshops throughout the day, featuring Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Americana, Folk,

Old-Time and Singer-Songwriter. Sponsored by the Tidewater Friends of Acoustic

Music (formerly TFFM) All events FREE & open to the public

THERE IS NO SEPTEMBER SST MEETING IN

LIEU OF THE PICNIC ON SEPTEMBER 14

Saturday, September 14 Annual Picnic

Joint picnic hosted by the SST, the St. Andrew’s Society of Tidewater, and the Irish Society of Tide-

water. Church of the Ascension picnic shelter.

Wednesday, October 2 SST Monthly Meeting

Church of the Ascension, 7 pm social time, 7:30 pm program. Program will feature our Baird

Scholarship recipients. Please bring a snack to share and/or an item for

the Church food pantry.

Saturday, October 5 Harpeth Rising

Celtic, Old Time, Hungarian Music Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library

4100 Virginia Beach Blvd., Va. Beach, 7pm Sponsored by the Tidewater Friends of Acoustic

Music (formerly TFFM) $19 General Admission

Sunday, November 10 Kirking of the Tartan

Knox Presbyterian Church 427 West 37th Street (Corner of 37th Street & Co-

lonial Avenue) 23508-3209 Times: 10:30 A.M. (Line-up); 11:00 A.M. (Worship

Service); 12:15 P.M. (Reception)

Scottish Summer Treats - Cranachan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread oats out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until nut-brown. Set aside to cool. Remove them from the pan for faster cooling.

In a medium bowl, whip the cream to firm peaks, but not

grainy. Gently fold in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and toasted oats. Spoon into 4 serving bowls, and top with fresh berries. For an extra touch, drizzle a bit of Highland Whisky over each serving. Garnish with a mint leaf.

1/2 cup rolled oats 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh berries 1 tablespoon Highland Whisky (optional) 4 fresh mint leaves for gar-nish (optional)


Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis delighted with degree honour from the Ross-Shire Journal, 7-15-2013

ACCLAIMED Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis has received an honorary degree from Robert Gordon University in recognition of her worldwide promotion of traditional Scottish music and the language.

Julie, a former Dingwall Academy pupil who was presented with the honorary degree of Doctor of Music (Hon DMus) at a ceremony in Aberdeen on Friday, is delighted that her singing and music is being recognised in this way.

She admits that whilst a student in Glasgow she was terrified of singing solo. However, in the past few years she has led the traditional Flower of Scotland

anthem in front of the Tartan Army at Hampden Park, performed live in front of a 500 million-strong television audience at the closing ceremony of the Ryder Cup, has just returned from supporting Runrig on their 40th anniversary tour and sang Touch the Sky, the theme tune for Disney Pixar’s award-winning animation Brave.

Julie was brought up on the island of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides but left when she was a teenager and moved to Ross-shire. She went on to attend the University of Strathclyde to study the oboe and the Cor Anglais and received a BA (Hons) in Applied Music in 2000.

After university, Julie attended the Gaelic-language college, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye, to improve her Gaelic and to immerse herself in traditional music and song.

Following this, she returned to Ross-shire, taking a job as a music development officer between 2001 and 2004. So began her increasingly successful musical career, becoming a band member of Dòchas, then as a solo artist and more re-cently as a broadcaster.

Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Music by Robert

Gordon University

More Celtic Jewelry from Stephen Walker http://celtarts.com/

Scottish Society of Tidewater, Inc. c/o Marcey Hunter 301 E. Randall Ave. Norfolk, VA 23503 www.tidewaterscots.org

Traditional Celtic Music Ensemble, Glasgow Kiss, weaves the melodies of guitar, fiddle and small

pipes into a musical tapestry rich with the history of Scotia and Hibernia. From haunting tunes of

vanquished heroes to the toe-tapping of an Irish jig or Scottish reel, Glasgow Kiss will make your

event special and memorable. For Schedule, http://www.glasgowkiss.org/

Or check them out on Facebook.

summer 2013 summer scottish happeningsbrash/sst/thistledown/... · 2013-07-26 · the thistledown...

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