Family traditions

[Gael Ridire]

I have always been interested in family history beginning as a small boy. I'm one of the rare one's in that I knew my great-grandparents. Being the only child, of an only child, of an only child, I must say I've felt the pressure to continue the family gene pool. So in the last 30 plus years I've research and written down the family history. It was attending my first Highland festival in 1989, that I realized that the next step was teaching my children about their ancestral traditions.

We attended every Scottish festival that we could and joined the state Scottish Association. Dressed our kids in kilts, etc. One day in the car one son exclaimed, "Look he's Scottish!" Pointing to a man walking down the street in a plaid shirt. One day in church, during a special piano number of Bach, my other son yelled out, "But Dad, there's no bagpipes!" Yep, the teaching was taking hold.


(Estes Park, CO Celtic Festival 1992/93: My family represented Clan Kennedy.)

Then they became teenagers, and grew out of their kilts. Scouting events were always scheduled when there were Scottish events and the traditions faded away.

Tonight (Tuesday 23 Aug), we had a family meeting during my birthday party. And I talked about how important it was that my children and grandchildren learn, teach, and practice the traditions we (my wife & I) were developing for the family. Now I know there has been some discussions about mixing traditions & cultures; sorry, but that is what I'm doing. To me the Irish & Scots are the same. Yes I'm a mud-blood, my forefather's were almost all early immigrants, but the two most important bloodlines to me are my paternal (O'Brien of County Clare, Ireland) & maternal (Alcorn/Robertson of County Donegal, Ireland) lines. Attending that first Scots festival was like coming home, and strapping on the kilt I feel plugged in to my forefathers. It remind me of where I come from, and who I am. Again yes, I'm combining Irish & Scottish traditions. Irish really didn't wear tartan kilts, over 100 yrs ago decided to adopt the plain kilt. Cool. Tonight the family chose the wear the O'Brien Ancient tartan to honor our surname and to honor our Scottish lines too. They opted to get expensive kilts over the PV ones. To wear them to family functions (baby blessings, weddings, funerals, etc.). Plus our house our children & spouses will meet at one Sunday every month for diner and where their kilts. Attend Celtic functions, etc. It is going to take awhile to save up for the O'Brien Ancient tartan, and I don't know if having a bolt will be cheaper in the long run to make five kilts & plaids, three skirts & sashes. Plus there's finding the molds of our personal arms badges, or having them molded and cast again.

And hey, it just not the Gael/Celtic heritage; I told both my sons that even though their wives have Scots surnames (Ritchie/Makintosh & Baillie), they need to make sure that their children learn about their mothers Jewish & Samoan heritage too.

Now, I gotta get this weight off and it is hard when the meds you must take make one gain weight! But hey, I've lost 12 pounds, just thirty more to go! But hey, it looks like the traditions will continue on.

[Bugbear]

Interesting you say, to you, Irish and Scots are the same.

The Scottishness of my family, at least the side I know most about, turned out to be Irish and English. There went the rug...

I knew great-grandparents on one side of my family, as well. It's probably possible to argue I do carry on some of their traditions; though in a transmuted form in a few cases. I'll have to ponder that...

Good luck with the weight loss.

[Laird_M]

We are also keen to revitalise our Highland heritage, my eldest son especially.

We are a family of Theravadan Buddhist as my wife is Sri Lankan, but even she wears a pendant with our clan crest, and is thinking about getting a skirt in MacLeod of Harris.

We're intending for me to wear my kilt on Burns Night, National Tartan Day, St Andrews Day, and even Xmas.

Also to any Highalnd events we can afford to go to. Next year we're planning on going to Dumfires and Galloway for our family holiday and the kilt will be worn then.

Due to kids growing fast, we're not going to get them a kilt until they're in their teens, but we're buying them jewellery with the crest and will be passing our titles down to them.

The only issue I've found so far, aside from my brother having research a VERY linear family tree and denying all of our family history ("we've got no Scottish or Welsh blood at all, no matter what everyone said" - including a sadly departed friend who was a professional genealogist...), is that the published 'histories' and lineage vary depending on the expert.

Well done for keeping your family history and traditions alive! The more of us that do it, the safer they will be and be preserved down the ages.

[Cygnus]

Good for you!

You had expressed sadness at the fact that your sons didn't seem to be carrying on your traditions (at least the heraldic ones), so I'm very pleased to read that you confronted it and did something about it!

My mother always insisted that the "Swans" in my family tree were Irish, because the earliest birthplace we could identify was Cork in 1799. Some research on my part soon showed that my fourth great grandfather and his wife were in Ireland with the military to put down the "1798 Uprising". I'm still digging through any of the old military rolls I can find from the time to try and determine if he served in a regiment or went along in a support role.

But this isn't my thread, and I apologize for being long-winded. It's great that the traditions are alive and that your children love and respect you enough to keep them alive - that says a great deal about you as a father.

[Laird_M]

It's great that the traditions are alive and that your children love and respect you enough to keep them alive - that says a great deal about you as a father.

Very well put!

[Gael Ridire]

Thanks for such kind remarks. I too was quite suprised! One daughter-in-law thinks it is kinda' weird to care about this, but we shall see when she gets a copy of the Scottish Baillie book that is on her family genealogy. Her cousin who has it decided to copy it because the pages are brittle and crumpling.

As far as researching one's genealogy. Ya, there really is only one set of truth. I've got several branches of the family upset with me for proving various family stories wrong. However, I want to know the truth, therefore I use only documents to prove the facts. I still include the family stories, but then state what the facts prove them right or wrong. Still folks get upset.

[macwilkin]

Thanks for such kind remarks. I too was quite suprised! One daughter-in-law thinks it is kinda' weird to care about this, but we shall see when she gets a copy of the Scottish Baillie book that is on her family genealogy. Her cousin who has it decided to copy it because the pages are brittle and crumpling.

As far as researching one's genealogy. Ya, there really is only one set of truth. I've got several branches of the family upset with me for proving various family stories wrong. However, I want to know the truth, therefore I use only documents to prove the facts. I still include the family stories, but then state what the facts prove them right or wrong. Still folks get upset.

Reminds me of my days as a genealogical librarian.

Guid on ya for passing along the family history to the next generation.

T.

[Burly Brute]

Men in general need to be more focused and take charge of directing their families down good paths. I applaud you for that. It also seems that in my neck of the woods there are a few heritages that are much more praised than that of the gaels/celts/picts/angles/etc. It is probably due to proximity, but it is a shame nonetheless!

Either way, I applaud you for your dedication and wish to do the same for my children some day should I be so blessed.

[Gael Ridire]

Burly Brute - Thanks for the kind words. As I look back I believe that I focused to much on attending events and not more internalizing the traditions. It really blew me away when my one son stated that he wanted a kilt to wear to family functions of import and opted to get a tank kilt instead of the PV type. I really think that having all my children's families attend once a month for a formal diner at the house in kilt will help this get ingrained.

Your time will come. Think it over and what you want to do, and make sure you talk about it with your lovely companion. A Scot I knew came here to the states for college. He was a piper, and wanted to have a kilted wedding. His bride said "no way" and that she never wanted him to wear a kilt again or play the pipes. Yuck!!!

[castledangerous]

<snip>A Scot I knew came here to the states for college. He was a piper, and wanted to have a kilted wedding. His bride said "no way" and that she never wanted him to wear a kilt again or play the pipes. Yuck!!!

He should've dropped her like a ton of bricks!