The Gathering 2014 – Upcoming Event News

[Mael Coluim]

Press Release – October 11th 2012
CLANS TO JOIN BANNOCKBURN WEEKEND 2014
Scotland’s clan chiefs and clans are to come together in 2014 to celebrate the 700th
anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn with a re-enactment weekend near Stirling
organised by the National Trust for Scotland. A clan village will be set up and the
town will be bright with tartan as Scotland marks the anniversary of the battle and
remembers the fallen.
The Convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, Sir Malcolm MacGregor of
MacGregor said: ‘We are delighted to be included in what will be a momentous
event for Scotland. Bannockburn is a key event for us because it happened at the
dawn of the Scottish clan system. We hope that thousands of Scots, both here and
overseas, will now get behind the weekend and return to their roots to help us
remember what was a pivotal period of our history.’
The event has been planned for the last weekend in June to allow the clans to be
part of this major re-enactment which will also be open for the public to come
along and experience this momentous event in Scottish history. There are more
than 150 clan chiefs and hundreds of clan societies across the world. Interest is
expected to be highest in North America, where there are some thirty million people
with Scots’ ancestry.
Sir Malcolm MacGregor continued - ‘I – and nine other chiefs – will be at a clan
conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on 19th October telling people about the 2014 reenactment
at Bannockburn and other regional events. The battle is a key part of
Scottish history and the American clan leaders are keen to support us. We have
been in discussions with the National Trust about the event. Their record on
producing historical re-enactments is second to none. We are honoured to have the
chance to work with them.’
Tom Chambers, Director of Homecoming 2014 said.... ‘It makes sense to have the
Clans closely involved with the Re-enactment and this is promising to be a great
event. As part of the Homecoming 2014 programme, we are also looking at other
ways we might be able to support clan events outside of Stirling, so that we reach
clan homelands in every part of Scotland.’
FOR MORE INFORMATION – CONTACT FRANK WHERRETT, SECRETARY OF THE
STANDING COUNCIL OF SCOTTISH CHIEFS – ON: frank.wherrett1@talktalk.net

[ThistleDown]

The following letter from Sir Malcolm Macgregor of Macgregor to members of the Standing Council, dated yesterday:

Dear Chiefs,

This email comes as an update on 2014.

As you know Stirling Council decided in the New Year to lay on a clan gathering in July 2014 and announced the fact in March 2011. That led to considerable excitement and anticipation overseas.

The whole aspect of 2014 came to a head a month ago with the imminence of the COSCA /SCSC seminar at Stone Mountain Games on 19th October 2012. 2014 is on the agenda, but there was nothing to say about it.

This led to some serious questions in respect of the plans at Stirling and what was really going on. The overall problem was one of securing a site at Stirling for a large scale gathering which has proved to be very difficult. Consequently there will be no official clan gathering at Stirling in 2014.

The concept now is for a realignment of events to take place in order to:
a) really focus on Bannockburn itself - a key battle at the dawn of the clan system.
and
b) build a strong emphasis on good quality regional events, many of which will be clan based.

The Plans are as follows:

Part 1 is for the National Trust reenactment of the battle of Bannockburn on 28, 29, 30 June 2014 to be a signature event in 2014. An extra day has been added to accommodate the clans. In addition to the re-enactment there will be a distinctive, good quality clan village at the site. The National Trust will run all of this and have done reenactments before at Bannockburn so there is a high degree of confidence in this event. There is also the new visitor centre which will employ state of the art 3-D technology to interpret the battle.

Part 2 is for greater emphasis to be given to regional clan type events such as highland games in which there might be clan participation in 2014. An example is the Aboyne Games in which some 8 clans participate. Reference has also been made to SW Scotland and the Inverness area. The Highland Games council are in discussion with Event Scotland about how to regain the initiative in a fall off in attendance over the years. I am due to meet them at some point to see if the SCSC can help in some way.

Somewhat fortuitously, Glamis Castle is planning a gathering type event in July 2014. I have met with the management there and things are looking very good - providing they get the funding. This event will be of high quality in a fantastic location.

The overall concept behind part 2 is to give greater prominence to the regions, which should go down well with some members of the SCSC and other organisations. In my view it is an interesting concept and one that might bode well for the future. Frank Wherrett has been doing some detailed work on the contribution of the clans to local economies. This still has to be worked up into a formal paper but there is very strong evidence that clans make significant contributions to specific localities in various ways.

Part 3. This is the anticipated clan convention which in the absence of a gathering in 2014 assumes greater importance and will be run at Stirling University for a day sometime between 27 June and 2 July 2014. Owing to the uncertainties over the gathering, little progress has been made here but this should be rectified in the coming months. This convention will build on 2009 and the seminar in 2012 at Stone Mountain.

Other aspects. There might be a march and a concert type event at Stirling Castle - depending on what can be organised and whether there is demand.

There will be announcements made on this realignment of events in 2014 in the next couple of days.

Stone Mountain Seminar

There are some 10 chiefs attending Stone Mountain this year. Consequently the standing council with COSCA is running a seminar on the afternoon of 19th October EST. It is anticipated that this seminar can be watched on the internet. Once the link is confirmed I will forward that to you all under separate cover. Start time will be approximately 7.00 pm UK time.

Alex Leslie will shortly be sending out a newsletter which contains all the details of the seminar and who is involved.

With best wishes,

Malcolm

[Jock Scot]

Order------counter order------dis-order.

[Chas]

The more I hear the less I understand.

Why is it so important to go to Atlanta, Georgia to tell people about an event which we are now told is not a 'Gathering'. But in the same bulletin they say "Bannockburn is a natural pairing for the second Gathering as is explained in the SCSC press release." Anyway, I thought that 2009 had been the second gathering as there had already been one in the 70s.

Would it not be better for all these Chiefs (and the others who aren't going), to go round Scotland and tell the Scottish people what is going on?

And what is this "2nd International Clan Convention", that is going to be held instead of a gathering?

So what is the big draw, the big event, that is going to bring people from the other side of the world? Not a Highland Games, because that is happening separately.

And what is the "Council of Scottish Clans & Associations" and why is it involved? Can't Scottish people put on an event without consulting the Americans? A vast number of kilts worn today are made in Sialkot, so are the Chiefs off to Pakistan next?

In the words of Private Frazer from Dad's Army -

Dooomed, they're all Dooomed!

Regards

Chas

[Cecil]

Well I guess it remains to be seen what will happen? My Chief Lorne MacLaine will be at this meeting in Atlanta. Looking forward to hearing what is to come and to begin the planning.

[thescot]

The more I hear the less I understand.

Why is it so important to go to Atlanta, Georgia to tell people about an event which we are now told is not a 'Gathering'. But in the same bulletin they say "Bannockburn is a natural pairing for the second Gathering as is explained in the SCSC press release." Anyway, I thought that 2009 had been the second gathering as there had already been one in the 70s.

Would it not be better for all these Chiefs (and the others who aren't going), to go round Scotland and tell the Scottish people what is going on?

And what is this "2nd International Clan Convention", that is going to be held instead of a gathering?

So what is the big draw, the big event, that is going to bring people from the other side of the world? Not a Highland Games, because that is happening separately.

And what is the "Council of Scottish Clans & Associations" and why is it involved? Can't Scottish people put on an event without consulting the Americans? A vast number of kilts worn today are made in Sialkot, so are the Chiefs off to Pakistan next?

In the words of Private Frazer from Dad's Army -

Dooomed, they're all Dooomed!

Regards

Chas

Chas, I wasn't consulted, but I would guess that the chiefs who will be in Atlanta next week chose the date for convenience as well as the opportunity to hit up something like 50,000 people. I'm pretty sure coming to Atlanta wasn't a requirement, but when you consider the number of US citizens who might be interested and the money they would bring, it sounds pretty wise to me that they might want to advertise here since they'll be in the neighborhood anyway.

Of course, there is no problem at all with "Scottish people put[ting] on an event without consulting the Americans," and if the Scots do not want American consultation or participation--or the money that comes with it--then that could easily be made plain to everyone, including the 50,000 coming to Atlanta. And the folks on Xmarks. And the it sounds like you do not want American participation. That's fair enough; an event that is aimed at one's own nation is admirable and fun and patriotic, but the chiefs, who seem to be behind this effort, might be the ones to whom you should carry your concerns. I had thought this was to be an international celebration of Scots and the clans (which would necessitate including other folks, like Americans), but a more localized, Scotland-centric event is another thing altogether, and perhaps that is what is intended. Perhaps I misunderstood. Perhaps the Tourist Board should not advertise the event.

I am personally happy to keep my money in my own pocket if it's not wanted somewhere. I always vote with my feet. Just tell me. I can handle it.

[Chas]

Chas, I wasn't consulted, but I would guess that the chiefs who will be in Atlanta next week chose the date for convenience as well as the opportunity to hit up something like 50,000 people. I'm pretty sure coming to Atlanta wasn't a requirement, but when you consider the number of US citizens who might be interested and the money they would bring, it sounds pretty wise to me that they might want to advertise here since they'll be in the neighborhood anyway.

Of course, there is no problem at all with "Scottish people put[ting] on an event without consulting the Americans," and if the Scots do not want American consultation or participation--or the money that comes with it--then that could easily be made plain to everyone, including the 50,000 coming to Atlanta. And the folks on Xmarks. And the it sounds like you do not want American participation. That's fair enough; an event that is aimed at one's own nation is admirable and fun and patriotic, but the chiefs, who seem to be behind this effort, might be the ones to whom you should carry your concerns. I had thought this was to be an international celebration of Scots and the clans (which would necessitate including other folks, like Americans), but a more localized, Scotland-centric event is another thing altogether, and perhaps that is what is intended. Perhaps I misunderstood. Perhaps the Tourist Board should not advertise the event.

I am personally happy to keep my money in my own pocket if it's not wanted somewhere. I always vote with my feet. Just tell me. I can handle it.

Jim - Do not put words in my mouth! That is not what I said, as you full well know.

You seem to have selectively missed the point of my post, which is that we have been given a lot of words and promises but it is a bit short on content. Any Bannockburn activity is being organised by an another agency. They want us top come, but what are they giving us to entice us.

I am personally happy to keep my money in my own pocket if it's not wanted somewhere. I always vote with my feet. Just tell me. I can handle it.

So, you are not coming because of a post I made? Oh I wish that I had so much influence.

I don't wish to argue, Jim, but just for the record:

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (the world's largest arts festival), happens every year in Edinburgh. The 2011 Fringe sold 1,877,119 tickets for 41,689 performances of 2,542 shows, in 258 venues, over 25 days,for an average of more than 75,000 admissions and 1,360 performances per day. There were an estimated 21,192 performers, from 60 countries participating. And they have been doing this since 1947.

The Scots know how to put on an event, but so far we have seen precious little evidence of content for this event.

Regards

Chas

[thescot]

Chas, it certainly was not my intent to put words in your mouth; that's why I quoted you. But the words you chose certainly seemed petulant at best.

I may not have known what you meant. All I know is what you wrote. That's all I had to go on, and while I do not wish to argue either, I note that you objected to "go[ing] to America" and "consulting the Americans," which seemed pretty clear in tone if not intent. I was more than a little offended, and I do not offend easily.

If I was wrong, then I apologize to one and all for my poor powers of perception.

[chewse]

Is there an "official" website that provides the latest news concerning the 2014 Clan Gathering near Stirling? The links in Mael Colium's post are not working for me. Also, can someone explain the June dates for the Clan Gathering verses the July dates for the Stirling Castle celerbration? I'm really not dense but just trying to understand the differences.

[AcuteEnigma]

It might make sense to wait for clarification until AFTER the meeting where these things will be decided. No?

I will be at that meeting Friday afternoon and will take notes and will tweet if they allow it.
@AcuteEnigma on Twitter.

There will also be a webcast of that meeting.

Cannot really give answers when these things have not been decided yet, but I will write down all these questions and take them with me and try to ask them for you.

Any other questions you want me to take along???

I wish to send a humongousthank you to the Chiefs for taking this on. It is a difficult and thankless task if we remember how Jamie was treated by some.

Just remember, to complain is to volunteer.