NewWorldCelts @ Stone Mtn

[thescot]

. . .
Firstly,is it normal for people to wander around these events with a dirk at hip and even a basket hilted sword attached to one chap's waist?

Secondly,I notice that some women are wearing the kilt complete with sporran and Sgian Dubh tucked into the sock.Again,is this a common practice?

I would add to Shriner's comments:

1st question: Sure, why not? Sgian dhus were plentiful, and many folks like to wear their dirks (in varying degrees of formality), though I never wear one myself except for formal evening wear. Some folks tend to wear period dress more than regular highland attire. (Scotty Thompson always warned that it would look silly to a Scot, and I suspect he was right.) It's really not unusual for rural folks to wear a knife of some sort on the hip, and probably 2/3 of the men around have a pocket knife anyway. I think they think of the dirk as just another knife that looks Scottish.

2nd: I don't think it's really common for women to wear men's kilts unless they're in a pipe band, but some do. The lady at the New World Celts tent was one of the few who--in my own useless opinion--looks really good in a kilt. Most of the women at the games were in ladies' dresses or skirts, I think, more than kilts.

As you can see, it was quite a group--thousands attend every year.

[Shriner]

Thanks, Thescot

It was great to meet and hang with you and your lovely wife. I look forward to doing it again and again. See you soon....

John

[gilmore]

Whilst I was enjoying the photographs of the event at Stone Mountain, a couple of questions occurred to me.I hasten to add that these questions should not be taken in anyway as criticisms,but more as observations.

Firstly,is it normal for people to wander around these events with a dirk at hip and even a basket hilted sword attached to one chap's waist?

Secondly,I notice that some women are wearing the kilt complete with sporran and Sgian Dubh tucked into the sock.Again,is this a common practice?

I never wear a dirk at these events, but some---a few---do. And basket hilted swords. And claymores strapped to their backs. And a targe on their arm complete with a spike in its center. There was one fellow in chain mail. And a kilted Santa Claus/Father Christmas. There were men great kilts tied in all sorts of adventurous ways, acompanied by women in bodices and long tartan skirts. A couple of re enactors in 18th century uniforms with musket and sword. Some over here do relate to Highland games as a costume event.

It is always amusing to keep an eye on the "honored guest" of the games, who is usually one of the clan chiefs, a well-bred aristocrat with generations of sang-froid behind him. They do a truly masterful job of not letting their eyeballs fall out of their sockets. But I would like to be a fly on the wall of their hotel room at the end of the day.

Many of the women whom you saw in kilts and sporrans were probably in pipe bands and dressed for that. From the photos I have seen of Scottish bands, it seems fewer women participate there than here. Or they may have been simply transvestites.

What probably are in a minority are people who dress like most contemporary Scots would at such an event. E.g., few in Tartan Army gear. Among older guys there are more who dress in ways that you would be more familiar with, more of a tweedie country gentleman/laird look, with argyle jacket, tam, walking stick, etc.

[GMan]

Those look great!

[David Dalglish]

Great set of photographs.