Greetings  Members,

With this being my final letter as president of the Scottish Society of Tidewater, I would like to reflect back on the past two years.

We hosted a couple of Sunday brunches at various eateries, which had a good response from membership and friends. I recommend that the incoming officers explore more brunch opportunities.

Our 2005 Christmas party was a great get together. We tried having entertainment for the first time but it seems that the members are not very enthused with this idea so I suggest it be abandoned in the future. There just is not enough room in the library meeting rooms to include it in that area and our members do not desire to leave the meeting rooms.

Some of the other highlights: our society newsletter editors won an award for our publication; we had a table set up and made contact with many of Scottish heritage at the International Tattoo and the Williamsburg Scottish Festival; and our membership has grown with many younger adults joining the organization.

The future of the society looks great. I turn over the reigns to a new president at our March meeting. The winner will be taking over an active, vibrant organization. They will need all of your help in keeping the organization healthy and active. Many think the job is easy. Not everyone agreed with all of our ideas and projects but we at least tried them. The new officers soon will have to make decisions which may or may not be supported by all members but give them a chance and also tell them of your ideas. Volunteer to serve on some of the committees throughout the year.

I would like to thank all who have served as an officer or director during my term as president. You were a fantastic group and you helped this organization grow. Our new president will soon have to get a budget approved as well as award the Baird scholarship. They will have a parade to lead and probably a table to set up at the next Tattoo. Support them by stepping up and offering your help.

I thank all of the members that did volunteer throughout the year to assist with the various events, committees, lectures, or just offered ideas and support for what we as an organization have accomplished.

Yours Aye,
Mike

Back

It was on an unusually mild Sunday in early January when a hardy and enthusiastic crowd gathered for the 7^th Annual Portsmouth Scottish Christmas Walk in Portsmouth’s Olde Towne.

The day started with a Kirking at Monumental United Methodist Church on Queen St., which was well attended. Many revelers then hit the local eating establishments for brunch and a wee pint.

At mid-afternoon, marchers began assembling in the Church parking lot and before long, the crowd had grown to about 100, including several folks from as far away as Richmond and Northern Virginia.

The Grand Marshall of this year’s event was Chesapeake Sheriff John Newhart, who for years has enthusiastically supported the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Pipe Band.

The march kicked off a little past 4:00 p.m., and Larry McCauley helped get the crowd going in the right direction - assisted by the trusty Boy Scouts. The marchers walked through the winding streets of Olde Towne. It was a wonderful site to see all the Victorian houses decked out in their holiday greenery. Many of the residents gathered on their porches to watch the Scottish revelers pass, and several raised a glass in salute.

Joining the marchers were Scottish and West Highland terriers, as well as several horse-drawn carriages.

A crowd favorite was the 76^th McDonald Highland Regiment of Foot, consisting of SST members James Taylor and Skip Hunter, and two newer recruits. The men looked smashing in the "red coats," and elicited startled gasps when they periodically fired their muskets. As you may know, the 76^th originally occupied Portsmouth in the Revolutionary War, so the participation of these re-enactors at the Christmas Walk was quite appropriate.

There were of course several pipers grandly leading the parade, though not nearly as many as one would have hoped. Many other participants shared the same sentiment - more pipers next year, please!

Since the date of the walk was a little later than in past years (January 2), the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay, or New Year’s, was heartily celebrated. The marchers gathered, many holding hands, for a post-parade rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

Of course, the Olde Towne pubs were filled to brimming with Scots and Scots-wannabes, who continued the party into the evening. Many of us enjoyed live fiddle music at Barron’s Pub.

Thanks to Susan Cocke for once again putting on a successful event. Though smaller in scope than it’s sister parade in Alexandria, the Portsmouth Walk did not disappoint in spirit and old fashioned holiday cheer. Susan works hard to organize the parade each year, and she is to be commended for a job well done.

Many of you may have seen the wonderful article on the Walk in the Virginian-Pilot, which ran on the day after the parade. They included some great pictures, and really captured the mood of the event. It was nice for our Scottish community to be recognized in this way. Hopefully it will translate into even more attendees next year.

All members of the Scottish community are urged to include the Portsmouth Christmas Walk in their holiday plans in 2005. You won’t be disappointed, and it’s a wonderful and meaningful way to ring in the New Year.

See you in Olde Towne for next year’s Christmas Walk!

Happy Hogmanay!

Tom Crouch - Clan: Gunn
Scott & Lauren Duncan - Clan: Duncan
Langdon D. & Gayle Montgomery - Clan: Montgomery
Aldor J. "Chip" Payette, III - Clan: Buchanan

Back

Lenny Schneider gave us a scare recently when he suffered a heart attack. His daughter Heather reports that he is doing much better. Hope to see you at the SST meetings soon, Leonard!

Our own Sunshine Chair needs a little bit of sunshine herself! Nancy Weller recently underwent knee surgery, and is home recuperating. Hope you’re up and dancing soon, Nancy!

It was good to see Mark Allen at the February SST meeting. Many of you remember that Mark was involved in a serious traffic accident while on the job. While he is still unable to work, he was looking fit and trim at the meeting. Keep it up, Mark!

Jessie McNeill will celebrate her 80th birthday on February 13. Happy birthday, Jessie, and many more!

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In a Yule-season ceremony right out of a faery book, Lynnette Fitch and Edward Brash were joined in matrimony, Celtic style, on the evening of December 17. Surrounded by family and friends, the couple began their wedded lives together in a warm and meaningful service that will be remembered by all of us for a long time to come.

Wessex Hall of the Williamsburg Winery was transformed into a stunning medieval vestibule, and it couldn’t have been more appropriate. Wrought iron chandeliers, dark wood paneling, seasonal greenery, and soft candlelight set a magical mood. Anyone who knows Lynnette and Edward knew how perfectly the atmosphere suited them.

An assembly of kilted men, including John Wallace, Rob Lockwood, Al Cowan, Tom Crouch, and Mike Lawler, raised their swords to welcome the wedding party. Then the wedding party was officially piped into the hall. Canadian MacKenzie Landry piped in the groom’s family after a Stirling & Bannockburn tartan banner made by the groom. Jeff Christman piped in the bride’s family to "Annie Laurie" after a Ferguson tartan banner, also made by the groom. Then both pipers piped in the bride on her father’s arm to "Highland Cathedral."

Lynnette looked majestic in her garnet-colored, ivory Celtic knotwork adorned gown, hand-made for her by bridal designer Lindsay Fleming in Lanarkshire, Scotland. I heard more than one gasp from the wedding guests as she made her way down the aisle. She really looked beautiful.

Edward was resplendent in his formal kilt and fly plaid. Dignified and graceful, he was a true Highland gentleman.

Readings from special friends and family preceded the vows. Included were poetry, passages from ancient and modern Celtic texts, and songs read in Scots Gaelic. Lynnette and Edward selected all the readings, and each passage held special meaning for them. It was very moving.

In keeping with Edward’s family connection to smithing and horseshoes, a Scottish anvil ceremony was their chosen service. After exchanging their heartfelt vows and sharing some mead, Lynnette and Edward were proclaimed husband and wife as the officiant, Jerry Veneziano (a real blacksmith!), struck the Brash family balpeen hammer on the Brash family anvil, and the Ceilidh began!

Guests enjoyed a pre-dinner wine and cheese reception, including cheeses from Ireland and Scotland, and were then piped around the building by Jim Gee and re-entered through a receiving line to greet the newlyweds and their parents.

A haggis ceremony and grace followed, and then on to the wedding feast of Celtic specialties created by the Rustic Gourmet! The food and spirits were delicious and plentiful. Of special note were the Atholl Brose prepared by Mike Lawler and the haggis prepared by Skip Hunter.

Of course, the party wouldn’t be a party without plenty of dancing. Many of Lynnette’s Scottish Highland and Irish Step Dancing mates wowed us with their skills; it was a wonderful show. Edward did his part in the evening’s entertainment by bringing the house down with an a capella song dedicated to his bride. Many were brought to tears, including Lynnette. Who knew the groom had such a great voice?

The Itinerant Band performed their special blend of traditional Celtic music, and there was also plenty of more traditional party dancing when kilted DJ Ken McConnell took over - I didn’t know they had a disco version of "Scotland the Brave"! But at this wedding, even the professional photographers were in kilts!

Everywhere one looked there were unique touches that reflected the personalities of the bride and groom. For example, each table was named for a different place in Scotland or Ireland or person from Celtic history/literature. Skip and I sat at the Dun Eideann table (Gaelic for Edinburgh). What a nice touch! The wedding favors were hand-made Newgrange ornaments.

The Friday wedding/reception was followed up by a Ceilidh Banais in Williamsburg with Celtic band Poisoned Dwarf Saturday night and a Celtic brunch at Pints 'n' Pipes Pub on Sunday. After that, the happy couple was off for a two-week winter wonderland honeymoon in Quebec, Kingston (the groom's hometown), Ottawa, and Montreal.

It was a very special weekend, and we were so thankful to have shared the experience with Lynnette & Edward, their loved ones, and so many of our friends in the Celtic community.

Skip and I wish the joyful couple many, many years of health and happiness.

At the March general meeting of the SST we will have elections for officers and board of directors. Thanks to elections chair Larry McCauley for helping put together such a strong list of candidates! Here are the slate of candidates:

President:
Manny Willis

Vice President
Debbie Clark
James Taylor (i)

Treasurer
Dave Montgomery (i)
Jeanne Rider

Secretary
Marcey Hunter (i)

Board of Directors
(choosing 3)
Mark Allen
Genene Butler
Melissa Colton
Randy Dedrickson (i)
Bob Rider

(i = incumbent)

Nominations may be made from the floor at the March meeting. So if you’re interested in running, it’s not too late.

Remember that only SST members in good standing can run for office and vote. If you’re not sure if you are current with your dues, contact John Maxwell, membership chair, at johnrmax@hotmail.com

The good old days in Scotland weren’t so bad; it’s just that school kept getting in the way.

At first everything was fine, but then I had to leave St. Martin’s, my primary school in Renton, near Loch Lomond, and head for St. Patrick’s High School, in the neighboring town of Dumbarton, to complete my, er, higher education. What a challenge this proved to be.

St. Pat’s was no worse than any other school; it was just that it was a school, which was the problem: schools scunnered me. In retrospect, it was a crucial time in my mental development, but who knew? Certainly not me, for I wasn’t smart enough to know the ongoing of my inner mind, and those close to me were either too busy with their own happenings or I camouflaged my subconscious so well I fooled most people.

Primary schools held so-called, "Quallies," examinations that were the key for shaping one’s life in those days. Technically called the Qualifying Examinations, each student throughout the country was required to take these standard, uniform tests. Administered during the final year of primary school (age eleven), the outcome determined what courses he or she would take the following three years in high school. God forbid you were feeling under the weather, or succumbed to pressure that fateful morn; your future course of life’s action was laid out, for the most part, determined by your efforts in responding to the questions answered on that significant day. A tough mandate.

Basically, results of students were graded into five groups, categorized as A, B, C, D, and E, with the A grade designated as the future brain trusts of the country, and the E folk branded as God Help Us, Wha’s Like Us.

Most people entering high school were expected to find a subject in which they excelled, whether it be French, Latin, English, Math, Science, or even carpentry. I discovered mine in my second year of high school: it was called plunking.

Plunking is a nice word; at least it has a nice ring to it, which is more than I could ever say about the school bell. Of course, those not of Scottish upbringing may be somewhat in the dark as to the exact meaning of plunking, especially in the vernacular it was used.

It has nothing to do with laying down a bet, coming out in favor of, or even any immersion of a body part in water - which Scots referred to as, “dookin’.” No, plunking, though a verb, is an art: the ability to stay out of school without permission and not get caught. Being caught is still plunking, but not in the art form of the word. Plunking may even be classified as an obsession, one that is never revealed, especially to one’s children until after they have completed their own schooling. Plunking can be great!

My introduction to plunking came to me when I was about nine. My brother was caught plunking, which meant he wasn’t much good at anything. Mother made like Joe Louis and left more tattoos on him than the man in P.T. Barnum’s sideshow. Forget about child abuse: Jim never plunked again, and there was a valuable lesson in that for me: don’t get caught! The seed planted, fertility was dilatory, but plunking eventually came to bloom.

Look for Part two in the next issue of the Thistledown

As some of you may recall, the SST has joined in partnership with the St. Andrews Societies of Williamsburg, Tidewater and Richmond to help sponsor this year’s Williamsburg Scottish Festival. Well now the serious work begins!

Wil Phillips is now the President of the WSF. Randy Dedrickson will serve as volunteer coordinator for the Southside. Larry McCauley has agreed to take on the role of re-enactment coordinator, and will help with media. Marcey Hunter will organize media and publicity. Lynnette Brash has agreed to serve as the Celtic Dance Coordinator.

There are many volunteer opportunities, and we encourage all SST members to participate. We especially need help organizing the piping competition.

NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED in a fun and worthwhile event! If you’re interested, contact Randy at highlander1954@cox.net, or Wil at wilphillips@widomaker.com.

Other WSF developments: the Jamestown Campground is again on board with hosting the event this year. There will even be a Friday night bonfire/Celidh at the campsite for campers to enjoy. This is in addition to the Balmoral Reception, so there will be enough activities for everyone. Planning is underway to schedule top notch entertainers and vendors, so keep checking for updates.

Anyone who attended last year will agree that it was a very successful event. With a lot of hard work and enthusiasm, we hope to make this year’s festival even better. Please join us!

A GAELIC children's book designed in Edinburgh has won a top award at the Royal National Mod. An Aibidil Annasach, which translates as The Quirky Alphabet, was honoured in the Best Children's Book category.

The book is described as "a colourful and engaging introduction to the Gaelic alphabet, suitable for children learning Gaelic at school or at home."

This idea came as a result of brainstorming sessions between Gaelic development officer Norma Martin and early years staff at Tollcross Primary School - the only school in Edinburgh to have its own Gaelic unit.

EDITOR’ NOTE: This book is part of a series of Gaelic books for children and other Gaelic learners. Some of the books are available, free of charge, online. It’s a good way to introduce yourself (or a child in your life) to Scots Gaelic. Give it a try at www.gaelicforfun.edin.org/index.html

It's that time again! The deadline to apply for the Scottish Society of Tidewater’s Richard Baird Scholarship is fast approaching. All scholarship applications must be postmarked by March 1.

The purpose of the Baird Scholarship is to provide financial support toward the study of Scottish culture. This includes, but is not limited to, Scottish music, dance, language, literature, history, genealogy, politics and religion. Only applications relevant to Scottish culture will be considered. Applicants must be at least 12 years of age; there is no upper age limit. Preference will be given to residents of Hampton Roads, however all interested students are encouraged to apply.

Scholarships up to $500 will be awarded. Decisions will be made in April.

If you would like to submit an application, please visit the SST website at www.tidewaterscots.org/SST/SSTscholar.html, or contact Marcey Hunter at marcey9@cox.net

Good luck!

At the Stone Mountain Games in Georgia last October, Carolyn & Randy Bruce presented a copy of their latest novel in the Rebel King Trilogy, "The Har'Ships" to Lord and Lady Dalhousie. Lord Dalhousie is the chief of Clan Ramsay and the 17^th Earl of Dalhousie. Pictured at center is Nancy Miller, genealogist for Clan Ramsay Association of N. America.

A prisoner came running out of Barlinnie (a Glasgow prison), an' wis shoutin' "A'm Free, A'm Free!"...an a wee bairn across the street shouted back at him "A'm four, A'm four!"

Cragganmore: A Speyside Whisky

The Cragganmore Distillery was founded in 1869 by the giant (22 stone) John Smith, who had already run the Macallan and Glenfarclas distilleries and had been commissioning manager at the Glenlivet. It sits high on the Spey River, on the grounds of the Ballindalloch Castle. This location was chosen as there was plenty of local barley and peat and a good water supply. The distillery itself was built from greenstone quarried from the hill of Craggan Mor.

Cragganmore was the first distillery to make use of the steam locomotive to transport its Whisky. It is said that John Smith was a great railway enthusiast, but since he weighed 308 pounds, and was too wide to fit into a railway carriage, so he turned to his other love - distilling whisky.

Like most distilleries, Cragganmore is proud of its traditions, which in this case include the use of wooden rather than stainless-steel washbacks. Their stills are also unusual in having T-shaped heads, designed to reflux the heavier, oilier elements of the vapor. Most people assume the design was simply in order to squeeze in the stillroom beneath the sloping roof, but Stuart Robinson, the current distillery manager, believes otherwise. He is convinced that John Smith knew exactly what he was doing, and that the shape was the result of many experiments to achieve the trends he was looking for. Either way, when the number of stills doubled to four in 1964, no one was going to risk tampering with the design.

On a tasting note, the Cragganmore 12 year old is a perfect after-dinner malt with a good firm body, malty, smoky finish. The 18 year old is spicier, but has an even smoother finish.