The Thistledown

VOLUME 26, ISSUE NUMBER 3 SUMMER 2009

Scottish Society of Tidewater, Inc.

Continued on page 8

Unlock Your Genealogy Secrets: DNA Testing By Marcey Hunter, With Assistance from Robert Chisholm

H ave you ever wondered who your Scottish ancestors were? Who did you descend from? Was it a Gaelic warrior or a Pictish tribes-man, a Norwegian Viking who ram-paged down the west coast of Scotland, a Danish Viking from Yorkshire, or an Angle settler from the ancient kingdom of Bernicia? How about a Roman soldier, left behind on Hadrian’s Wall, or could it be some dashing young Norman knight who established himself in the Borderlands? Perhaps none of the above but, rather, a lonesome sailor cast ashore when the 1588 Armada was wrecked on the coasts of Britain, or a luckless Spanish soldier left behind above Kintail after an aborted Jacobite uprising.

If you’ve ever wondered about any of this, or if you’ve toiled over family records for years trying to find the Holy Grail of genealogical evidence, then perhaps a DNA test will be just the ticket.

Scientific advances over the past

ten years have enabled genealogy to be aided by genetics research. In recent years, a number of Scot-tish Clan Associations like Donald Donnachaidh, Gregor, Hamilton, Chisholm, Maxwell, Montgomery, Scott, Cameron and Wallace have undertaken studies to identify pat-terns of their clansmen. In fact, 66 of the 80 Highland & Border Clans have initiated DNA Surname Pro-jects at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) of Houston, Texas. Family Tree DNA even has a special section of

Scottish Clans DNA Project, where many of the clans participating in the projects are listed.

How many genetic cousins do you have around the world, i.e. people who descended from the same ancestor prior to the era of surnames? As a DNA test partici-pant, you will have access to a huge searchable database.

For any of the Clan DNA Projects to provide valid conclusions, it needs to have a wide base. The object of the various clan projects is to have as many participants as possible, thereby having a larger pool of genealogical data to com-pare.

Now to the details: there are two types of tests – Y-DNA and mtDNA. The Y-DNA Geographical Project verifies a possible point of origin for the paternal line. For ex-ample, let’s say your surname/clan is Fraser. If you are a Fraser male descended from a Fraser male, you carry genetic information on your Y chromosome only from your male Fraser ancestor. Only males

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 Virginia Beach Central Library, 4100 Va. Beach Blvd., in meeting rooms "A" and "B." Social time begins at 7:00pm, and the meeting starts at 7:30pm. Anyone interested in Scottish cul-ture and history is invited to attend.

About the Scottish Society of Tidewater, Inc.

P.O. Box 3733, Norfolk, VA 23514-3733 www.tidewaterscots.com

SST Executive Board President: Rob Lockwood piobmor@juno.com Vice President: John McGlynn jom123@cox.net Secretary: Marcey Hunter marcey9@cox.net Treasurer: Jeanne Rider weecelt@verizon.net

Board of Directors: June Lockwood j2dfl@verizon.net Donna Looney loontoon@msn.com Linda Lucas ljlucas@cox.net George Phillips Gpphish@aol.com Terri Woodward crittercrazy1@juno.com Trish Young ynggal@aol.com

SST Committees Webmaster: Scott MacGregor mcgregr@exis.net Membership: Marcey Hunter marcey9@cox.net Program:

The SST Board of Directors Sunshine: June Lockwood j2dfl@verizon.net Newsletter Editor: Marcey Hunter marcey9@cox.net

PAGE 2 THISTLEDOWN SUMMER 2009

A Few Words from the President

Greetings! Things have been fairly slow since the election but your board has not let any grass grow under our collective feet. We have insti-tuted an additional Board meeting each quarter to discuss, in further detail, any issues that may impact the society. Thanks to Marcey for host-ing us. Often we just don’t have enough time at the monthly Board meetings to fully cover things that are on our minds. Our last meeting con-cerned membership retention. We had a very lively time with many ideas discussed. If you have any thoughts or ideas that you want to be considered for action, please let one of us know and we’ll be happy to put it on the agenda. I think that we have an excellent Board with many diverse outlooks. I strongly urge everyone, Board and General members alike, to “think outside the box” when it comes to events and other situations that may arise. You may have an excellent idea that no one has considered; one that can really help the society. Thanks!

At our May meeting, we had the President of the Williamsburg Scottish Festival and the CEO of Rockahock Campgrounds, where the festival is held, as our speakers. They presented a detailed report of upcoming events at the festival. They also presented a Celtic Music Festival on the weekend after the May meeting, which I understand from all accounts was a success. It still needs a bit of tweaking, but for the first one, it was good. The WSF will be held on Saturday October 3. We will have a tent there, so sign up to help man the tables. For more information see either the society or the festival website and page 7 of this newsletter.

The Meadow Highland Games and Celtic Festival (formerly Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival) will be held on Saturday October 24 and Sunday October 25 at their new home, The Meadow Event Park, near Doswell, VA, also the new home of the Virginia State Fair (they’ve moved from the Richmond International Raceway). Again, see our or their website for more information.

Our June speaker was society member Tina Gutshall, who works for the Mariner’s Museum. She gave a most interesting program on the USS Monitor and the efforts to preserve the items which were brought up from the wreck. There’s even a Scottish connection to the Monitor. There may even be a personal connection for me to one of the sailors who were trapped inside and drowned when the ship sank. I’m going to contact Tina for more information and some possible DNA work to see if there is a relationship. How exciting!

Instead of meetings in July and August, we’re holding Pub Nights. We will meet on Wednesday, July 1, about 7:00pm, at Finn McCool’s Fish House and Tavern in the Landstown Commons Shopping Center (corner of Princess Anne and Dam Neck Rds, in VB). On August 5, about 7:00pm, we’ll be at Conklin’s Irish Rover on Virginia Beach Blvd.

Our Society Picnic will be held on Saturday, September 26, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, at the picnic shelter of The Church of the Ascension. More information will follow, as the time grows nearer.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President. Yours Aye for Scotland, Rob

Rob Lockwood

THISTLEDOWN PAGE 3 SUMMER 2009

Russell E. Darden

It is with great remorse and sadness that I learned of the passing of Rus-sell. I had sat next to him at the Tattoo and he was his usual friendly and gregarious self, kindly chiding this old Yankee in the way he always did. Russell was a great supporter and help when I was president. He had a way of keeping one on their toes, so to speak, with his to-the-point and concise questions. However, his firm and friendly handshake always reas-sured you he was "on your side". My thoughts and prayers go out to

the Darden Family. Russell will be greatly missed. Lawrence McCauley Past President, Scottish Society of

Tidewater

Russell served on the SST Board of Directors during my term as President. I always appreciated his wise counsel and "can do" attitude. I especially remember fondly his help with one of the City of Virginia Beach's early Heritage Day events. Russell was there to assist in promoting our Scottish heritage was a tremendous asset. Nancy Miller Past President, Scottish Society of Tidewater

What can I say, Russell was a wonderful friend who along with Pam always brought a ray of sunshine and warm greetings to the Scottish society meetings and our MacGregor Clan tent at the various Highland Games around Virginia. Russell will be fondly re-membered every time I see someone wearing his original design “Scots Rebel” t-shirts. Scott MacGregor Past Vice President, Scottish Soci-

ety of Tidewater

Russell was always so happy to greet anyone he knew and happy to meet someone that was new. Rita Hamilton Past Vice President, Scottish Society of Tidewater On May 5, 2009, the SST lost a

very dear friend. Russell Darden was a wonderful man, husband and father. Our Scottish-American community has been greatly enriched by his dedi-cation and passion. We all loved Russell and we’ll miss him so very much. Marcey Hunter Secretary, Scottish Society of Tidewater

Flowers of the Forest

Russell was, in every sense, a true southern gentleman. He was kind, polite, hard-working, and had that certain irresistible charm that just made people like him. During my tenure as SST president, Russell was always tremen-dously supportive. He and Pam have worked tirelessly for the Society for many years, most often doing jobs that no-body else would volunteer to do - the hospitality committee for our monthly meetings, the annual SST picnic, as well as manning the SST table at various Highland games and other festivals. You never really had to ask Russell; he knew when help was needed, and was always the first person to step up and provide it. I will always remember his warm smile and friendly greeting of "Hello, Mr. President", whenever I saw him. That is a memory that I will always cherish. Edward Brash Immediate Past President, Scottish Society of Tidewater

PAGE 4 THISTLEDOWN SUMMER 2009

Spring Kirking o’ the Tartan

Ceud Mile Failte! "One Hundred Thousand Welcomes"

to New SST Members!

Shelba & Stuart Bossom 1354 Wakefield Dr.

Virginia Beach VA 23455-4900 757-318-6760 stushel@verizon.net

Clan Sutherland

Gayle Chene 1132 Hillock Crossing

Virginia Beach VA 23455 757-460-4788 gaylechene@cox.net

Clans Drummond/Campbell

Catriona Roy & Bradley Dunphy 1460 Ashland Circle Norfolk VA 23509

757-693-0083 vixelle.cat@gmail.com Clan Robertson

Deborah Campbell & Aaron Johnson

5604 Cobden Rd. Virginia Beach VA 23455

757-499-7793 dacjohnson@cox.net Clans Campbell / Hamilton

Bernadette McClain P.O. Box 8383

Virginia Beach VA 23450 757-508-3482 bernadette_mcclain@yahoo.com

Clan MacLaine

The Saint Andrew's Society of Williamsburg, the Saint Andrew's Society of Richmond, the Scottish Society of Richmond, the Scottish Society of Tide-water, the Tidewater Saint Andrew’s Society, the Williamsburg Scottish Festival and The Foundation for Historic Christ Church recently sponsored the annual regional gathering of all Tidewater/Richmond area Scottish organizations for a Kirkin’ o’ th’ Tartan at Historic Christ Church, Irvington, Virginia, on Sunday, April 26, 2009. It was a grand time, and plans are already underway for next year’s event.

Kilmarnock & Dist. Pipe Band Flag bearers lead worshipers into the kirk.

Heather, left, and Scottie Phillips took part in the Fellowship.

The beautiful Historic Christ Church was the setting for a very memorable day.

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SUMMER 2009 THISTLEDOWN PAGE 5

THE director of the world's biggest clan gathering has called for an "tartan trademark" to prevent cut-price kilts being passed off as authentically Scottish.

Lord Jamie Sempill, director of The Gathering 2009 and vice-convener of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, said peddling budget kilts and knitwear was a "disservice" to international visitors.

Edinburgh-based Lord Sempill, a former peer who inherited the chiefdom of the 500-year-old Sempill clan in 1995, said: "The point is to make it very clear that when you pick up a tartan scarf or other tartan product, that there is a legal re-quirement for it to state its country of origin.

"Tartan is produced and woven around the world to a very high quality, but there is a difference between something that is produced in Scotland as opposed to something produced in Lahore.

"I have no problem with the quality of some of these items necessarily, but I think we're doing a great disservice to international visitors who want to take home something genuinely Scottish but end up going away with something pro-duced in China or India."

Mr Sempill, an ex-Tory candidate, added that any trademark would not preclude budget kiltmakers such as The Gold Brothers, whose budget clothing stores dominate the Royal Mile, continuing to sell cheap internationally produced prod-ucts as long as they made it clear they were made abroad.

However, Gold Brothers partner Galab Singh said all of their products already had the country of origin clearly marked on the label.

Mr Singh also claimed to have been approached to sell Gold Brothers clothing at The Gathering, something denied by Lord Sem-pill.

He said: "We told them we weren't interested. We've got too many commitments on the Royal Mile. We were approached by one of their agents who asked us if we'd be interested in setting up a stall but we declined."

Brian Wilton, director of the Scottish Tartans Authority, has already called on the European Parliament to extend its geographical protection scheme to include products other than food and drink, giving heavyweight legal protection to descriptions such as "Scottish tartan", "Scottish kilt" or "Highland kilt".

He said: "If we can get Lord Sempill on board then perhaps we can get the powers-that-be to sit up and take more notice before the last vestiges of Scotland's Highland dress heritage slip down the pan.

"The Scottish Tartans Authority has been grappling with this problem for quite some time and regrettably it isn't as simple as might be imagined.

"Almost every scheme we've looked at is open to abuse if companies are determined to mislabel imported products and hoodwink visiting shoppers."

Gathering chief calls for tartan trademark to protect Scots kilts By Mark McLaughlin, Scotsman.com, 16 June 2009

Leading the charge for authentic “Made in Scotland” tartan is The Rt. Hon. the Lord Sempill [with cro-

mach], Chief of Clan Sempill, Vice Convener of the Standing Council of Chiefs, and, Director of the Inter-national Gathering of the Clans in Edinburgh on 24

and 25 July 2009.

CHEAP kilts costing less than £20 have been labelled a joke by traditional tartan retailers. Scottish gift shop chain Gold Brothers yesterday slashed the price of their kilts to £19.99 after supermar-ket company Lidl revealed the national dress would be hitting the aisles with a price tag of £25. But tartan specialists have branded the discount kilts as nothing more than tartan women'skirts. Pic shows Pablo Tittarelli a workers at the shop Heri-tage of Scotland on the Royal Mile wearing one of the £20 kilts

From Flickr.com

THISTLEDOWN SUMMER 2009 PAGE 6

EDITOR’S CORNER

I’ll be taking a wee summer break from the newsletter, so there won’t be another newslet-ter until fall, most likely right after the Williams-burg Scottish Festival.

A special “thanks” goes out to all the contribu-tors of the Thistledown this past year. I’m al-ways looking for a good ideas for newsletter articles, and it’s gratifying to know that people want to contribute. THANK YOU!

I hope to see you around the games and other upcoming events, including the Summer Pub Nights, the Wallace Day Commemoration, the SST picnic in September, and the Williams-burg Scottish Festival.

Have a wonderful and safe summer!

- Marcey Hunter, Editor

Membership news

♦ Congratulations to Edward Brash for being named the Chair of the Physics Dept. at Christopher Newport University. This is a wonderful accomplishment! Weel done, laddie!

♦ We will soon be welcoming home Skip Hunter, who returns from a six-month deployment this sum-mer. Skip is the OIC on the USNS Big Horn. Hopefully he will be able to join us for the August Sum-

mer Pub Night at Conklins! ♦ One of our newest members, Belinda Nash, recently attended the June SST meeting. Several folks

thought she looked quite familiar. As we found out, she re-enacts Grace Sherwood, the famous “Witch of Pungo”! In fact, it was due to Belinda’s efforts that Gov. Kaine issued a formal pardon to

Grace in 2006! Belinda is also a member of Clan MacGregor. Failte, Belinda & Herbert Nash! ♦ Dave and Nancy Montgomery have made their yearly trek to Nova Scotia, in part to escape our

summer heat. As usual, they expect to host many family members and friends at their summer home in Pictou County. We are always glad to hear how things are going in New Scotland, and Nancy

kindly shares some N.S. news on page 9 of the Thistledown. ♦ The Scottish Gaelic classes (we have THREE going now!) wound up their “school year” in early

June. A celebratory “School’s Out” Ceilidh will be held at the home of Marcey & Skip Hunter. These students really have come a long way in their studies, and are working hard to keep Scottish Gaelic

alive and well. We are so grateful for the continued support we have received from the SST. ♦ Rob & Jan Lockwood found out recently that they will be grandparents again in October. How ex-

citing for you both! ♦ Marcey & Skip Hunter are planning a trip to Boston in October. Both Marcey & Skip have deep an-

cestral roots in Boston, and they hope to do a little “ancestor worship” while they are there. Oh, and perhaps visit an Irish Pub or two (or twenty…)

SST Member Belinda Nash in her role as Grace Sherwood, the “Witch of Pungo.”

THISTLEDOWN PAGE 7 SUMMER 2009

I t won’t be long now! Organizers are busy working on the 32nd An-nual Williamsburg Scottish Festival and Celtic Celebration, October 2 & 3, at Rockahock Campgrounds in Lanexa, Virginia.

This year’s honored clan is Clan Campbell. There will be many clans represented, perhaps even yours! It’s a great way to connect and get involved. In the past, many SST members have hosted clan tents at the WSF, including the MacGregors, the Hamiltons, the Ramsays, the Campbells, the McCauleys, the Maxwells, the McDougalls, the Stewarts, the Wallaces and many others.

Also, over the years several of our SST members have been vendors at the WSF, including Carolyn & Randy Bruce, and Jeanne and Bob Rider. Skip Hunter and James Taylor will once again participate in the re-enactment camps, with the 76th McDonald Highlanders of Foot. And Stacy Apelt has done blacksmithing demonstrations in the past, which always draws a crowd.

This year’s theme is a salute to our nation’s military and first responders. There is also a heavy athletics competition, piping & drumming competitions, Highland dance competition, children’s activities, and plenty of vendors.

The traditional Friday Night Balmoral reception will go on as always. Both a Friday night and Saturday night Ceilidh are planned. Bands that have been lined up are Alasdair Fraser, Albannach, Warpipe, and several others.

As always, the SST will have a table at the festival. This is our best recruiting event of the year, and we can use all the help we can get. An added “perk” is that you can use the SST tent for your “homebase” as you visit the vendors, watch the athletics and listen to the bands. We are asking for folks to commit to 2-hour shifts. It’s fun and a great way to meet people, while performing an important function for the SST. Interested? Contact Marcey Hunter at 480-4217, or marcey9@cox.net.

So be sure to mark this festival on your calendar, and help celebrate 32 years of Scottish-American culture in southeastern Vir-ginia! Www.wsfonline.org

June & Rob Lockwood at the

Clan Stewart tent. The Parade of Clans includes Clan Ramsay & Clan MacGregor.

Joyce Cowan helps at the SST tent, and recruits several new members.

Coming Soon! The 32nd Annual Williamsburg Scottish Festival

Members of Clan Wallace, at left, and SST members participate in the Parade of Clans.

PAGE 8 THISTLEDOWN SUMMER 2009

Continued from Page 1

can take the Y-DNA test. And it is this test, which reveals the male to male line, that will be most reveal-ing and useful to your respective Clan DNA Project.

If you are a female tracing your Scottish ancestry through your fa-ther and his father, etc., you will need to recruit a male sibling or a cousin to take the Y-DNA test for you.

Females can take the the mtDNA Geographical Project, which will verify a possible point of origin for the maternal line. This is the test that would be used if you were tracing your mother’s line; both males and females can take the mtDNA test. This is no doubt good information to have, but this is not the test that is so critical to the Clan DNA projects.

Interested? Contact your Clan Society and see if there is a DNA Project already initiated. Or you can just go to the Family Tree DNA website, (www.familytreedna.com) and type a surname in the search box. On this website, you can re-quest a DNA package.

Depending on the test you opt for, the costs range from $100-$400. This may seem cost prohibi-tive, but for those of involved in our genealogical research, it’s a small price to pay for cracking some of the genealogical nuts that have kept us awake at night these many years. Maybe you and a cousin can split the cost. Maybe you and your siblings can pur-chase one for your dad.

After you have placed your or-der, a genetic test kit and instruc-tions will be mailed to you. The test consists of a painless cheek scraping to obtain DNA. You then mail your test kit to FTDNA and your genetic sample will be proc-essed. The results will be entered into a secure, private and confi-dential non-web-based genetic library. A comparison between

your specific genetic markers and those of others in the database will then be performed and you will be notified if another person matches your results perfectly. The whole process takes about 10 weeks.

Now a word on privacy: the Fam-ily Tree DNA Project follows strin-gent policies for protecting your privacy according to the State of Texas legislation guidelines. FTDNA controls the Surname Da-tabase Library and genetic testing scores. FTDNA contracts with an offsite depository, the University of Arizona testing lab, to store the genetic library. Federal and State confidentiality laws also bind the University of Arizona.

Also, FTDNA is ONLY searching your DNA for genealogical data: they are NOT testing for diseases or paternity. In addition, you have the right to remove your DNA re-cords from the project at any time. For more information on privacy issues, visit the FTDNA website.

Allow me to share with you a suc-cess story of sorts.

In my genealogical research, I thought that all of the males in my Chisholm line had died off. If there were any living, I certainly didn’t know about them. As you may know, I also edit the Clan Chis-holm newsletter for the US Branch

of the Clan Chisholm Society. My editorial counterpart in New Zea-land, Robert Chisholm, and I ex-changed many e-mails concerning newsletter details, etc. He became the “go to” person for the DNA pro-ject for our Society. To make a long story short, he forwarded to me a random bit of information he had come across, and lo and be-hold, it lead me to find a living male descendent of my Chisholm line, Colin Chisholm in Ontario. I quickly contacted him, and he was also heavy into genealogy re-search, and he was happy to take the DNA test (we split the cost). Now you won’t believe this, but the results showed that Colin and I are a match with…wait for it…the very same Robert Chisholm in New Zealand! Since then, we have found two and possibly three other exact matches throughout the world. We are all working out the details of who is who and how we relate. It’s just amazing!

So why not give it a try, or en-courage a male in your family to take the plunge? Your children’s children will thank you for it, and you will be helping to map out your Clan family tree, thus helping your Clan tremendously. It may be the best way for you to discover your deeper Scottish ancestral heritage.

SUMMER 2009 THISTLEDOWN PAGE 9

Notes from New Scotland by Nancy Montgomery

T his coming August will mark the 60th anniversary of the Ceilidh Girls’ Pipe Band of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. In August, 1950, eight pipers and five drummers made its first public appearance, marching down the main street to celebrate the town’s 75th anniversary. With various mutations, the band continues today.

Among all the many great pipe bands to come out of Nova Scotia over the years, our band’s claim to fame is having been the first all-girls junior pipe band in Canada, and possibly North America. As with many organizations, it began out of need and neces-sity. There were many highland dancers in the area, myself among them, but it was difficult to find a piper to accompany us.

Miss Eveline Dunbar, our dancing teacher, spoke with Pipe Major Fraser Holmes, the father of one of the dancers, and he began teaching chanter lessons to fourteen eager girls. He was a tireless band leader for 23 years. Captain John Nicholson, a World War II veteran, agreed to be our drumming instructor. He gave freely of his time as well. Of course the band would not have existed without the efforts of the parents. The Mothers’ Club was responsible for a myriad of tasks, including fundraising, chaperoning, knitting the socks and preparing meals.

The bagpipes arrived from Scotland with great fanfare, each set costing a whopping $75. The original drums were manufactured by Potters of Aldershot, England. All drums were of rope tension and the side drums weighed only 6 ¾ pounds, a manageable weight for the 9-year-old drummers.

Each girl wore her own tartan. Usually bands are decked out in one tartan of choice, so you may wonder why the Ceilidh Girls did not dress uniformly. Think of our Scottish history and ask yourselves, “Where will I find a group of Scots completely in accord in their opinion about anything?” So instead of arguing about the choice of tartan each girl was allowed to wear her family tartan or tartan of choice. Thus, you see the Red Cameron in sync with the Hunting MacKinnon and the Holme being worn proudly along side the MacGregor. Even the Campbells and the MacDonalds wore their respective colorful kilts with no ensuing battles!

Soon the band’s popularity resulted in a long waiting list of would-be pipers and drummers. My older sister secured a spot as a piper. My opportunity to play side drum came in 1954 for the laying of the cornerstone of New Glasgow’s Aberdeen Hospital. Over the years we have played for appreciative audiences all over the Maritime provinces of Canada and the Eastern United States. As a naïve 12-year-old I was very disappointed not to find skyscrapers as we crossed into the U.S. at Calais, Maine, for the first time. I had a rich imagination when it came to the U.S., probably from watching American movies.

Throughout our history the Ceilidh Girls’ Pipe Band repeatedly took first place in competitions at the Gaelic Mod (St. Ann’s), Anti-gonish Highland Games, Pugwash Highland Gathering and the Festival of the Tartans. We also won the New England champion-ship in Brookline, Mass., in 1961.

However, it was not all gain and glory. One of our drummers recently recalled how we began to take winning at the Antigonish Highland Games, our primary competitive event, for granted. We even made fun of the upstart MacDougall Girls from Dominion, Cape Breton…until they soundly beat us! It was not haggis, but large helpings of humble pie we had to swallow that memorable year in Antigonish. It seems the MacDougalls discovered that practice, practice, practice makes a winner. We were devastated!

With our 60th anniversary approaching we can look back and see how this band so strongly shaped our youth. Not only did we eventually learn to win and lose gracefully in competitions, we acquired many more valuable life lessons. We realize now that through our band experiences we have carried on our Scottish heritage for future generations. Those chanter lessons Fraser Holmes began in his living room in 1948 have ripened and multi-plied into many hundreds of accomplished, polished pipers. He was the unsung hero of my youth, a soft-spoken gentleman who changed the lives of so many of us for the better.

There have been many changes over the years. In the early 1970s boys were allowed to join the band. Some of you may remember Scott Long, the piper for Seven Nations. He was part of the addition of boys. Also, the Fraser Holmes Memorial Ladies Pipe Band was formed by members from the early Ceilidh band, as well as at least three other bands from the County. This band has performed at our Norfolk Tattoo. And so it continues.

As our 60th anniversary draws near I realize how much being part of the Ceilidh Girls’ Pipe Band has taught me about the joys of Scottish music, and it has given me greater appreciation of my Scottish heritage. I’m looking forward to a great Ceilidh when the “girls” gather in August .

The Ceilidh Girls’ Pipe Band of New Glasgow circa 1950.

ADULT NON-FICTION BOOKS:

Compendium of Celtic Crafts by Judy Balchin, Courtney Davis, Vivien Lunniss and Suzen Millodot. Turn-bridge Wells, England: Search Press Ltd., 2008. The Pictish Symbol Stones of Scotland by Iain Fraser, ed. Edinburgh: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, 2008. Glasgow by Charles Jamieson. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd., 2009

ADULT FICTION BOOKS Caledonication: a History of Scotland. With Jokes. By John K. V. Eunson. Edinburgh: Hachette Books Scotland, 2008. Highland Scandal by Julia London. New York: Pocket Books, 2009. Highland Scoundrel by Monica McCarthy. New York: Ballantine, 2009. Death and the Lit Chick: A St. Just Mystery by G.M. Malliet. Woodbury, MN: Midnight Ink, 2009. The Darkness and the Deep by Aline Templeton. London: Hodder, 2006.

CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH BOOKS

The Battle for Duncragglin by Andrew H. Vanderwal. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2009. MUSIC Braveheart Trilogy by Celtic Pipes & Strings. Scotdisc, 2009. Skyedance by Alasdair Fraser. Culburnie Records, 1996. Inchcolm by William Jackson. Linn Records, 2002. Live by Natalie Macmaster. Rounder Records, 2002. The Music and Song of Greentrax. Greentrax Records, 2002. Robert Burns: A Tribute for Auld Lang Syne. Scotdisc, 2009.

- Submitted by Nancy Miller, MSLS, Virginia Beach Public Library

NEW SCOTTISH BOOKS AND AUDIOVISUALS At the Virginia Beach Public Library

SUMMER 2009 THISTLEDOWN PAGE 10

SUMMER 2009 THISTLEDOWN PAGE 11

“The Gaelic Corner”

Och a Thearlaich Òg Stiùbhart 'S e do chuis rinn mo leireadh

Thug thu uam gach ni bh'agam Ann an cogadh a d'aobhar

Cha chrodh is cha chairdean Rinn mo chhradh ach mo cheile O'n la dh'fhàg thu mi 'm aonar

Gun sion 's an t-saoghal ach leine Mo rùn geal òg

O gur a mis' thair mo sgaradh

'S ged a chan am cha bhreug e 'S ioma tè bha na bantraich

Nach d'fhuair samhladh do 'm cheile Fear do cheille 's do thuigse

Cha robh furasd r' a fhaotuinn 'S cha do sheas ann Cullodair

Fear do choltais bu treine Mo rùn geal òg.

Oh young Charles Stewart, Your campaign is the cause of my sorrow.

You took from me everything I had In the war in your name

It's not cattle and sheep I'm lamenting, But my husband.

Since the day you left me alone With nothing in the world but a shroud

My fair young love

Oh I am devastated And I tell you it's no lie

Many a woman has become a widow who never Had a husband like mine

A man of your sensitivity and understanding was not easy to find

And no other man of your kind stood at Culloden, With such bravery My fair young love

A Lament for William Chisholm

THE CHISHOLM STONE The Crossroads at Struy

Start from central Strathglass, at the point where the crossroad from Struy joins the Eskadale road. Find a standing memorial stone -a rough stone slab, about 6’ high, with an inscription which the passer by may not be able to make out, and if he does he may not be much the wiser. The stone stands where William Chisholm said goodbye to his wife, Christine Ferguson, before Culloden. He was standard bearer to the Chisholm of Chisholm.

According to local lore his widow hoped he would come back until she recognised her husband’s old coat on a travelling tinker. She composed the song “Mo Run Geal Og” (Cumha Uilleim Siosail) -”My Fair young beloved” (A Lament for William Chis-holm), a composition of great emotional depth which is a classic of it’s period.

www.glenaffric.org

SUMMER 2009 THISTLEDOWN PAGE 12

MUSIC

Newport News Police Pipe & Drum Corps Tom Crouch waylon23703@aol.com

http://newportnewspolicepipe.homestead.com

Pipers For Hire Rob Lockwood piobmor@juno.com

http://www.roblockwood.com

Harper Rita Hamilton celticharp@cox.net

Folk Music

James West ragingpotato@jameswestmusic.com http://jameswestmusic.com/

Scottish Gaelic Song Performances

Edward Brash brash99@hotmail.com

Traditional Celtic Music Celtic Band for hire at an economical price

Third Degree Burn Weddings Parties Dance Music Fund Raisers

1-804-553-9702 1-757-420-1285 BernardJFarrell@Hotmail.com

Also solo violin/fiddle music Celtic and Old Timey at your request. Affordable $ - Free fiddle lessons

CELTIC DANCE

Scottish Highland Dancing Scottish Ceilidh (Social) Dancing, &

Scottish Step Dancing Lynnette Fitch Brash lefitch@cox.net

Southside Ceili(dh) Class & Irish Ceili Dancing

Lisa Hunt lhunt23@cox.net

MISC.

Kilts, Alterations Christine Lawler vakilter@juno.com

Photography - British Isles

Manny Willis robinandmanny@cox.net

Photography - Scotland Linda Lucas ljlucas@cox.net

Scottish Gaelic Lessons

Scots Gaelic Society of Tidewater Marcey Hunter marcey9@cox.net

Travel in Scotland

Highland Ways Arthur & Anne Korff 757-596-6063

Scotch Whisky Tasting

Mike Lawler william.lawler@verizon.net

At Your Service

Scottish regiments were well to the fore in the battles in France during both world wars and many fell in Flanders Fields. Here is a poem by a Canadian surgeon, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae during a lull in the 1915 Battle of Ypres. John McCrae's grandfather had emigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1849. The inspiration behind the poem is thought to have come from

the death of one of McCrae's friends.

In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

SUMMER 2009 THISTLEDOWN PAGE 13

4th Annual SST

WILLIAM WALLACE COMMEMORATION

August 23, 2009 We are planning the 4th Annual William Wallace Com-memoration, but as of press time, our venue is not con-firmed. Rob will send out an e-mail to the SST when all is set. Or you can check the website for updates. Stay tuned!

SAVE THE DATE!

G et ready for the annual SST picnic will be held on Saturday, September 26th, 1pm-4pm at the Church of the Ascension, located on Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach.

As usual, it will be a “pot luck” affair, with the SST providing hot dogs & hamburgers, and beverages. Please bring a dish to share. You may also bring along your favorite adult libation if you are so inclined. If you’ve not been to one of our picnics before, be sure to come hungry and you won’t be disappointed. If you would like to help, please contact Rob Lockwood at piob-mor@juno.com.

Please join us for Summer Pub Nights! In lieu of the July and August SST meetings, we will be having “Summer Pub

Nights.” We’ll gather on Wednesday, July 1 at Finn McCools in the Landstown Commons Shopping Center, Va. Beach. And we’ll meet again on Wednesday, August 5 at Conklins, at The Village Shoppes at Rose Hall, Va. Beach.

These Summer Pub Nights will be a good way for us to relax and enjoy some good food and fellowship with our fellow SST members. It will let us reconnect with some old friends, and hopefully make new ones. Please join us!

NOTE: Please let Rob know whether you can attend, so that he can give the pubs a proper head count. Contact Rob at 473-0784, or piobmor@juno.com.

SST Summer Pub Night Wednesday, July 1, 7pm

Finn McCool’s Landstown Commons Shopping Center 3388 Princess Anne Rd., Suite 311

Virginia Beach, VA. http://finnmccoolsvb.com/

SST Summer Pub Night Wednesday, August 5, 7pm

Conklin’s The Village Shoppes at Rose Hall

3157 Virginia Beach Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA

http://www.conklins-irish-rover.com/

PAGE 14 THISTLEDOWN SUMMER 2009

Calendar of Upcoming Events June 13-14

Potomac Celtic Festival Leesburg, VA

http://www.potomaccelticfest.org/

July 1 NOTE: There will be NO SST MEETING IN JULY

in lieu of a special “Summer Pub Night.” Finn McCool’s, 7pm

Landstown Commons Shopping Center 3388 Princess Anne Rd., Suite 311

Virginia Beach, VA. http://finnmccoolsvb.com/

July 9-12

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games MacRae Meadows on Grandfather Mountain near

Linville, NC http://www.gmhg.org/

August 5

NOTE: There will be NO SST MEETING IN AUGUST in lieu of a special

“Summer Pub Night.” Conklin’s, 7 pm

The Village Shoppes at Rose Hall 3157 Virginia Beach Blvd.

Virginia Beach, VA http://www.conklins-irish-rover.com/

August 23 4th Annual Wallace Day Commemoration

Join us in remembering William Wallace on the 704th anniversary of his murder. Location TBD.

September

NOTE: There will be NO SST MEETING in Octo-ber in lieu of the SST Annual picnic.

September 26

SST Annual Picnic Church of the Ascension, Virginia Beach 1 - 4 pm. Please bring a dish to share

October

Monthly SST meeting Date and Location TBA

October 2-4

Williamsburg Scottish Festival Lanexa, VA

Want to help with the SST table? Contact Marcey Hunter at 480-4217, or marcey9@cox.net

Www.wsf.org

October 19 Yorktown Victory March

Yorktown, VA This all day event and short parade commemorates

our victory over the British in the American Revolutionary War.

Want to participate? Contact Al Cowan at 587-8913 or ScottishRebel@att.net

SUMMER 2009 THISTLEDOWN PAGE 15

A Taste of Whisky Enjoying the Uisege Beatha, the “Water of Life”

Various & Sundry Whisky News

Scottish Hotel Creates Coffee To Go With Whisky by Deidre Woollard Jun 5th 2009

A Scottish hotel has created a coffee blended to pair with a whisky. The Cuillin Hills blend was created by the Cuillin Hills hotel on Skye to match whisky from the island's Talisker distillery. The blend was created by Edinburgh Tea and Coffee Company to the specification of Peter Sim, the ho-tel's general manager and is a mixture of Indonesian and South American beans. The Talisker 18-year-old was used as the pairing companion but the coffee will work with any whisky. The blend has notes of dark chocolate, caramel and toffee with hints of liquorice and cinnamon. Sims says the cof-fee was developed to "complement and showcase malt whisky as the ideal after dinner drink."

Glenfiddich launches

global CRM programme featuring online commu-nity

by Noelle McElhatton, Marketing Direct 27-May-09, 09:40

LONDON - Glenfiddich, the sin-gle malt scotch whisky brand, has launched a global relationship marketing programme, the core of which is a new web-based com-munity, Glenfiddich Explorers, cre-ated by integrated agency Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw.

The Explorers RM programme is attempting to cultivate direct rela-tionships with whisky consumers

globally using email, SMS, and direct mail. Consumers will be in-vited to register on the Explorers section of the Glenfiddich website at www.glenfiddich.com via an email marketing programme and an online banner campaign.

The Glenfiddich Explorers mi-crosite, www.glenfiddich.co.uk/explorers/, features a blog and four sections which demonstrate the range of Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch whiskies.

Big Win for Cape Breton

Distillery Susan Krashinsky Globe and Mail Jun. 12, 2009 Glenora Distillers International

Ltd., won a major victory Thursday when the Supreme Court of Can-ada refused to hear an appeal that could have blocked the company from using “Glen” in the name of its Glen Breton Rare whisky.

For nine years, the Edinburgh-based Scotch Whisky Association has fought to protect the Scottish integrity of the “Glen” name, which its members say implies a connec-tion to household names in Scotch, such as Glenlivet and Glenfiddich.

The decision could pave the way for big changes for the Cape Breton distiller. By allowing Glen Breton to be registered as a trade-mark, the tiny, 35-person distillery can market its whisky more ag-gressively on a global scale.

“We have no objection to the production of single malt whisky in Canada,” said the association's spokesman David Williamson.

“What is of concern, though, is any product that tries to take un-fair advantage of Scotch whisky's international reputation by adopt-ing a Scottish-sounding name.”

Scotch Barbecue Sauce Looking for the perfect Father’s

Day recipe? Try this: 2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup mild flavored (light) molas-ses 1/3 cup Scotch (highland park 15 yr. old works great!) 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder Combine all ingredients in heavy saucepan. Bring to boil over me-dium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; sim-mer uncovered until sauce thick-ens and flavors blend, stirring fre-quently, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover, chill.) Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Dr. MacGregor checked over his patient and said with a

puzzled frown, "I can't really tell what the trouble is. I think it must be due to drink." Willie said, understandingly, "Ach,

that's all right doctor. I'll come back when you're sober."

Sources Luxist.com

Brandrepublic.com Theglobeandmail.com

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

CALL FOR ARTICLES

Want to contribute to the newsletter? Some suggestions:

History/Re-enactments - 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 -

Jokes/Cartoons Please e-mail Marcey Hunter at marcey9@cox.net

Remember: This is YOUR newsletter! Members of the Tartan Day Committee busy

at work planning next year’s event.