I wrote a Not Your Father’s Gaelic blog post a few weeks ago wherein I expressed how nice it would be to have neighbors who are aware of and interested in their Scottish Gaelic heritage. Perhaps even neighbors with whom I could joke around in Gaelic! As it is, even my own (Italian American) mother’s eyes glaze over when I begin to get Gaelic-y.

Of course there are loads of people with Scottish Gaelic heritage just about everywhere in America. The problem is, they have no clue of the incredible heritage that they – and their children and grandchildren – are missing. Lets face the facts: precious few Scottish Americans are actually aware that they enjoy Scottish heritage and somewhat less than a micron of that number understand their Scottish Gaelic roots. Suffice it to say that one would not likely hike through the hyper-cultural polyglot of New York City and expect to happen upon a “little Gaidhealtachd” or a corner vendor selling haggis on a stick. Not gonna happen.

Why not? Gaelic immigration to America has been significant relative to other immigrant cultures. And this is important: people came here as Gaels – these were not people who considered themselves Scottish with a side dish of Gaelic ancestry. They spoke Gaelic – many spoke it exclusively – and they engaged in Gaelic tradition and lifeways in America. It is not a difficult task to unmask at least one or three folk of Gaelic heritage in almost any office or workplace in America today. What happened to Gaelic culture in America?

I have explored a little of the “why” side of America’s Gaelic loss in prior NYFG posts and that story can be fairly depressing. You can read some of those posts here.

This particular post is not nearly as depressing and with hope it will provide a few moments of light-hearted enlightenment about what a Gael has been and is today. After all, the first job of a Gaelic activist in America is to introduce other people of Gaelic ancestry to an awesome lost heritage and in doing so, further enrich American lives.

So, in the spirit of our Ulster Scot brothers and sisters who dot the hills and hollows of Appalachia, please enjoy the inaugural edition of–

“You might be a Gael …” 

You might be a Gael if you think you’re a “highlander”. Evidence of the presence and influence of Scottish Gaelic culture and language can be found throughout Scotland in clues such as Gaelic local place names. However, the Scottish highlands and islands have for centuries been the Gaelic heartland of Scotland. Gaels would not originally have referred to themselves as “highlanders” but might have used the Scottish Gaelic term “Gaidheal” or “braigheach”. Such a mountaineer would be living not in “the highlands” but in “a’ Ghaidhealtachd”. Generally accepted scholarship indicates that the modern Scottish split personality between “highland” and “lowland” – Gaelic and non-Gaelic – was not firmly in place until the 14^th century. From there it only deepened and widened.

You might be a Gael if you like Outlander. Author Diana Gabaldon is one of the first popular fiction authors to take Gaelic culture seriously – the other being author of the outstanding ”Bone Rattler” series, Eliot Pattison. Happily, Gabaldon’s pro-Gaelic approach has been taken up by the creators and crew of the StarzTV Outlander television series.

Not only is Scottish Gaelic correctly and appropriately spoken in the series but the actors and crew themselves have become outstanding ambassadors on behalf of the Scottish Gaelic culture. The three gods of Outlander Gaelic, Gillebride MacMillan, Adhamh O Broin and Gary Lewis are pictured above as part of Gary’s launch of a great online Gaelic learning site. Read about the real life Colum Mackenzie’s favorite online Scottish Gaelic language learning website LearnGaelic.scot.

You might be a Gael if you have never really got used to using the letters J, K, Q, V, X, Y and Z. That’s because the Scottish Gaelic alphabet does not use those letters. What does that sound like you ask? Try this: The website An Sgeulachd Ghoirid (the short story) is a wonderful site where you can hear Scottish short stories spoken by real people. It is a great site if you speak Gaelic but if you don’t it is absolutely fascinating. Check out the site and listen to a few stories to get an idea of what your ancestral language actually sounds like. And its nothing like English!

You might be a Gael if every time the massed regimental pipe bands begin to march at your local highland games you drop your scotch eggs and run for the hills. Don’t feel bad, it’s a Gaelic thing. That is exactly what your Gaelic ancestors might have felt like every time one of the Royal Independent Highland Companies darkened the door of a wee Gaelic cottage. More often than not the visit was not in a friendly spirit as these precursors to the famous Black Watch regiment were hired by the Crown to keep the peace and enforce the King’s law in the Gaelic highlands. 

Worse, although plenty of Gaels filled out the ranks of many brave and glorious Scottish regiments, Gaelic military service on behalf of the British crown was not always voluntary.

Indeed, it was a known practice for 18^th and 19^th century clan chiefs to require the military service of their clansfolk’s Gaelic sons in British foreign wars in order for clan families to be allowed to remain on clan land and continue to live and farm in the manner that their ancestors had done for hundreds of years. It was an ugly trade in sons for land. Introduction of Anglo-Norman feudal land tenure transformed clan lands into the exclusive property of the clan chief through royal grant. By adopting a feudal title, the chief became a landlord and ceased to be a clan leader. Of course the clan chief pocketed the enlistment bounties paid by the British government and thereby added another personal income stream that could help to subsidize an increasingly expensive “chiefly” lifestyle.

You might be a Gael if you get a strange, exhilarating, warm and fuzzy feeling when you glimpse viking longships on the horizon. Yes, there was tension, battle and blood between Gaels and Vikings. Beginning in the late 8^th century and continuing for six hundred years hence, the Gaelic western coast and northern islands were heavily influenced by Norsemen. But there was also trade, intermarriage, children and a blending of the Norse and the Gaelic cultures that is part of what made a Scottish Gael a unique and wonderful animal. Are you an e-book reader? If so, get a screamin’ good deal on George Henderson’s pre-1910 book The Norse Influence on Celtic Scotland. Download the Kindle edition now on Amazon for $1.59. True story. What do you have to lose?

You might be a Gael if you secretly think that the kind of kilt that guys wear today is just wrong. It is. Well, sort of. At least from the traditional Scottish Gaelic perspective. The original Gaelic form of the kilt was developed in the 16^th century and is called the “feileadh mhor” or great kilt. It is a single large wrap that is gathered around the body and fixed at the waist with a belt while the lower half of the garment is draped around the upper part of the legs to the knee.  The upper part of the great kilt can be worn as a cloak over the shoulder or even over the head in bad weather. The great kilt fit the work and lifestyle of the Gael very well for centuries. Watch Outlander’s Jamie Fraser show you how to put such a thing on. If you don’t know who Jamie Fraser is, watch the clip. Then watch the Starz production of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. 

The garment that has become so ubiquitous at Scottish highland games and other celebrations is a highly stylized version of an 18^th century modification of the traditional Gaelic great kilt. It was likely developed to accommodate different sorts of work and industry and a different lifestyle that was being introduced to the highlands in the wake of the first Jacobite rising in 1715 in order to civilize Gaelic society and make it more productive for the larger United Kingdom.

By the time the small kilt or “feileadh beag” became popular among the Scottish diaspora in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries, it had undergone further modifications to suit kilted British military regiments. Fashion overtook function though, on the hips of romantic Victorian gentlemen who got a kick out of dressing up as a stylized version of the very same Gaels that had only recently been utterly defeated and subjugated and who would soon be physically removed from much of their Gaelic homeland altogether.

Not that there is anything wrong with your military style Victorian gentlemen’s “small kilt” – plenty a Gael wore something like it just prior to the 1746 ”Dress Act” prohibiting the wearing of any type of highland dress except in service of the Crown in Scottish military regiments. And plenty of Gaels wore the small kilt into battle as part of a kilted British regiment. But for those of Gaelic ancestry today, there is an option that is more respectful of Gaelic heritage and, frankly guys, looks a great deal better on the bod!  Next time you empty your sporran and trade a son to buy a new kilt – make it a great kilt and …

Get Your Gaelic On!

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Clan Macnab – Timor Omnis Abesto (Let fear be far from all)

We are very saddened to hear news that James Charles Macnab, 23rd Chief of Clan Macnab, died on January 11 aged 86. Macnab served as a member of the Royal Airforce, the Scots Guard and a Lieutenant in the Seaforth Highlanders, and played an active role on the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.

Macnab was a much loved member of the community in Killin, the centre of Mcnab territory. He met with clansfolk regularly and was involved in the organisation of the International Gathering of the Clans in 1977 and the subsequent Gathering at the Scottish Homecoming of 2009. He is particularly remembered for being what a fellow chief affectionately termed “a dominant character” at the Lochearnhead Games, being chieftain on several occasions.

Born in 1926 in London, Macnab was the eldest son of James Alexander Macnab OBE TD, de jure the 21st Macnab of Macnab, and Ursula Watford (nee Barnett). His father won an Olympic gold medal in the coxless fours at the Paris Games in 1924. Young James was evacuated from London in 1940 to Ottawa, returning four years later as a war effort volunteer before enlisting as a soldier. He took part in active service in the final year of World War Two in India, Java and Singapore, before being commissioned into the Seaforth Highlanders. In 1948 he transferred to the Federation of Malaya Police Force where he served for nine years first as Assistant Superintendent, then Acting Deputy Superintendent. He was involved in many gunfights against guerillas, and on one occasion rescued Ian Tedford, a then Ghurka officer. Colonel Tedford retired to Scotland, and always credited Macnab with saving his life.

Macnab retired from the Police Force and moved to Scotland in 1957, aged 31. He took up residence with his Great Uncle at Kinell House, eventually taking over the running of the estate and farms.  He married Diana Mary Anstruther-Gray, elder daughter of Lord and Lady Kilmany, on 11 April 1959 at St Andrews Episcopal Church. For a time they rented Auchtubhmor House, Balquhiddrer from Sir Gregor MacGregor of MacGregor, before purchasing Finlarig and Tirarthur Farms in Killin. He returned as a Captain in the 11th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders from 1960-1964, until his work as a Local Government Councillor prevented his regular attendance.

Following the death of his great uncle in 1970, Macnabb succeeded Archibald Corrie Macnab of Macnab as Chief. However he inherited high death duty liabilities, and in 1978 was forced to sell Kinell House and a large portion of the estate. Macnab stayed in the Killin region until 1985, when he moved his family to Leuchers (near St. Andrews).

History shows that Clan Macnab survived somewhat against the odds. Known as a “considerable clan” before the reign of 13th-century King Alexander III, the then Macnab chief fought against King Robert Bruce, having his lands and possessions ravaged in return. Further lands were lost when 6th chief Finlay Macnab mortgaged a great portion of territory to the Campbell of Glenorchy ancestor of the Marquis of Breadalbane. Support for the Royalist cause of Charles I led to Covenanters burning Macnab lands, and the clan was saved from extinction possibly only by support for the Hanoverian cause in the 1715 and 1745 Risings.

James Macnab is succeeded by his eldest son, James (Jamie) William Archibald Macnab. Jamie is the director at Savills in Edinburgh, and a member of the Royal Company of Archers, Queens Bodyguard in Scotland. All clansmen are welcome to attend the memorial service which will be held at the Killin Parish Kirk at 2pm on Friday 15th March 2013. The memorial will be followed by a procession to Innis Bhuie (The Macnab burial island) for internment of the ashes.

James Charles Macnab of Macnab, 23rd Chief of Clan Macnab 1926 – 2013

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Iain MacNeil

Tuesday saw the sad loss of Iain MacNeil, chief of The MacNeils of Barra. He was 80. A popular Chief he will be missed greatly, especially by the people of Barra. He was a remarkable man who led one of the oldest Clans in Scotland.

Born in New York, Iain was also educated in the US, and was a graduate of both Vermont and Harvard universities. Later on he returned to Harvard, but this time to teach, and one of the students in his contract law course was the future President of the US, Barack Obama. It is said that during his time teaching at Harvard, he suggested to his wife Nancy that he may have America’s first black president in his class. And he turned out to be correct.

MacNeil had a home in Edinburgh, but he lived on Barra, where he was able to talk some Gaelic with the locals. He spent the past 35 years dividing his time between Barra and the US, and he held a law appointment at Edinburgh University. Iain was also a greatly liked and admired colleague on the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs. His title is one of the very few in Scotland which is preceded with the honorific ‘The’.

Kisimul Castle, Barra

The MacNeil put a lot of time and effort, and personal resources to help with the upkeep of Kisimul Castle, the clan’s seat on Barra. The castle dates back to the 1200s, and sits on an islet, surrounded by the sea. On one occassion, when faced with more repairs to the castle someone asked why he continued with it all, and Iain referred to his motto ‘Buaidh No Bas’, meaning to conquer or die, as an explanation to the perpetual effort put in to the castles restoration. However, in 2001, he leased the ancestral seat of Kisimul to Historic Scotland for 1,000 years in return for the annual sum of £1 and a bottle of malt whisky. In 2003 Iain MacNeil also transferred over 9,000 acres of his land to Scottish ministers with the intention that they will end up in the possession of the residents. At the time, a local councilor, Jessie MacNeil, was quoted as saying that this act placed the islanders in charge of their own destiny. She added,

“He could have put the island on the open market at a time when Scottish estates are changing hands for millions of pounds. That in itself speaks worlds about the man and how we see him.”

Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan has paid tribute to the late Chief, calling him a remarkable person.

“Iain had a notable career as a professor of law in the States, a knowledge which he put to formidable use in defending the interests of Barra.”

“That could take many forms, whether it was in arguing for the interests of the island’s fishermen or its crofters. Indeed, to Iain’s immense credit he secured public ownership of the island itself.”

The MSP went on to say: “People in Barra, I know, are very sorry to hear of his passing.”

Iain MacNeil is survived by his wife, Nancy, their children Rory, Jenny, and Sandy, and grandchildren.

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Hot on the heels of all this social media schmoozing we have started to ‘get serious’ with Twitter (http://twitter.com). Log on and discover whats going on at ScotClans in minute detail. OK we won’t be giving away any trade secrets but if one of our team as much as pass wind they have been warned to get twittering about it.

Go to our twitter page to read about the topsy turvy world of ScotClans. You will wonder how you ever managed without it (no really!) – http://twitter.com/scotclans

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