Enterprise and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing announced that all ten applicants to the fund have been offered grants to support the staging of clan events across the country. In October last year the £200,000 fund was put in place to provide support for activities promoting clan tourism outside of Edinburgh and Galsgow over the next three years. Such events are a major attraction to the hundreds of thousands from across the globe who visit Scotland to explore their ancestry.

The 2014 recipients are:

• Clan Munro Association – 10th International Clan Munro Gathering.
  Foulis Castle, Evanton. Awarded £5000.
• Clan Lachlan Gathering & Strathlachlan Community Festival.
  Castle Lachlan, Strathlachlan. Awarded £5000.
• MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust – Clan MacDougall International Gathering 2014.
  Dunollie House plus various local locations. Oban, Argyll. Awarded £5000.
• Clan MacThomas Society – 2014 Diamond Jubilee Gathering.
  Perth and Kinross, Pitlochry/Glenshee/Kirkmichael. Awarded £1070.
• Clan Gregor Society – International Clan Gregor Gathering 2014.
  Based at Stirling University then at Dalmally, Argyllshire. Awarded £1750.
• Clan MacLaren – Clan MacLaren at the Lochearnhead Highland Games and Gathering.
  Balquhidder and Strathyre. Awarded £1000.
• Clan Hay Society – Tartan Ties 2014.
  Stirling and Aberdeen. Awarded £2500.
• Clan Lamont Society – Clan Lamont Family Fun Day.
  Toward Castle, Dunoon. Awarded £3000.
• Clan Moffat UK – Clan Moffat International Gathering.
  Moffat. Awarded £1000.
• Clan Donnachaidh – Society Gathering.
  Killiecrankie Hall, Pitlochry, and Clan Centre at Bruar. Awarded £1000.

Mr Ewing said he was delighted to announce the initial allocation of funding, saying clan events generate income and provide a colourful spectacle in communities where they take place. He said: “This is the year that Scotland gives a warm welcome to visitors from around the world as we showcase the history and traditions of Scottish Clans during our second year of Homecoming.”

“Not only will the Scottish Clan Event Fund help support activities during this year’s celebrations, but will also provide a legacy by supporting Clan events through to our planned Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017.”

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The Clans and Families of Scotland

The Scottish Government announced today that it is to provide funding for clan events to the tune of £200,000 in 2014 and beyond. The move cements the relationship between clans and the government, highlighting the importance of ancestral tourism to the Scottish economy.

Known as the Scottish Clan Event Fund, the fund will be made available over three years beginning in 2014 to coincide with the Year of Homecoming. Legally constituted clans will be able to apply for financial support of up to £5000 for additional elements that are part of existing events, new activity specifically designed to grow events and events that expand visitor experiences and spread benefits across the country as a whole. Activities covered by the fund will include strategic marketing, adding new event elements, equipment hire and travel and transport in rural areas that supports rural engagement.

MSP for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Mr. Fergus Ewing, spoke of the funds potential in supporting the history and traditions of Scottish clans, saying: “The Clan Event Fund will not only help to support activities promoting Clan tourism during the celebrations next year but will also provide legacy by supporting Clan events through to our Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017.”

The fund was drawn up with the support of clan representatives including the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs and the Highland Clan Partnership. Clans that are not recognised by these bodies will need to make an individual case to the government which includes rationale for why the clan or society should be recognised, and a brief history and background of the clan.

John Mackenzie, Earl of Cromartie and Joint Chair of the Highland Clan Partnership, said he was extremely gratified the Government has recognised the role clans play in tourism and the Scottish economy. “Investment in Clan Events will expand the visitor experience and bring welcome financial, community and cultural benefit to the Highland region of Scotland.”

Sir Malcolm MacGregor also welcomed the move, saying: “The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs welcomes this initiative which will help to support and enhance Clan activities in local communities and encourage people to celebrate their clan heritage across Scotland.”

Applications are open now and close on the 28th of November. Events seeking funding must take place outside the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow between 1st January 2014 and 31st December 2015. Proposals will be assessed on their ability to provide economic impact, strengthen and develop clans and their societies and to present social, community and cultural benefits.

Click here to view the Scottish Government’s webpage about the fund.

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MacNeil of Barra – Buaidhi no bas (To conquer or die)

A land ownership storm is brewing on the islands of Barra and Vatersay in the Outer Hebrides. The late Ian MacNeil, 46th Chief of Clan MacNeil, announced in 2003 that he had agreed to donate the 9000-acre crofting estate on the islands to the Scottish Government. However it was made clear that if the islanders wanted the land at a later date, they were to be given the estate free of charge.

Over 1000 residents of the islands are involved in meetings to discuss the offer of possible community ownership made by the late chief. If the plan goes forward, the majority of the length of the Outer Isles would be community owned. The islanders also have in their sights 7000-acres already owned by the Government, which includes 440 crofts and two working quarries.

Barra councilor Donald Manford said the reason the islanders are considering community ownership is so the area can be administered locally. “There is a very clear view from many on Barra and Vatersay that they should take more control to engage in the development of important infrastructure on the islands. We can’t depend on the local authority to do these things as they did historically. If we don’t do it ourselves, nobody else will.”

When the MacNeil land transfer to the ministry was completed in 2004, the then rural affairs minister Ross Finnie said: “We intend to manage this land with a view to its transfer, along with our own properties, to community ownership at a time appropriate to the islanders of Barra.”

However, a statement released recently by the Scottish Government claims the opposite: “The Transfer of Crofting Estates Act sets out that any Government-owned land sold would be subject to the independent valuation applied by the District Valuer.”

In an article published by Herald Scotland Highland Correspondent David Ross, acclaimed Highland historian Professor Jim Hunter challenged the Government’s view, based on a piece of Tory legislation. “It’s not the case that the Transfer of Crofting Estates Act stipulates a purchase price based on valuation. What the act really says, in Section 1(4) is: ‘The disposal of property under this act shall be on such terms as the secretary of state, with the consent of the Treasury, may agree with the body acquiring the property’.” In this case, the Scottish Government now takes the place of the secretary of state.

Hunter also stated that the Tory Government foresaw circumstances where land could be passed for no monetary value when the Crofting Act was being passed in 1997. Lord Lindsay, then Scottish Minister, said flexibility was needed on a case by case basis between local crofters and the taxpayer. “The Government is prepared to consider transfer at no consideration, where this is necessary, to make sure the trust (community or crofting) gets off to a good start.”

Islanders have called for this issue to be cleared up as quickly as possible, as discussions regarding the future of Barra and Vatersay continue.

Clan MacNeil ties go back more than 1000 years on the islands. The land was granted to the Clan by Alexander, Lord of the Isles in 1427, and was held until the 19th century when the island suffered severe hardships. 40th Chief Roderick MacNeil sold the island to Colonel Gordon of Cunly in 1838, who cleared the island of inhabitants to make way for sheep farming. Displaced MacNeils ended up scattered across the globe; namely in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. When Roderick died in 1863 the chieftainship was passed to a cousin who had emigrated to Canada in the mass emigrations of 1802.

American citizen and trained architect Robert Lister MacNeil succeeded the chieftainship in 1915, and was able to purchase Barra and the ruinous Kismil Castle in 1937. He immediately began work restoring the castle, aided by a grant from the British Government. By the time of his death in 1970 the castle was restored, and since 2001 has been leased for a term of 1000 years to Historic Scotland at £1 per year and a bottle of Talisker Whisky.

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Read our 2010 article on the late Clan Chief Ian MacNeil here

And for more information on the MacNeils of Barra, check out our page at ScotClans.com

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Peter Rabbit’s Tartan, created to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the first publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.

The Scottish Register of Tartans has been criticised for including designs in their repository by Disney, a German Pipe Smokers group and Peter Rabbit.

The Government register, which provides a definitive resource for protecting and promoting tartans, has come under fire by Scottish Members of Parliament, claiming the approval process needs to be changed to prevent “shallow and irreverent” tartans.

Alex Johnstone, Conservative MSP for north-east Scotland said regulation of tartan legislation ensures the protection of Scotland’s heritage so that Scottish culture continues to be held in high esteem. “The way the Register is behaving only serves to enhance the nonsense it was set up to prevent. There is an excellent case here for demanding that the SRT is overhauled to protect our heritage.”

While Johnstone fully supports ‘inclusive’ tartans such as those designed for Islamic societies and asylum-seekers in Scotland, Green MSP Patrick Harvie says he was puzzled by political designs such as the Occupy Movement’s tartan. “The issues such causes represent are important. But I’m struggling to see how having their own tartan would help defeat capitalism.”

Read the full story here, and check out Disney’s listing on the Scottish Register of Tartans here.

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An artist’s impression of what the new community centre in Milton will look like

A new church is set to be built in Glasgow made out of recycled items ranging from empty beer cans to bales of straw. The church, theatre, and community centre will be situated in Milton, north Glasgow. It has been described as one of the country’s most ambitious recycling projects, and it has had the backing from the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, and the National Lottery in the form of financial grants. The locals are doing their bit too: over two tonnes of aluminimum cans have been collected already, with the hope to collect another two. Many of the cans are going to be used to build walls and furniture, and the rest are to be sold to help raise funds for the project. The minister of Colston Milton Parish Church, Reverend Christopher Rowe says that the local community love the concept of a church being built with the help of old lager cans. “I think they find something ironic and rather amusing about it.”
Work on an “energy hub” and community centre – the project’s phase 1 – is already underway, and after that they intend to build the church, a cafe, offices, a gallery, and a theatre, all set within a landscaped garden. It is hoped that the project will be completed by April 2014.
Rev. Christopher Rowe said, “We are creating our new building ourselves – one can, one tyre, one straw bale at a time. The people of Milton will be building out of material commonly regarded as rubbish, things that people throw away but which in reality could be given another life in all sorts of ways.” Rowe adds that the recycling will help cut landfill pollution. “Our aim is to create a building with as many recycled materials as possible to use less energy and create fewer emissions.” The construction will recycle 12 shipping containers, over 500 old car tyres, and 300 timber pallets, amongst other things. The project’s co-ordinator and architect, Lee Ivett said, “We plan to transform the tyres into foundations, cans into walls and shipping containers into a sustainable community space. In turn we are saving raw materials and money. It will demonstrate the value of recycling in a building project that will ultimately be a much-needed resource for the people of Milton. A hands-on approach is the most appropriate way of demonstrating the benefits of a sustainable lifestyle that has recycling and re-use as a key component. Our projects provide a means of empowering the community in a manner that is economic, resourceful, sustainable and enriching.”

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