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Parade of tartan, Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

Grandfather Mountain, July 2012. 

The story starts just over six years ago. I was single and living in London. My good American friend Beth McPherson Arnold enticed me over to the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games with the promise of introducing me to 50 single American women. It didn’t take me long to book my ticket and within hours of arriving on the mountain I was introduced to Melanie Pinkerton. Melanie was active in the Clan Campbell Association and had traced her Scottish ancestors to those who had arrived in the US in the mid 1700’s. There started a transatlantic romance, and five and a half years later we were married in Melanie’s home town of Stone Mountain, Georgia. And I became part of the Scots’ diaspora.

 

That visit to Grandfather Mountain in 2006 was my first encounter with my American cousins. Those of you who have attended these games will know the beautiful games field and campsite that are situated under the watchful eye of Grandfather Mountain. I camped with Beth and her McPherson family in a motor home surrounded by tents, smoking campfires and the sound of the pipes being played from dawn to dusk. Every morning after an ice-cold shower, I would stop by the campsite kiosk for my breakfast coffee. On my first morning the lady behind the counter complimented me on my accent. I rather too quickly replied that I was probably one of the few Scots on the mountain. No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the kilted man behind me laid a large hand on my shoulder and with a southern drawl corrected me, “Sir, on the mountain we are all Scottish!”.

 

Really? In fact the population of Scotland is just under five million compared to some 312 million Americans. Of that population it is estimated that 20-25 million are of Scottish descent. Attendance at Scottish festivals aside, this population tends not to describe itself as ‘Scottish-Americans’, and unlike Irish-Americans or Jewish-Americans does not form a caucus in American politics. Its Scottish identity is principally expressed in social or cultural ways including St Andrew’s Societies, Burns Clubs, pipe bands and, of course, Scottish festivals. The main events at these festivals include traditional highland games, piping and highland dance competitions. They are opened by the “Calling of the Clans” and the singing of “Flower of Scotland” and “The Star Spangled Banner”. Around the periphery of the games field are stands representing clan associations, St Andrew’s Societies, folk concerts and souvenir stalls. And of course, food outlets selling Scotch pies, Cornish Pasties and American made haggis – of which more later…

 

Over the next nine months I look forward to meeting more of my American cousins, so if you are going to be at any of the games I will be visiting please make contact and say ‘hello’.