The Friendly Games

On the morning of my wedding day, my best man, Bruce Macpherson and I, climbed to the top of Stone Mountain.  We stood and looked for miles across the rolling plains of Georgia, punctuated by the skyscrapers of downtown Atlanta.  It was an awesome sight and for a moment I felt a little overwhelmed by the size of my new adopted home.  Having got me safely down the mountain, Bruce was to be at my side once again as Melanie and I celebrated our wedding with family and friends at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church.

 

So the Stone Mountain Scottish Festival and Highland Games are very much our home event and it was particularly good to be there for their 40^th anniversary.  In this special year, the games were graced by the presence of no less than 12 clan chiefs, led by the Guest of Honour, the Earl of Caithness, chief of the Clan Sinclair.  Over two days thousands of visitors came out in the beautiful fall weather to watch the highland games, participate in country dancing, listen to fiddle music, the clarsach, pipe bands, folk music and Celtic rock bands and wander round the vendors and over 100 clan and Scottish society tents.

We started our weekend on Friday night attending a concert by the folk group, Stonewall.  The group is based in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland and play Irish and Scottish reels, jigs and ballads.  This repertoire reflects the ‘Scots Irish’ heritage particular to this part of the USA. Indeed, the group took their name from the Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson whose Scots-Irish family came from the Birches, Armagh.  It was an evening of good ‘craic’ with excellent music and friendly banter.

As Melanie and I wandered round the games field it soon became evident why these are known as the “friendly games”.  Perhaps it was the good weather, but people we met had the time to stop and chat, or “visit” as they say in these parts.  We met Scots who had moved here from Scotland, others who were seeking out a barely remembered heritage and those who were simply curious.  For us, it was a weekend of renewing old friendships and making new ones.

The enjoyable purpose of the event was well summed up by the Earl of Caithness who told me, “The wonderful thing about Scottish games in America is that they are inclusive … and here we have 108 clans all swapping stories and swapping history.  And you don’t need to be Scots to come to one of these events and enjoy yourselves”.

http://stonewallmusic.co.uk/

Land, culture and roots

Scotland's other national drink; an Irn Bru floater. Made from girders.

Montana, 25^th September 2012

Melanie and I arrive at the Bitterroot Scottish Irish Festival in the beautiful State of Montana.  Yesterday we spent 18 hours driving from Billings to Missoula via the Beartooth Pass, Yellowstone Park and historic Virginia City.  This is a vast and open state with range after range of majestic mountains.  It's truly “Big Sky Country”.

The Bitterroot Scottish Irish Festival is held in the grounds of the Marcus Daly mansion just outside a small town called Hamilton. It’s about an hour’s drive from Missoula.  Melanie and I arrive just in time for the opening ceremony and the Calling of the Clans. I am hot, tired and hungry so once the formalities are over we go in search of food and shade.  The vendors are selling gyros, nachos and barbeque, but the largest line is for the Scottish food van.  As we join the line someone points to my Scottish soccer top and shouts out, “You’re wearing last season’s jersey!”  Having introduced myself, I discover his name is Kenny and he’s from Edinburgh too. As we shake hands he asks if I am a “Hearts or Hibs man?”  Now the rivalry between Edinburgh’s soccer teams may not be as deep as Glasgow’s Old Firm, but I sense a leading question.  My answer is both honest and diplomatic: my grandfather supported Heart of Midlothian, my father supports the Hiberian, whilst I have a vague attachment to Aberdeen FC.  Kenny turns out to be a Hearts fan and seems amused and satisfied by my answer.  Local loyalties established, we chat about growing up in Edinburgh in the 1970’s and 80’s and swap memories of the Commonwealth Pool and getting fish and chips at Brattisani’s "chippy" in Newington.

This is a friendly event.  Although smaller than Grandfather Mountain, there are a good number of competitors for the highland games and highland dancing, and among the shade trees are vendors, food outlets, musicians and clan tents.  Some people are local and others have travelled from Washington state, Oregon and Canada.  Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and I speak to a good number of them.  They are here because it is a fun day out for the family and they want to discover and celebrate their Scottish or Irish heritage and culture.  Given that America has successfully exported its own culture, this interest in all things ‘celtic’ slightly puzzles me.  One lady explains that it is all about “land, culture and roots”.  She tells me that Americans have a deep attachment to their land and have their own vibrant culture. However, in her words she explains that “Americans are somewhat rootless” and there is an importance of finding out the “stories of the people who made us”.

So, it’s about the importance of establishing roots across time, a continent and an ocean.  It’s about finding the story behind a surname. It’s about discovering how your ancestors lived.  The stories I swapped with Kenny earlier in the day established a relationship based on memories of a time and place, common experiences and the possibility of shared allegiances. I think that is what is happening at these Scottish festivals too and it is all the more understandable now.

The Saltire and the Star Spangled Banner

The Saltire and the Stars and Stripes at Grandfather Mountain

Welcome to The Saltire and the Star Spanged Banner.  In April 2012 the University of Edinburgh made me an award from the Kerr Fry Bequest to fund a nine month study tour of Scottish Highland Games in the United States of America.  There is an average of four games a month in the USA alone.  Some attract several thousand visitors and are internationally renowned, such as Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina.  Others are smaller affairs and more recently established, such as the Bitterroot Scottish and Irish Festival in Montana.  As a Scot I am flattered by this interest in Scottish culture, but am left wondering why these events are so popular.

 

So in the course of the coming months I will be travelling the US visiting a number of games and festivals, starting at Grandfather Mountain and ending at Tartan Week in New York City. Between times I will be visiting Bitterroot Scottish and Irish Festival in Montana; the Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival, Tennessee; the Stone Mountain Highland Games, Georgia; the Tucson Celtic Festival and Highland Games, Arizona; the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games; and the Queen Mary Highland Games, Long Beach, California.

While visiting these events, I will investigate how Americans of Scottish descent express their heritage and in so doing will account for their popularity.  I will produce a report for the University at the conclusion of my study, but the purpose of this blog is to share some of my experiences along the way.  Please do stop by and comment, or better still make contact if you are visiting one of these games.

Finally, I would like to thank the Kerr Fry Selection Board for its generous support of this study and my wife Melanie who is my travelling companion and trusty research assistant.