21st Annual Tartan Day Celebration - 2013You may click on any small photo to obtain a larger version. Pause your cursor over a photograph to identify the contributor (other than myself) . . . "JM" for Secretary John McMillan and "PAT" for my wife Patricia Ross.
On April 10th Patricia and I attended the Scottish Studies Foundation's 21st Tartan Day celebration and Scot of the Year Award for 2013, which was held at the Arts and Letters Club (14 Elm Street) in Toronto. This was a fitting location, since the recipient of this year's award is a "young fellow from Antigonish County in Nova Scotia" renowned as a poet, writer, singer and songwriter. The committees for this event may take credit for a very successful evening.
RECEPTION
Doug Gibson once again had the premier role throughout the evening as the Master of Ceremonies by interspersing entertaining tales with his introductions. Thanks go to the organization's secretary, John B. McMillan, for his contributions of photos. As usual the quiet split-second management of Maggie McEwan (President of the Scottish Studies Society) kept things moving. The "Address to the Haggis" by Graham Desson was amusingly translated by our Master of Ceremonies. Our after-dinner speakers (David Campbell, Dr. Linda Mahood and the Earl of Lindsay) were quite informative on the topics of the Scottish Studies Foundation, the progress of research in Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph, and the National Trust for Scotland, respectively. Thanks to all for your efforts at making the evening a success. Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
Director Mary Vigrow was assisted at the reception table by Director Pearl Grieve Nixon. Everyone appreciated their cheery greeting to commence the evening.
Many arrived early in order to socialize. During this period, people were entertained by John John Wakefield on the bagpipes and by Patricia Johnston and her golden harp. 
  This video contains the music by Patricia Johnson and her golden harp.
Let's stroll around from the hall, to the bar, and into the boardroom . . . beginning with a photo of Lord Jamie Lindsay, The Earl of Lindsay, President of the National Trust for Scotland, and Lady Diana Lindsay. 
 
 
 
 
Aside from an atypical piece of art by Canadian group of seven artist, Fred Varley, I was attacted to a collection of sketches and other material associated with Wa-Sha-Quon-Asin, Grey Owl, alias Archie Belany. The tale about my meeting with him in the basement of Massey Hall, when I was seven years old (and just a few months before he died), is on my website. He towered over me as I shook his hand. I still recall the soft persuasiveness of his voice as I received my first lessons about the inter-relationships between man and nature [and the importance of environmental conservation]. Today I can put words to the feeling I had as a youngster. 
THE HAGGIS AND SELKIRK GRACE
Douglas Gibson asked guests to stand for the arrival of the Haggis. John Wakefield piped the ceremonial Haggis in. The Haggis was carried in by Director David Thompson and Director Bill Davidson. Maggie McEwan followed with a tray of glasses containing whisky. Graham Desson delivered the Address to the Haggis (assisted by Doug) after which the MC asked everyone to stand for the Toast to the Haggis. Following applause as the Haggis is carried off, John McMillan was invited to give the Selkirk Grace before the Dinner.
 
   The Haggis piped up to the stage. Not a drop of the Water of Life was spillt. The Address to the Haggis was performed by Graham Desson, a recent President of the St. Andrews Society, with a humerous translation by our MC, Douglas Gibson. Unfortunately we only have half of the address due to the camera's memory chip running out of space. THE MENU
Yum! There were may positive comments about the food and the service. My wife, Patricia Ross, added photos of the meal and was responsible for many other pictures which added a different perspective to my presentation. Directors Bill Davidson and David Hunter saved me from an embarrassing situation when I misplaced the brochure (below).
 
 
Here's a wee secret. You may have heard of Mark McEwan, one of the judges and a master chef on the current Canadian TV show, Top Chef. Well, the plaza on the south-west corner of Lawrence and Don Mills is now called "The Shops at Don Mills". In that plaza, you may discover a gourmet shop simply named "McEWAN", and in that shop you may purchase a basic individual Truffle Torte for $5.99. Add the blueberry coulis, and voila! . . . you'll create the desert pictured above. Ah, I almost forgot . . . by the time you add the sales tax and round the price up (due to the disappearing penny), your desert will cost $6.80 + ? each. SCOT OF THE YEAR AWARD PRESENTATION
Master of Ceremonies, Douglas Gibson, called upon Richard Wernham, recipient of the award in 2010, to introduce this year's Scot of the Year and to make the presentation of the Silver Quaich to Lewis MacKinnon. This was followed by an acceptance speech during which Lewis promised the gathering a few samples of his artistic abilities. In Nova Scotia he is a strong supporter of Gaelic education . . . so much so, that he's the unchallenged Head of the Dead Language Poets' Society.
Congratulations to Lewis MacKinnon for his unrhymed (but quite reasoned) response to a critic of his lofty position as a proponent of dead languages.  TABLE HOPPING
The Scot-of-the-Year, Lewis MacKinnon, sat at Table 1, and his guests Father Ron MacDonnell and Monsignor Ambrose MacKinnon (his brother) sat at Table 2. Members of the NTS, National Trust for Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), were seated at Tables 3 and 4. Representatives from the Scottish Studies programme were sitting at Table 8. The Honourable Henry N.R. Jackman's party sat at Table 6. Directors from the Scottish Studies Foundation and the Scottish Studies Society were spread around the room.
I owe Mary Vigrow a big hug for sending me the seating plan. Our emails crossed paths just as I was sending my request. Both of us agree that some individuals may have switched tables. In a few cases the table number had been removed . . . but here goes:
TABLE 1 
TABLE 2 
TABLE 3 
TABLE 4 
 
TABLE 5 
 
TABLE 6 
TABLE 7 
TABLE 8 
TABLE 9 
TABLE 10 
OTHER SPEAKERS AND ENTERTAINMENT
As noted earlier, we had three main speakers towards the conclusion of the evening after the desert and coffee (or selection of teas). The servers, who had been most attentive to everyone's needs, finally took time to relax. David Campbell, President of the Scottish Studies Foundation, spoke about current and future projects. Dr. Linda Mahood, of the History Department Faculty at the University of Guelph, gave a detailed account of the new developments in the Scottish Studies department. Then Lord Lindsay, President of the National Trust for Scotland gave a talk on "The twa Lands - Scotland and Canada".
The Milling Frolic
Lewis MacKinnon's version suffers slightly in a video, because it loses most of the purpose. The song accompanies the action by which newly-woven cloth is softened.
A milling frolic or "waulking" is a Gaelic song session in which singers sit around a table and beat a large loop of woollen cloth in rhythm with the song. Scottish settlers once sang milling songs to keep a steady pace as they shrank and softened newly-woven cloth by pounding, or "drubbing" it on the table. Milling songs are unique to Gaelic Scotland and Cape Breton, and are characterized by a refrain, followed by verses of single lines or couplets. As the cloth is beat to the song's rhythm, the verses are given by a lead singer. Milling frolics are now held as cultural reenactments. Our session involving the participation by members of Clan Ross Canada was led by Angus MacLeod at the Cape Breton Gaelic College of St. Ann's. The Gaelic words on this occasion were as shown in in the following picture:  You may click the screen below for a Milling Frolic. Eventually you may select the PLAY AGAIN button. Choose the largest screen for the best results. |