Volume 1 Issue 5 News of the worldwide Clan Maclean July 2002 This was the last project un- growth so that there are now der Nicholas Maclean- more than 1,900 families regis- Bristol’s chairmanship before tered. He had the vision to see Sir Lachlan Maclean of Duart and he handed over to Allan Mac- how this new form of communi- Morvern, Bt., CVO, DL. lean of Dochgarroch. Nicho- cation could be used to link to- Twenty-eighth chief of Clan Gillean las has put the Heritage Trust gether Macleans from around on a sound footing. the world. What a success that has been and thank you, Donald De ar Members of the Clan, It was a particular pleasure at for all the time and effort you the Gathering at Duart to give have given it over the years. So much seems to have happened Alexander Maclean from since the last BattleAxe was pub- Tiree a piping bursary which Gatherings, or in fact any vol- lished in the spring of 2001! is one of the new initiatives untary organisations, need peo- undertaken by the Heritage ple to help and make sure that My family continues to grow with Trust. things happen. Colonel Donald Malcolm and Anna’s son Oscar and his team did just that at the being born in March 2002. Emma I am sure that Gathering. With- and Giovanni’s son Alberto, a those of you out them the brother for Cosimo, was born in that were at Gathering would June, just before the Gathering. the Gathering not have hap- Alexandra continues working in on Mull this pened. I would London and Andrew is still at summer will like to thank the Napier University. agree that it Gathering Organ- was a great ising Committee My mother has had two new knee success. for all their hard joints this spring and is now walk- work and for ing as well as ever. Sadly my Six hundred making the week mother and Emma and her family M a c l e a n s such a success. were unable to come to the Gath- dancing in the Anna, Oscar, Malcolm at Duart ering in June due to knee opera- marquee, over Although the invi- tions and the arrival of Alberto. 100 having tea with us at tation has been given for the Duart, and the Tobermory Clan to gather again at Duart in On July 20th 2001 we unveiled the Junior Gaelic Choir singing 2007, remember you are always cairn that had been built at in the rain at Duart are just welcome at Duart and that we Pitreavie to remember the 750 some of my memories. have a tent at the Isle of Mull clansmen who had died at the Bat- Games which are held in Tober- tle of Inverkeithing. It was a sim- We did business as well at mory every July. ple but very moving ceremony as the Congress as Donald Mac- we remembered those clansmen Lean handed over his Presi- This has been a very special who had died 350 years ago at the dency of the Clan Maclean year for our clan and we look hands of the Cromwellian forces. International Associations to forward to welcoming you to The building of the cairn was un- Colonel Donald MacLean. Duart in 2007. dertaken by the Maclean Heritage Trust. Donald has been responsible for both establishing the web site in 1995 and nurturing its BattleAxe / Vol 1 Issue 5 www.maclean.org 1 The Annual Clan Maclean Scottish Gathering will be held at the National Piping Centre, Glasgow (adjacent to the Theatre Royal) on Friday 1st Nov 2002, and the “The International Council of Clan Maclean, meeting in tickets will cost £30 each. Application for tickets Tobermory on 21 June 2002, confirmed its election of should be sent to Captain Marcus MacLean, 10 Colonel Donald MacLean to succeed Donald H. MacLean as President, Clan Maclean International Associations.” Princes Gardens, Glasgow G12 9HR. At the Clan Congress of the 1996 Gathering the Chief SC O T L A N D 'S F IR ST N A T IO N A L P A R K asked me to lead the Presidents of the ex-Scotland Associations in nurturing communication within the Clan’s organisations. We welcomed this challenge - I T h e P rin cess R o yal o p en ed L o m o n d N atio n al think we all sensed that communicating with each P ark an d a £ 6 0 m leisu re co m p lex "L o ch L o m o n d other is the very heart of the Clan - our raison d’etre. Sh o res" o n 2 4 Ju ly 0 2 . The culmination of this study was the creation in T o u rism acco u n ts fo r 1 5 % o f em p lo ym en t in th e 1998 of Clan Maclean International Associations, Sco ttish H igh lan d s an d Islan d s an d th ese p ro jects CMIA. are exp ected to create aro u n d 2 ,0 0 0 to u rism - related jo b s o ver 7 2 0 sq m iles o f Sco tlan d 's m o st With the Chief’s approval, and the support of Col scen ic co u n trysid e, em b racin g L o ch L o m o n d , A r- Donald Maclean, President of the original Associa- gyll F o rest P ark , L ak e o f M en teith , G len O gle an d tion, I defined the responsibilities of CMIA as “The development of Clan Maclean Associations world- L o ch E arn . wide and their mutual cooperation”, and of the Asso- ciation in Scotland as “The Direct membership, and A seco n d Sco ttish N atio n al P ark , em b racin g th e the organisation of Gatherings and all central ser- C airn go rm s, is to b e created . vices in Scotland”. Financial Times. 25/07/02. I hope that the creation of Associations in New Zea- land and France, and the 2002 International Gather- ing, indicate that this structure works well. The fast-growing MacleanNet has become an Asso- CONTENTS ciation in its own right, with its President an elected member of the Clan’s International Council. Mac- leanNet is generally credited with the increased par- The Chief’s page .................................... 1 ticipation in the recent Gathering and with its extra 2002 Gathering ‘Glimpses’ ............. 14,15 friendliness. Col Donald and CMA in Scotland have Atlantic (Canada) ................................... 9 earned the gratitude of us all for carrying-out their Australia ............................................... 13 role so effectively. California/Nevada .................................. 8 During recent years three separate and thriving UK Clan Gillean USA .................................. 5 national organisations have celebrated the 20th anni- C.M.A. Officers ................................... 17 versary of their founding. Each was kind enough to pay public tribute to my role as its architect and initial Editorial ................................................ 18 Chairman - one of my successors generously saying Events in Scotland in 2002 .................... 5 that I have spent a lifetime sensing when it would be Heritage Trust ................................... 7,18 helpful to take the helm and, as soon as a secure London ................................................. 11 course was set, as decisively relinquishing it. A Mull Homecoming ........................... 16 To continue that nautical analogy, this ship is nearer New South Wales ................................. 10 my heart than the previous ones - I’m happy that New Zealand ........................................ 12 CMIA is now in twelve pairs of good hands and with a seasoned skipper. I wish them fair winds and a Notes from Scotland .............................. 3 fruitful voyage. Pacific Northwest (USA) .................. 6,16 “Past Forgetting” .......................... 4,11,18 Western Australia .................................. 4 2 www.maclean.org BattleAxe / Vol 1 Issue 5 Lt Col Donald MacLean MBE JP he Clan Maclean Association is in good shape with ‘Springboard Fund’ with a raffle at the Dance, the collection a carefully pruned and updated worldwide member- from the Church Service and with a bit of topping up from the ship database, and financially sound. Association, by giving them a cheque for £750. The Annu al Scottish Gathering moved to the National Piping Secondly, the marquee project brought us in contact with the Centre, Glasgow because our regular venue, the Royal Scot- local Council Office, Alan MacLean and his construction tish Automobile Club, was closing down. We had a very team, the local Electrical, Plumbing and Sound Engineering pleasant evening and Peter Maclean, President of the London companies. They were all very friendly and positively help- Association and Alan McLean from France attended. ful to us. The Chief updated us on his family, Duart Castle and other Thirdly, we made contact with the Mull and Iona Chamber of Clan matters. We were entertained by Iain Maclean from Commerce. They organised the Craft Stalls at Duart Castle Skye, who sang beautifully, and the Chief’s Piper, Kenneth and they laid on a Reception for a limited number of Maclean MacLean. Charlie Kirkpatrick and his band were in great businessmen. This was a very nice gesture. form as usual. Lastly, I made contact with the local Paper ‘Am Muileach’ An important project in the Autumn was the production of the and wrote several articles about the Macleans returning to Clan Maclean CD-ROM. We are very grateful to Fiona Mac- their roots and also encouraging local Macleans to support us. lean of Ardgour who produced it against the clock and in time for Christmas.