Grace Notes Newsletter of the Memphis Scottish Society, Inc.

Vol. 37 No. 3 • March 2021 President’s Letter If you missed the opportunity to use the Scots word Dreich in February, that’s too bad, because it’s such a suitable opportu- nity is not likely to come to the Midsouth again any time soon (I hope). According to “Scottish Book Trust” in their annual survey by the BBC News, in November 2019, the most popular Scots word dreich, meaning “long drawn out, protracted, hence tedi- Memphis um, worrisome; damp, wet, grey weather.” I first learned it via the Scots word of the week from Eilean Donan Castle. (If you Scottish aren’t familiar with the source, check out https://facebook.com/Eile- Society, Inc. andonancastle1/videos/10153094853547888). Another event happened in February, on the 14th in fact, that Board I hope you were able to enjoy, and that is the premiere of “MEN IN KILTS: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham.” The lads in the President subtitle are Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, whom a lot Mary Ann Lucas of us met on the Starz television series “Outlander”. By no sur- 901-725-1879 prise, MIK is also carried on Starz. (It is additionally available [email protected] from several other venues, access to which is too complicated to list here.) Opening with iconic Scottish food and drink, and fol- Vice President lowed immediately with an episode on Scottish sports (including Holly Staggs a skinny dip in the frigid Scottish waters of the North Atlantic). 901-215-4839 The show has so far acquit itself well in its goal of presenting a [email protected] different side of . Also, in my opinion, it gives the lie to Treasurer the perennial image of the dour Scotsman. John Schultz 901-754-2419 [email protected] Secretary 2021 Scholarship Committee Kathy Schultz Nominees for scholarship committee? I (Mary Ann Lucas) just 901-754-2419 learned in the Board meeting (now adjourned) that it has to be [email protected] announced in the Grace Notes. Before they are voted on in the Members at Large monthly member meeting. The nominees are: Phyllis Davis Seldon Murray 901-830-9564 [email protected] Jeannette Martin Shari Moore Elaine Meece 901-598-1802 [email protected]

Debbie Sellmansberger 901-465-4739 March Meeting Program: debbie.sellmansberger@ Presented by Mary Ann Lucas via Zoom memphisscots.com “Hugh Pakenham Borthwick: The British aristocrat who spied from a Spanish Islet.” See page 2 for further information . Created by the Heart of Tennessee Scottish Celebration as a State tartan. Passed by Tennessee Public Acts 1999, Chapter No.82, Senate Bill No. 73. The source of the tartan 2526 was: Bill Bickford of the Tennessee Tartan Committee. March Program “Hugh Pakenham Borthwick: The British aristocrat who spied from a Spanish Islet.” Presented by Mary Ann Lucas In front of the Hornillo Pier, on the Isle of Fraile, Scottish aristocrat Hugh Pakenham Borthwick, called Don Hugo by the locals, took up residence in 1912. During World War I Borthwick worked as a British spy and alerted a liaison officer whenever a ship from Germany or from a neutral country left the pier carrying iron ore.Des aut atio. Itatibusa is doluptis et explaut facculla core nobis doles eatatis ene

Notice to Program Presenters: John Schultz requests that if you plan to use his computer equipment for your presentation at the monthly meeting, please contact him at least a week before the meeting so he knows to bring his equipment and can work out any bugs ahead of time. His phone number is 901-754-2419. Men in Kilts, Sam Heughan on Losing That Skinny-Dipping Bet Kimberly Roots, TVLine.com, February 21, 2021 One of Starz’s “Men in Kilts” was decidedly out of his in the final moments of this week’s episode.The travel series’ second installment found Graham McTavish and Sam Heughan exploring the world of Scottish sports. They lifted heavy rocks. They tried their hands at events from the Highland Games (this stop on the trip also included this sage advice for kilt-clad dudes from Charlie Murray of the High- land Games Association: “Do not go commando, in case you get up- ended,” and I feel like it’s applicable wisdom for many of life’s situa- tions.) They hit a few golf balls at St. Andrews. Along the way, Heughan and McTavish agreed to a bet: Whoever loses the most sporting events during this leg of the trip will skinny- dip in the North Atlantic. And though Heughan was rather sure that McTavish will be the one taking the chilly plunge, their final stop — rugby training at Murray Stadium — proved him wrong. So after the knackered pair have their now-traditional, end-of-episode whisky, all that’s left is for Heughan to banish his breeks and take the plunge. Which he does… after an extended, au naturale sprint across a lot of sand, thanks to low tide. (Sorry Mary Ann—No photos!)

Editorial Staff

Sue Malone Grace Notes Editor, (901-385-1938) [email protected] Grace Notes is the official publication of the Mem- phis Scottish Society, Inc. It is published monthly. George Malone Like the Society itself, the credo of Grace Notes is Publisher, (901) 385-1938 “to foster education and promote understanding [email protected] of things Scottish.” to foster education If you have something of interest to readers Gavin Anderson and promote understanding of this newsletter, please submit a typewritten Circulation Editor, (901-485-8270) of things Scottish manuscript to the editorial staff. If the article or [email protected] notice is very brief (30 words or fewer), e-mail

or just use the telephone. Grace Notes will accept Karen English and publish good quality photographs. Please address all correspondence to: Circulation Editor, (901-396-9134) The deadline for all submissions is the fourth Grace Notes [email protected] week of each month preceding the month of The Memphis Scottish Society, Inc. publication. Please include a self-addressed [email protected] stamped envelope with each submission, if you Submissions P.O. Box 383092 want the material returned. [email protected] Germantown, TN 38183

2 History of St. Patrick’s Day www.history.com/Editors, Updated: Mar 9, 2020 (Condensed) St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on 1 million poor and uneducated Irish Catholics be- March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth gan pouring into America to escape starvation. century. The Irish have observed this day as a reli- Despised for their alien religious beliefs and gious holiday for over 1,000 years. unfamiliar accents by the American Protestant Who Was St. Patrick? Saint Patrick, who lived majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ire- menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the coun- land and its national apostle. Born in Roman Brit- try’s cities took to the streets on St. Patrick’s Day ain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but re- them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys. turned to Ireland and was credited with bringing The American Irish soon began to realize that Christianity to its people. their large and growing numbers endowed them In the centuries following Patrick’s death (be- with a political power that had yet to be exploited. lieved to have been on March 17, 461), the my- They started to organize, and their voting bloc, thology surrounding his life became ever more known as the “green machine,” became an impor- ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the most tant swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, well-known legend of St. Patrick is that he ex- annual St. Patrick’s Day parades became a show plained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must- Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clo- attend event for a slue of political candidates. ver, the shamrock. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman attended When Was the First St. Patrick’s Day Celebrat- New York City‘s St. Patrick’s Day parade, a proud ed? Since around the ninth or 10th century, people moment for the many Irish Americans whose an- in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catho- cestors had to fight stereotypes and racial preju- lic feast day of St. Patrick on March 17. The first St. dice to find acceptance in the New World. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland but As Irish immigrants spread out over the United in America. Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day States, other cities developed their own traditions. parade was held on March 17, 1601, in a Spanish One of these is Chicago’s annual dyeing of the colony in what is now St. Augustine, . The Chicago River green. The practice started in 1962, parade, and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration a year when city pollution-control workers used dyes to earlier were organized by the Spanish Colony’s trace illegal sewage discharges and realized that the Irish vicar Ricardo Artur. green dye might provide a unique way to celebrate More than a century later, homesick Irish sol- the holiday. That year, they released 100 pounds of diers serving in the English military marched in green vegetable dye into the river–enough to keep New York City on March 17, 1772, to honor the it green for a week. Today, the river turns green for Irish patron saint. Enthusiasm for the St. Patrick’s only several hours. Day parades in New York City, Boston and other Although Chicago historians claim their city’s early American cities only grew from there. idea for a river of green was original, some natives Over the next 35 years, Irish patriotism among of Savannah, Georgia (whose St. Patrick’s Day pa- American immigrant sflourished, prompting rade, the oldest in the nation, dates back to 1813) the rise of so-called “Irish Aid” societies like the believe the idea originated in their town. They Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian point out that, in 1961, a hotel restaurant manager Society. Each group would hold annual parades named Tom Woolley convinced city officials to dye featuring bagpipes (which first became popular in Savannah’s river green. The experiment didn’t ex- the Scottish and British armies) and drums. actly work as planned, and the water only took on In 1848, several New York Irish Aid societ- a slight greenish hue. Savannah never attempted to ies decided to unite their parades to form one dye its river again, but Woolley maintains (though official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. others refute the claim) that he personally suggest- Today, that parade is the world‘s oldest civilian ed the idea to Chicago’s Mayor Richard J. Daley. parade and the largest in the United States, with One icon of the Irish holiday is the Leprechaun. over 150,000 participants. Each year, nearly 3 mil- The original Irish name for these figures of folklore lion people line the 1.5-mile parade route to watch is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.” Be- the procession, which takes more than five hours. lief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic be- Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah also lief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use celebrate the day with parades involving between their magical powers to serve good or evil. Lepre- 10,000 and 20,000 participants each. chauns were known for their trickery, which they The Irish in America: Up until the mid-19th often used to protect their much-fabled treasure. century, most Irish immigrants in America were Leprechauns have their own holiday on May 13, members of the Protestant middle class. When the but are also celebrated on St. Patrick’s, with many Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to dressing up as the wily fairies. 3 Notes from the Isles An Island Journal by Kate Francis, Scottish Life, Summer 2020 (Condensed) If one is forced to impose self-isolation, as were keeping her awake, we had to rely on tex- many of us have done at the moment, there is no- ting. My savior took over, contacted my daughter, where else on earth than here on the Black Isle. told her the situation, and said we’d keep her in- At the end of January, just before our lives be- formed. came so disrupted, I had to go to London to attend That was the longest night and morning I have the funeral of my sister-in-law. Being frugal by na- ever lived through. By now we were in touch with ture, I decided that I’d go down and back on the my son, giving him frequent reports on where we night train, but that I’d book a seat each way, rath- were. The train had to stop frequently due to all er than a cabin with a bunk, thus saving myself the disruptions and my watch seemed to be work- considerable more than £200. My family scolded ing at double time. At one point, I had to go and me for being so cheese-paring, but it turned out to incarcerate myself in the rather small lavatory in be my salvation. order to change clothes. Having delivered Cronie, my Border Terrier, to Eventually, we crept into Euston Station at Mary’s (her daughter) boyfriend Jake’s house for a 1:30 pm. I leapt out and ran down the platform to sleepover, I boarded the train in Inverness and es- where my son was anxiously waiting. For the first tablished myself in the not-very-cozy seat, regret- time ever, there wasn’t a queue for taxis and we ting that I hadn’t thought to bring a pillow or rug. scrambled into one and shot off across London. I had a picnic supper, plenty to read and my book We arrived at the church with one minute to spare, of codeword puzzles, so I was well equipped to and I was able to take the seat reserved for me, be- pass a sleepless night. side my brother-in-law in the front pew. The train set off into the darkness. To my sur- When two of my daughters delivered me to prise, we stopped soon after midnight somewhere the station the following evening for the train back in the Borders – but not at a station. Everyone north, one of the attendants recognized me from glanced at each other and shrugged. Then all the the previous night and insisted on installing me in lights went an empty sleeper cabin – free! So, I sped home in off. Eventual- great comfort and slept the whole way. On arrival ly, members in Inverness, I found the kind attendant and tried of the staff to slip a little “thank you” into his hand, but he came into refused to take it, so I hastily backed off, remem- the carriage bering the pride of Highlanders. to inform us For the next few days, I was teased by various by torchlight friends who reminded me that when they’d asked that the train why I wasn’t flying south – so much cheaper – my had broken reply had been, “Oh no, planes are so unreliable – down and you can often get held up for hours.” no one knew when we would be rescued. We were blocking the main line south, so no rescue train would reach us and there we stayed – all night, with no lights, so no reading or puzzles. Lost Yellow Rubber Duck We finally began to crawl forward at about Lands in Scotland 8:30 am. The entire rail service in Scotland was in “Wonderstruck”, BBC America, chaos because our train had blocked the line all Narrator: Richard Attenborough night and so it was impossible for anyone to esti- mate when we might arrive. Fifteen years ago, a cargo container ship was It was at this point that I appreciated my wis- making way in rough seas in the Arctic Ocean be- dom for not having isolated myself in a sleeper tween Alaska and Russia. Suddenly the ship listed cabin. The funeral was to start at 2 pm in Kens- when hit by a huge wave breaking one of the con- ington, London, but I couldn’t get a signal on my tainers loose and fell into the sea. The container let prelapsarian mobile telephone, so I couldn’t alert loose of its cargo, 9,000 yellow rubber ducks. The my younger daughter who was to meet me. How- ducks went everywhere, one even got to Austra- ever, surrounded as I was by people in the public lia. But after 15 years of “swimming” across three carriage, I was rescued by a saintly passenger who, oceans, one brave little duck was washed up on seeing my problem, said that she had a connection the Scottish western sea shore. The duck is now in on her telephone. Because there was an extremely a museum, although I didn’t catch its name, but bad-tempered English woman in front of us who I’m sure that if you are in a maritime museum and forbade all telephone conversations because they you see a rubber yellow duck, it’s got to be him. 4 Scotland Names Its Snowplows https://www.autoblog.com/2020/12/11/scotland-snowplow-names, (Thanks to “The Grand Rapids Scottish Society,” February 2021) Up in the Scottish Highlands at this very moment, just outside Inverness, Gangsta Granny Gritter is keeping the road clear and ice-free. Out east near Keith: Sir Grits-A-Lot loves to plow and it cannot lie. And down south in the lowlands, Spready Mercury is taking care of this thing called ice. You see, Scotland apparently names its snowplows, or “gritters” as they’re called across the pond. And, true to Scottish form, those names are just delightful. You can even track where they are at any given time. Take it away, list! Amber Snowy Arctic Angel Ice Destroyer Ice Queen BFG Big Friendly Gritter Jeremy Brine Sir Salter Scott Blizzard Bear Lew-Ice Capaldi Slippy McGritty Chilly Connolly Licence To Chill Snow Bother Darth Spreader Luke Snowalker Snow Destroyer David Plowie Meltin’ John Snow Dozer For Your Ice Only Mr Plow Snow Trooper Fred Mrs Gritter Snowball Gangsta Granny Gritter My Name’S Doddie Snowbegone Kenobi Grit A Bit Nitty McGritty Snowkemon Go Grit Expectations Penelope Gritstop Sophie Salt Gritallica Plougher O’Scotland Spready Mercury Gritney Spears Polar Bear Sprinklebell Gritter Bug Explorer Polar Sprinkles Grittest Hits Patroller The Golden Great Gritter Grittie McVittie Ready Spready Go The Grittiest Snowman Grittle Mix Robert Brrrrns Rumble The Incredible Ice Bear Gritty Gonzales Salty Sandy The Snow Buster Gritty Gritty Bang Bang The Solway Salter The Snow Solution Han Snow-lo Scotland’s Bravest Gritter The Winter Explorer I Want To Break Freeze Sir Andy Flurry True Gritter Ice Breaker Sir Grits A Lot Yes Sir Ice Can Boogie

As you can see, there are several Star Wars entries and, as the land of Sean Connery, a few James Bond references (plus Gritty Gritty Bang Bang for extra Ian Fleming content). There are also numer- ous musician references, such as Gritney Spears, David Plowie and Meltin’ John, and The Simpsons rightly gets a shout out with Mr. Plow. So, what’s the deal beyond the Scots’ cheeky sense of humor? Well, according to the BBC, Scottish primary school children got a chance to name them back in a 2006 competition. Well done wee ones. Personally, I’m a fan of Fred. You need a straight one for the jokes to land. “Och, laddies, we got a blizzard brewin’. Git out to the gritters!” “Och, which ones, sir?” “Och, take Snowbegone Kenobi, Nitty McGritty and Fred.” “Aye!”

5 National Tartan Day in The Ellis Island Tartan the United States www.tartandayonellisisland.com/the-ellis-island-tartan www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/national-tartan-day By Vanessa Groce (Condensed) As a symbol, nothing better expresses the es- National Tartan Day is a US observance on sence of Scotland— or a sense of belonging— than April 6 each year. It commemorates the Scottish tartan. Whether to a clan, a regiment, a sports club Declaration of Independence, on which the Amer- or an entire nation, the ties this unique pattern pro- ican Declaration of Independence was modeled. claims span centuries, oceans, wars and genera- It also recognizes achievements of Americans of tions. Scottish descent. That helps explain the excitement behind the Is National Tartan Day a Public Holiday? Na- debut of a new tartan—one specifically designed tional Tartan Day is not a public holiday. Business- to commemorate the Clan Currie Society’s tenth es have normal opening hours. annual celebration of Tartan Day on New York’s What Do People Do? National Tartan Day pa- Ellis Island, which took place on April 6, 2011. The rades occur in major cities such as New York on or event signaled the official acknowledgement of the around April 6. These parades often feature bag- Ellis Island Tartan by the Scottish Author- pipe bands playing Scottish music and people dressed in kilts with tartan patterns that represent ity in Perthshire, and the Scottish Register of Tar- their Scottish clans. Special award events are also tans in Edinburgh as well as other leading Scottish held on Tartan Day, often organized by groups historical and cultural institutions. such as the American Scottish Foundation. Background: The Scottish Declaration of Inde- pendence was signed on April 6, 1320. The Ameri- can Declaration of Independence was, in fact, modelled on this particular document. Almost half of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent. The US Senate Resolution on National Tartan Day was passed on March 20, 1998. From that A bolt of Ellis Island Tartan coming off the loom. point onward, National Tartan Day was designat- ed as a day for all Americans, particularly those of “As the first American footfall for millions of Scottish descent, on April 6 each year. emigrants —including hundreds of thousands of Symbols: Tartan clothing is often worn by Scot- Scots—Ellis Island plays an extremely important tish Americans taking part in National Tartan Day. part in many family histories,” said Brian Wilton, director of the Scottish Tartans Authority. “It is en- tirely appropriate that all those whose American origins were born there should be able to celebrate and commemorate that momentous occasion by 2021 NYC Tartan Week wearing the new Ellis Island Tartan.” Commissioned and conceived by the Clan Cur- Parade Update rie Society, the Ellis Island Tartan was designed by By Kyle Dawson, http://nyctartanweek.org/virtual- Matthew Newsome, director of the Scottish Tartans parade, January 26, 2021 (condensed) Museum in Franklin, NC, to honor immigrants For information: [email protected], or who came to America from around the world— and most notably, their contributions in helping Tel: (212) 980-0844 establish the United States of America. Each color symbolizes an essential component of American history: blue, for example, signifies the ocean that It is with heavy hearts that the National Tartan reached U.S. shores; copper green reflects the color Day New York Committee, once again, announces of the Statue of Liberty; red evokes the bricks of El- that the New York City Tartan Day Parade will not lis Island’s buildings (where 12 million Americans take placed as we know it in 2021. first arrived); while gold portrays “Golden Door” We will be moving forward with a virtual cel- that is America. ebration as we did last year, so please look out for Scotland produced a large initial portion of im- that message, along with instructions on how you migrants, and played a key role in helping to de- may participate. velop the new country. Over half a million Scots Thank you from the bottom of our Tartan Hearts arrived in the United States via Ellis Island, while for your ongoing support. others (including the founding fathers) arrived even earlier. 6 Calendar of Events Mondays Thursdays Memphis Pipes & Drums, MSSI Scottish Country Dancers: 6:00-9:30 Contact: Band Mgr, 7:00 pm at Riveroaks Reformed Kenny Hiner: 494-4902 for info. Presbyterian Church 1665 S. Germantown Road Tuesdays Memphis Phoenix Pipe Band Last Thursday of the Month 7:00-9:30, St. Luke Lutheran Board Meeting: Church 5:30 pm at Riveroaks Reformed 2000 Germantown Pkwy. Presbyterian Church Rick Clausi: 831-3843 for info. 1665 S. Germantown Road

Monday, March 8 MSSI Monthly Meeting: 7:00 pm, via Zoom. Program: Scottish - Celtic “Hugh Pakenham Borthwick: Radio Shows Aristocrat who spied from a Spanish Islet.” By M. A. Lucas Sat, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. “Strands of the Celtic Knot” Robert Campbell, host WEVL–FM 89.9

Sundays, 6-7 p.m. The Thistle and Shamrock” WKNO-FM 91.1

Sundays, 7-8 p.m. “The Thistle & Shamrock,” March 7: Belonging March 28: New Writing WMAV–FM 90.3 With music from Mairi Camp- This week, we feature an hour bell, Kathryn Tickell, Cathy Jor- of recent compositions, includ- dan and other artists, we travel ing festival commissions and homeward in songs and instru- soundtracks from such artists as mentals. Gillian Frame, Michael Rooney, The Macalla Orchestra, John March 14: Classic Counter- Doyle and John McCusker. point We listen this week to music from Celtic roots that shares an approach with Renaissance and Baroque music.

March 21: Spring Compila- tion Fiona Ritchie Head, heart, river and rose - we pick our way through a random assortment of themes in a se- lection of music from artists in- cluding Luka Bloom, Elephant Sessions, The Unwanted and Underhill Rose. Erin Go Braugh!

7 The New College and St. John’s, Edinburgh By Colin Rose This is one of many buildings throughout Edinburgh that are the work of Sir William Playfair. This is the Univer- sity of Edinburgh’s New College and Assembly Halls for the Church of Scotland. Since it was completed in 1850, it is the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and is among the finest educational centers in the UK. The steeple between the two towers is actually a different structure, it is in fact The Castlehill Highland Church of the Tollbooth and St. John. It was begun in 1842 when Queen Vic- toria laid the foundation stone. It is situated at the junction of Castle Hill and the Lawnmarket. The cross on top of this spire is in fact the highest man made point in the city of Edinburgh.

Next Monthly Meeting - Monday, March 8, 2021, at 7:00 pm, Meeting via Zoom. Program: “Hugh Pakenham Borthwick: the British aristocrat who spied from a Spanish Islet.”

MSSI Board Meeting - The last Thursday of the month, 5:30 pm, at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1665 S. Germantown Road

GraceNotes

The Memphis Scottish Society, Inc. P.O. Box 383092 Germantown, TN 38183

www.memphisscots.com