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The Pibroch Official Journal St. Andrew’s Society of Baltimore P.O. BOX 4114 Timonium, MD 21094-4114 Highland Games . .The Origin Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes, the kilt, and the heavy events, especially the caber toss. While centred on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture. The Cowal Highland Gathering, better known as the Cowal Games, held in Dunoon,Scotland, every August, is the largest Highland games in the world, attracting around 3,500 competitors and somewhere in the region of 23,000 spectators[1] from around the globe. Worldwide, however, it is exceeded in terms of spectators by two gatherings in the United States: the estimated 30,000 that attend Grandfather Mountain in North Carolinaand the even larger[ gathering—the largest in the Northern Hemisphere—that has taken place every year since 1865 hosted by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. This event is currently held on Labor Day weekend inPleasanton, California. The games are claimed to have influenced Baron Pierre de Coubertin when he was planning the revival of the Olympic Games. De Coubertin saw a display of Highland games at the Paris Exhibition of 1889. The origin of human games and sports predates recorded history. An example of a possible early games venue is at Fetteresso, although that location is technically a few miles south of the Scottish Highlands. It is reported in numerous Highland games programs, that King Malcolm III of Scotland, in the 11th century, summoned contestants to a foot race to the summit of Craig Choinnich (overlooking Braemar).[2] King Malcolm created this foot race in order to find the fastest runner in the land to be his royal messenger. Some have seen this apocryphal event to be the origin of today's modern Highland games.[3] There is a document from 1703 summoning the clan of the Laird of Grant, Clan Grant. They were to arrive wearing Highland coats and "also with gun, sword, pistol and dirk".[ From this letter, it is believed that the competitions would have included feats of arms. However, the modern Highland games are largely a Victorian invention, developed after the Highland Clearances. The Pibroch Official Journal St. Andrew’s Society of Baltimore standrewsbaltimore.org April - May 2015 * Volume 209 Issue 3 * Stuart Blair Editor Burns Nicht Supper 2015 “Happy 256th Birthday Robbie” Submitted by Bill Kommalan, Chair It was a cold winter’s night, but inside the Maryland Club, fires were burning brightly with warmth and coziness. As the reception progressed, lassies and ladies exuded an air of conviviality and friendship that carried throughout the evening. Some of the general feelings were furnished by the imbibing of single malt whiskey. At the sound of the Pipes, Piper Ernie Brandt called everyone to their tables. President Herb Glasby and Lady Marion were piped to the Burns’ table to light a candle to welcome our renowned guest in spirit, Scotland’s Poet Robert Burns. And so, on Saturday, January 24th began the celebration of Robert Burns’ 256th birthday and th the 37 Annual Burns’ Nicht Supper Ernie Brandt Nick McIntosh and our lads talk to the haggis by St. Andrew’s Society of Baltimore. To the haggis. “Pay the piper” Chair Bill Kommalan welcomed everyone to the supper and after the appropriate toasts and signing of the National Anthems, and the invocation by Rev. Ernest Smart, he then ordered the Maryland Club to “Bring on the Soup”. Later, with the assist of Piper Ernie Brandt, the call went out to “Bring on the Haggis”, whereas, Nick McIntosh recited Burns’ Address to a Haggis. Stonie Maxwell recited the Selkirk Grace and then the call went out to “Bring on the Meat (and salmon)”. The meal was sumptuous and filling. With only a few moments to kick back, the evening’s program started with a piping rendition by Ernie Brandt, followed by Ernest Smart’s Toast to Burns’ Immortal Memory. Every one chuckled with Dave Bohannon’s Toast to the Lassies and Meredith Bohannon’s response Toast to the Ladies. After a recitation of a Burns poem, Herb & Marion were asked to extinguish the candle on the Robert’s table and with a signing of Auld Lange Syne, led by Andy McCombe; the program was brought to a close. For the enjoyment of everyone attending, Alex Mark Cox continued the evening by playing and singing Celtic songs. With the fires burning down, everyone began the trip home to await next year’s annual celebration. I am thankful for the assistance of everyone who participated and attended the Davie Bohannon Marion Glasby ponders . dinner as it was deemed a success, especially on the fact, we concluded by 9 PM. Additionally, I was ably assisted by Presents a toast to the lassies .“Robbie sure is a handsome lad.” my Co-Chair Henry McDonald. Here’s to the 38th Annual Burns’ Nicht Supper on January 23, 2016. President’s Wee Word Second, the manifesto affirmed the nation's independence in a way no battle could, and justified it with a truth that is beyond nation and race. Man has a With the warmer weather right to freedom and a duty to defend it with his life. comes increased activity The natural qualifications put upon this by a medieval both inside and out. The baron are irrelevant, as are the reservations which slave- Baltimore Saint Patrick’s owning Americans placed upon their declaration of Day Parade is past and independence. The truth once spoken cannot be now we are getting ready checked, the seed once planted controls its own growth, for the various festivals and and the liberty which men secure for themselves must highland games held be given by them to others, or it will be taken as they around the state. The big took it. Freedom is a hardy plant and must flower in one for which your Society equality and brotherhood. (John Prebble) has been a participant for over 40 years is the th The U.S. Congress declared APRIL 6 as TARTAN DAY Colonial Highland Gathering at Fair Hill, MD (http://www.tartanday.org/history) so celebrate by first (http://fairhillscottishgames.org/). th attending the Tartan Ball on Saturday April 18 and then It is held on the third Saturday in May (5/16) and is by wearing your kilt to the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan at the organized by the Scottish Games Association of Cathedral of Mary our Queen on North Charles Street on Delaware. Besides bagpipe band competitions there are th the next day, Sunday April 19 . Show up is 10:30am, the individual competitions in piping, fiddling, highland the service begins at 11, and the attire is Daywear. dancing, and athletics. Professional musical Show your ancestral colors and join your Society performances are held throughout the day on the brothers in the camaraderie of the events this spring. entertainment stage. Mid-afternoon, your Society will See you there…. host a Haggis Parade, with the Bard’s Address to the Haggis provided prior to its being served. It’s truly a fun time for the whole family and I hope to see you there. The Southern Maryland Celtic Festival Yours aye, (http://www.cssm.org/) takes place on Saturday, April 25th and is held at Jefferson Patterson State Park and Herb Glasby, III Museum in St. Leonard, Calvert County, MD. We will th 54 President not have a tent there, but will have a tent at the Ph: 410-437-0848 Frederick Celtic Festival email: [email protected] (http://www.frederickcelticfestival.com/) hosted by the St. Andrew’s Society of Mid-Maryland on Saturday May 9th at the Mt. Airy Fire Dept. Fairgrounds in Mt. Airy, MD. It’s time to forget about the snow and cold of this past winter and be about enjoying the sun and outdoors with Trivia Question your Scottish clansmen. The Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish Robert the Bruce I died in 1329 after a lengthy independence made in 1320. It is in the form of a letter illness. Upon his death, his heart was extracted submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, which James Douglas placed in a silver casket to intended to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, be worn on a chain around his neck. The body sovereign state and defending Scotland's right to use was interred at ______? military action when unjustly attacked. a. Dunfermline Abbey Two things make the Declaration of Arbroath the most important document in Scottish history. First it set the b. Iona Abbey will and the wishes of the people above the King. c. Pjuscarden Abbey Though they were bound to him 'both by law and by his d. Paisley Abbey merits' it was so that their freedom might be maintained. If he betrayed them he would be removed and replaced. This remarkable obligation placed upon a feudal Answer to trivia question on page 7 monarch by his feudal subjects may be explained in part by the fact that Bruce was still a heather king to many of them, still a wild claimant ruling upon sufferance and success. But the roots of his kingship were Celtic, and a Celtic tradition was here invoked. - 2 - After the Declaration of Arbroath .