WORLD GATHERING OF MACINTYRES July 17 – 20, 2008 at Taynuilt, Scotland near Glennoe Update as of Oct. 21, 2007 Martin MacIntyre, Convener [email protected], 41 Temescal Terrace, San Francisco, CA 94118 9 months and Counting! REGISTRATION DEPOSIT: TIME TO SEND IT IN (See below). GATHERING PROGRAM – The complete program is listed below. LODGING ASSISTANCE – There are many new listings below. TRAVEL ASSISTANCE – What you need to know to get to the Gathering and back. POST-GATHERING GUIDED TOUR – Consider a Post-Gathering Tour of Scotland a la MacIntyre. BANQUET – The Hall holds 300 (main room) plus 100 (side room) and we are nearing 300. CEILIDH – There are two ceilidhs, the small one at the Taynuilt Village Hall which is open to the general public on Wednesday and/or Thursday and the big one on Saturday night in Oban limited to MacIntyres. The APPLICATION FORM is at the end of this update. Follow the instructions carefully. KEEP UPDATED AT: www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/macintyre/2008.htm REASON: The updates are weekly or bi-weekly and it is too difficult to send e-mails to everyone each time. E-mail addresses change and sometimes are returned: UNDELIVERABLE! This web site and my e-mail address won’t change. DON’T PUT IT OFF – Locate your passport and be sure it is good through September 2008 to have plenty of leeway. If you plan to do any hiking Check your tetanus booster status. KEEP US INFORMED – Send the details when reserve a lodging or air travel (dates, airline, airport, lodging name/location – with the name of each person in your group). • REGISTRATION DEPOSIT We are now ready to receive a $25.00 deposit for each adult (age 16 or older) who has completed an application to the MacIntyre Gathering. I am doing everything possible to have the payment system secure, efficient and transparent. The deposit is refundable if circumstances prevent you from attending. There are two ways to send your payment: check or online General Information To keep your existing reservation priority, you need to send in your deposit(s) by December 15, 2007 (See Reservation Priority Below). We must have an Application for each individual, including children. If you have already completed a Pre-Application Form(s), then don’t send in another one. After December 15th, the reservation priority will be based on the date and time the deposit is received. On December 15th, we will set a firm cutoff date for new applications. This is necessary to finalize Gathering plans (transportation, tent, chairs, etc.) After the cutoff date, we will start a waiting list. PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS PERSONAL CHECK (Preferred method for applicants with US Dollar Checking Accounts): Make the check out to: Martin MacIntyre. On the check notation line write 2008 Gathering. Attach a list of the individuals covered by the deposit. Including middle names or initials where possible. Address the envelope to: Return Address Stamp Stuart MacIntire P.O. Box 863 Andover, MA 01810-0015 2008 Gathering ONLINE with PayPal® (Preferred method for applicants living outside of United States) PayPal® is a payment system that allows anyone with access to the Internet to pay anyone else by using a bank credit card or debit card. For most attendees from outside the US this will be the most convenient method. It will be easy for you if you have made purchases online before. All others might want to copy the following instructions to help you through the process. To pay your registration deposit via PayPal®, click on this link. http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/macintyre/2008-deposit.htm 1. At the top left of the PayPal® page is MacIntyre Publishing, the name of my (Martin MacIntyre’s) PayPal® business account. 2. In the Qty box, enter the number of persons for whom you are paying a registration deposit. 3. Click the “Update Totals” button. [Example: 3 persons should total $75 ($25 x 3)] 4. Go to the left side towards the bottom where you’ll see: “Don’t have a PayPal account”? If you don’t have an account (most of you) then click “continue”. 5. PayPal® now asks for your bank credit card information, billing address, e-mail address and telephone number. Once this is completed, click “Review Order and Continue” and your payment will be processed. PayPal® will send both of us an e-mail summary and confirmation number. 6. You will then be sent to the MacIntyre Gathering "Thank You" page where I want you to complete an email to me with the names of the people covered by your deposit (with middle names/initials). This will enable me to keep accurate records. To make a deposit payment click the link below. See you in Scotland. http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/macintyre/2008-deposit.htm What is the Reservation Priority? There are events or services which may have a limit on the number of participants. These include the Banquet, Transportation to the Stone of the Fatted Calf and to Glen Noe, Golf Tournament, and the Taynuilt Ceilidh. Your reservation priority is based on the date you, or someone from your group contacted us about attending the Gathering and that priority will be held until December 15, 2007 when the deposit is due. Some individuals responded many years ago and for others only last week. The priority number will only be used if there is a need to limit attendance at an event or if there is a choice of date, time or seating location. • The Gathering Program Wednesday Optional Early Registration at the Oban Visitor’s Centre 07/16/08 For early arrivals: 4-hour guided bus tour of MacIntyre Country PM * 1.5 hr. boat trip on Loch Etive * Walking tour of Taynuilt Climb to Stone of the Fatted Calf * Taynuilt ceilidh* (evening) or interact with local Scots at a pub Thursday Official Welcome and Registration at Taynuilt Field (10 am to 8 pm) 07/17/08 Presentations on geology, history, culture, Gaelic, genealogy Performances: Pipes, singing, dancing 4-hour guided bus tour of MacIntyre Country AM or PM * Golf Tournament at Taynuilt links * 1.5 hr. boat trip on Loch Etive * Walking tour of Taynuilt Climb to Stone of the Fatted Calf * Taynuilt ceilidh* (evening) or interact with local Scots at a pub Friday 4-hour guided bus tour of MacIntyre Country AM or PM * 07/18/08 Climb to Stone of the Fatted Calf * 1.5 hr. boat trip on Loch Etive * Self-guided activities: hiking, sightseeing, visiting 7 – 11 pm Banquet at Argyllshire Gathering Hall, Oban * or interact with local Scots at a pub Saturday Morning rest and relaxation or self-guided activities 07/19/08 Taynuilt Highland Games Noon - 5 pm Parade, competitions, children activities, MacIntyre tent – history, piping, singing, dancing, poetry and genealogy Ceilidh at the Corran Gathering Hall, Oban 8 pm – Midnight Sunday 10 – 11 am Ecumenical Service in Taynuilt 07/20/08 1 – 3 pm Gathering at Glen Noe, MacIntyres’ ancestral home * Limited by reservation and priority position. • COST ESTIMATES Events – Check the Application Form for estimated fees for each event. $180 – $300 per adult depending on which events and mode of transportation you choose. Accommodation Estimate - Daily Per Person a. $25 – e.g. camping www.crunachy.co.uk (per night with $5 per add’l person). b. $35+ – Self-catering (assumes one week and four occupants = $800+) c. $55 – $65 B&B (a room in a private residence) d. $75 – guest house (usually a large home converted into a lodging) e. $60 - $100 – standard hotel (quality varies greatly. Check www.tripadvisor.com) f. $160+ – luxury accommodations TOTAL ESTIMATED AVERAGE COST PER PERSON FROM THE UNITED STATES. $2,500 per person for a 10 day trip (Airfare-$1000, Lodging-$600 Gathering-$200, $700-Food/Other $3,400 per person (double occupancy) for 10 days including the Post-Gathering Tour. WWW.XE.COM for current exchange rates Items will cost about 1.5 to 2 times more than in US. • LODGING General Information Here is an area map. http://uk2.multimap.com/maps/#t=l&map=56.43754,-5.21578|12|4 Where to Start - Go below to the list of places or go to the web yourself. Type in “accommodations Oban Connel Taynuilt” to find websites. I’ve listed many of them below. Choose two or three and then you might want to telephone directly to get answers to any questions. It usually costs 10 cents a minute and is well worth it. The time difference in the US and Scotland is 6 hours EDT, 7 hours CDT and 8 hours PDT. If you are sure you are coming, you should begin to reserve lodgings now because July is the high season. Ask for their cancellation policy. Ask whether the toilet facilities are ‘en suite’ or shared with another room. Tall people should ask about ceiling heights. These are the two unanticipated problems we have encountered. Otherwise, I would rate most places we have stayed in as good to excellent. Ask how long it takes to get to Oban and Taynuilt and how far they are from the public bus stop. Self-Catering + B&Bs - For groups of four or more from overseas who plan to stay in the area for two weeks and don’t mind making your own breakfast and doing dishes and sharing the bathroom, self- catering is the best buy. If you stay only one week you will have to also book a B&B for Saturday and Sunday nights which means you will have to move to a new place on Saturday morning.