Scotstown ceilidh:
Good through and through
Despite the rain, Scotstown’s annual ceilidh attracted people from Vancouver all the way to Newfoundland this past weekend. Surrounded by kilts, music and dance, the celebration will be fondly remembered by all who attended.
Wendy Patrick, who attended the ceilidh, said the event “went very well and was extremely well attended. Everyone was quite pleased.”
“There were well over 250 people. There were no extra chairs,” said Patrick. “The tent was overflowing.”
Though the Scottish population of Scotstown has decreased over the years, she added that all residents were very involved in the ceilidh.
“It was well supported by the residents. It is nice to see not only non-scottish anglos, but also francophones, who come to make sure the heritage is preserved. People came with their children and grand-children;they make sure to pass the torch.”
The kirking of the tartans was a great success, according to Patrick, who said that over 50 tartans were on display. James Macaulay, who hand-wove the tartan of Scotstown and got it approved by the official Scottish registry, faithfully attends the event every year, carrying his tartan.
He described the ceremony: Madeline Irving leading the procession with the St. Andrews Flag of Scotland, followed by his mother, Janet, carrying the Lion Rampant flag. Then, he carried his freshly woven Scotstown tartan alongside the Mayor, Chantal Ouellet, who carried the Quebec tartan, leading the way for all the others.
In addition to the ceremony, as a surprise event, Macaulay, received a certificate in honour for his creation.
“Jon Macaulay’s father, Iain, who is a long time member of the town council, and the mayor got on stage at the end of the kirking ceremony,” described Macaulay.“bing Mciver, who does an outstanding job every year as MC giving us all new bits of history and and telling us about the founding of our town, called me to the stage. The mayor and Iain Macaulay thanked me for the
work I did in creating the tartan and getting it registered and then gave me the award.”
“The mayor and town council have been giving these framed tartans to local folks that get awards, in addition to their awards/certificates, for their outstanding deeds,” commented Macaulay. “It was very flattering. I also saw a photo of my tartan being woven on one of the town looms. That was very cool to see.”
The framed tartan certificate was hand-woven by the seamstress club Des Mains Agiles of Scotstown. Macaulay met the ladies after the awards ceremony.
“After the presentation, the mayor brought me over to meet the ladies who weaved it. I’d met them before but I was able to thank them for weaving my award and also for their hard work in weaving a special piece of Scotstown tartan to be used for the kirking,” he said.“they didn’t have much time to get the job done but they all worked long hours to complete it on time. They deserved an award for that. They certainly deserve a great big thank you.”
By far and large, those who were present agreed that the ceilidh was a wonderful weekend.
“Jon Macaulay did a spectacular rendition of Amazing Grace at the kirking. He is very good and he makes the town proud. The highlight for me every year is usually hearing Scotland the Brave on the bagpipes. We always have live pipers. There’s something moving about hearing Scotland the Brave being played live on bagpipes,”he added. “It made the day that much more special having my tartan lead the rest of the tartans.”
“There were no best parts,” concluded Patrick. “Because all of it is the best. It’s always good. All of it.”