Carolina Caledonian Fest

12/03/2021

Umm...

Over 500 Clan Tartan

01/23/2021

The Events of Culloden and the events that followed not only changed the face of Scotland to this day they changed the lives of thousands of people living around the world who are descended from Scots fleeing the events of Culloden and the events that followed. Culloden is hugely significant not onl...

04/11/2020

It's my opinion that Fayetteville opted to promote a faux French connection instead of promoting its real history,

Fixated on the local connection, former Fayetteville Observer reporter Rebecca Logan has long been been hoping to catch up with Gabaldon. She finally did

02/28/2020

WILMINGTON – When America took up arms and fought for its independence, it was still a land of immigrants.It was a melting pot of different

12/31/2019

Happy Hogmanay all

It’s like nothing else on Earth.

12/15/2019

In Scottish, Irish, Manx and Gaelic mythology the goddess of winter is known as the the Cailleach, Beira or the Cailleach Bheur, which means old woman or hag.

11/14/2019

The Jacobites are regularly cast as 'primitive' Scots – yet it is a false narrative suited for political ends.

10/15/2019

Centres of Gaelic culture and history in Cape Breton see a big boost in the number of visitors during Celtic Colours, but there's another reason they look forward to their arrival.

10/07/2019

09/08/2019

Truth is truth

"So where are the real Highlanders in this story? The answer is, off-stage. The truth is that this whole phenomenon was a fantasy driven by the privileged and intellectual Romantics, who yearned for an idealised Gaidhealtachd yet also (with some exceptions) turned a blind eye to the ordinary contemporary crofters and the harsh realities of their lives.

Even those who promoted scholarly research and the preservation and promotion of genuine Gaelic culture were mostly aristocrats and gentry — the members of newly formed Highland societies and clubs, many resident in the South."

Read more at https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/focus-wild-visions-scotland-made-playground-rich-native-gaels-faced-typhoid-famine-eviction-203008 .99

Publicised with a Classic FM commercial in mellow, Rob Roy brogue, the National Museum of Scotland’s new blockbuster is a smooth distillation of Highland history, from the 1746 Jacobite debacle to the death of Queen Victoria. Taking for its title a quote from Byron’s Lachin Y. Gair, ‘Wild and ...

08/05/2019

Despite having little historical connection to the Argyll Colony, the town of Hillsborough is celebrating it. Too bad that Fayetteville doesn't fully embrace its Highland heritage.
https://www.outlandishhillsborough.com/?fbclid=IwAR1fMKbHvqS0sNC4qUKWFPQe5NlW2LEeml4mv5LoUVjN611RLvR2q9oXrLs

The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough and Ayr Mount Historic Site in collaboration with the Hillsborough Tourism Board present Outlandish Hillsborough, a weekend of activities centered around Scottish heritage, culture and the wildly popular Outlander series. Walking tours, movie night, Scottish &....

07/14/2019

Going back a little farther than the clans.

From the red haired fighters found in Caledonia to the heavily bejeweled people of modern-day Fife, the Romans identified nine major tribes after arriving in what is now Scotland in AD79.Roman geographer Ptolemy did much of the documenting as he embarked on his new map of the world. While his result...

07/09/2019

Everyone has a clan and tartan, so why not?

Become a Laird of Glencoe and/or Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands and help to support a unique conservation project

06/25/2019

In 1734, the 350 Scots who formed the foundation of what would become the largest community of Highlanders in America (Argyll Colony) arrived in Brunswick Town.

06/22/2019

Give me that old time religion...

Two mysterious pagan objects have been removed from a secluded part of Holyrood Park after they were uncovered by chance.

06/22/2019

New from Michael Newton

Warriors of the Word: The World of the Scottish Highlanders was first published in 2009 by Birlinn Ltd (of Edinburgh, Scotland), and won great acclaim both amongst scholars and non-specialists for…

06/19/2019

The Gaelic language spawned the word Hoodoo. Who knew?

There is a common belief that the word Hoodoo is of African origin, derived from a word in the Hausa language for bad luck, and that is also related etymologically with the word voodoo, but the first use of the word Hoodoo is actually attributed to Gaelic speaking Scottish and Irish sailors in the 19th century. The Gaelic word Uath Dubh (pronounced hooh dooh) means dark phantom, evil entity, or spikey
ghost. Ships that had suffered a series of ill-fated voyages and mishaps were called hoodoo ships or were said to have been hoodoo'd. In some accounts the problems onboard these vessels were attributed to an evil spirit or presence.
A Gaelic origin for the word hoodoo would also explain why a certain type of eerie geological rock formation across the Americas is similarly called a hoodoo -- Irish trappers and traders saw these weird objects as personified demons.
But what about Voodoo? Hoodoo conjuring and the practice of Voodoo are undoubtedly related but their names are not. Etymologically speaking, there is no proof of any relation. In meaning, actually, they are quite different.

06/17/2019

The process of mythologising – of blurring the boundaries between the real and the imagined – began in the late 18th century with the well-documented influence of James MacPherson’s translations of ancient poetry, Ossian (1760). Here, a public growing weary with the dry rationalism of the Enlightenment were mesmerised by these sublime and otherworldly folk tales of poetic melancholy from a magical land far away on the northern fringes of civilisation. Versions of this imagined Scotland were later projected onto the world stage through the international success of the Waverley novels of Walter Scott. In the 19th century, this ‘exotic’ Highland culture was soon appropriated by Lowland Scotland and became the iconography of the nation.

The story of land is fundamental to our past, present and future. With a renewed sense of urgency in the context of climate breakdown and a growing awareness of landed power and its malign influenc…

06/07/2019

Preach it Michael!

“ To the contrary, little continuity between “Celtic” tradition – even clans of Gaelic Highlands – & invention of Highland Games in early 19th C. Early Gaelic immigrants did not carry these traditions w/them to N America, the...

05/22/2019

So, you want to be a Highland Laird? Here you go.

The Highland Titles Nature Reserve is owned by Highland Titles and literally thousands of lairds and ladies of Glencoe www.highlandtitles.com

05/19/2019

I confess, my Highland ancestors were Campbells.

In 1692, members of the Campbell clan turned on their MacDonald hosts, killing at least 38 men and sending women and children fleeing into the hills

05/16/2019

Interesting article that addresses beliefs that many of our ancestors had.

HistoryLegend and Tall TalesWhy Many of Our Appalachian Ancestors Believed in Fairies By AppalachianMagazine - March 5, 2019 0 20152 Share on Facebook Tweet on Twitter Photo courtesy of Rick HoppmannWhile modern mothers and children alike often think of Tinker Bell when they hear of fairies, Appalac...

05/09/2019

We can only hope that all of the Tartan Dandies step up with their Scottish pride and dollars to keep this hallowed land sacred.

The Historians Council on Culloden (HCC) has distanced itself from the concept that World Heritage Status would protect the iconic battlefield from creeping encroachment by developers.

05/07/2019

I don't think I ever shared this.

The new season of Outlander follows lead characters Claire and Jamie Fraser as they make their new life in North Carolina during the mid 18th Century.

05/03/2019

"Highland history has been further complicated by the commercial success of invented traditions that have distorted and obscured Gaelic culture into the present day. Throughout the centuries, Romantic representations of the Highland landscape – empty glens and lone stags – have provided not only psychological escape from contemporary reality – from the march of modernity – but also from the history of the Highlands itself. There are parts of Scotland that may suffer from colonial amnesia, but you can’t forget what you don’t know."

Why we need to talk about the links between colonialism and climate change in the context of Highland land reform. I visited Timespan in Helmsdale recently. The gallery is exhibiting a display call…

04/25/2019

O'Dohertys and McDavids share a common ancestor. It seems we have other things is common, like putting foot in mouth. This young lady's response to Cahir O'Doherty's attack on modern Irish dancing is lethal. By the way, Greensboro, NC was the host of the recent National Irish Dancing Championships.

Connecticut dancer praises dedication, passion, and camaraderie she has found in the Irish dance community.

04/23/2019

Man, the world is crumbling around us and I'm over here rambling on about something inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. I do apologize.

04/23/2019

You can always depend on FB to bring relevant people and subjects to your timeline.

http://www.highlandtitles.com/?fbclid=IwAR1WfcLsTa8ZBnJ08Mywe4OnmYj5F4ISQY9VZAjN5omnX0ZKWsIM-i1GBnM

Buy a Scottish souvenir plot of land from Highland Titles and style yourself as Lord, Laird or Lady of Glencoe. An everlasting gift that supports a unique conservation project in Scotland and an unforgettable experience, rated 9.6/10 on Trustpilot and 5/5 on TripAdvisor.

04/22/2019

The last 24 hours has been so enlightening. I now know that I am an "idiot", "supremacist", "racist", "fool" and "twit" among other things. It would be nice for those many people who know so much more than I to share some of their knowledge with us. Please, post away. Let's make something positive out of this.

04/22/2019

I respect Michael's knowledge and writings on Scottish history and culture, especially as it relates to the Scottish experience in this country. I'm sure many of you will not appreciate his take on the subject of cultural appropriation.
https://virtualgael.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/cultural-appropriation-gaels-and-other-natives/

Showbiz antics this summer, especially Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Tonto in the Lone Ranger movie and Miley Cyrus’s MTV dance performance, have prompted necessary public discussions about cultural a…

04/22/2019

Since it's obvious that most of you do not know the reason that this event was even conceived. I have posted it below. The only reason I had Games and Clans involved in it was because that's all anyone seems to associate with a Scottish festival. My goal was to focus on 18th Century North Carolina, and the challenges presented to recent immigrants for Scotland. Clans and kilts have very little to do with that.

The Carolina Caledonian Fest is a celebration of the Argyll Colony, the largest and most significant community of Scot Highlanders in America. Over 160,000 Highlanders came to the Tar Heel State in the 18th Century and settled the Cape Fear Region and established the towns of Campbellton and Cross Creek (later merged to become Fayetteville). Over a million of their descendants live in the region today*. We will explore the Argyll Colony's origins and culture, the way they lived, and recall the bitter times that drove them here. Most importantly, we will honor their legacy and do our best to keep it REAL.

We hope our festival will inspire the Argyll Colony's descendants to use it as a place to hold family reunions.
Eighteenth Century Heritage Attire is not required but it does make the experience more fun.

04/22/2019

Wow. Facebook is simply amazing and unpredictable. I have been running this page for over three years, and in that time I have both promoted my event and tried to educate and amuse folks along the way. Today, I made a post challenging the credibility of so-called "Highland" events that include, and yes, promote a false narrative of Scottish clan history.

Silly me, to dare to upset the Scottish apple cart. Unlike posts in years hence, where a couple of folks might comment, this one resulted in a storm of condemning posts directed at yours truly, some deserved, some not so much. Many new names surfaced on this page, mainly to let me know what a "twit" I am.

I wrote the post expecting some pushback, but not as vociferous as It turned out. As is my way I pushed back too. I regret some of my word choices but not my original intent. Evidently, Scottish festivals are much like St. Patrick's Day, where anyone can, and indeed is encouraged to claim a piece of the culture for themselves. Who am I to challenge that fancy?

04/22/2019

At the risk of putting off many folks with Scottish ancestry, please note that there were two distinctive ethnic groups in Scotland at the time of Culloden. There were Highlander clans who spoke Gaelic and Lowlanders, who spoke English or a derivation of. They were all Scots, but not of the same ancestry. At today's Highland Games the
descendants of the two rub shoulders as if they are all the same, and wear kilts. But in reality they're not. If your ancestors are not Highlanders, please do not pretend and wear a kilt, or claim that your family was part of a clan. This is another case of cultural appropriation.