Chiefs' greatest gathering

Published on Friday 3 July 2009 22:20

SCOTLAND has seen great gatherings of its clan chiefs at some of its most important historic and bloody moments.

But even the number of chiefs at great battles such as Bannockburn, Culloden or Flodden will be dwarfed by an event at the Scottish Parliament this month.

Holyrood is preparing itself for the greatest gathering of clan chiefs in Scotland's history. More than 100 of them from around Scotland and the world will get together in the main debating chamber ahead of the Gathering in Edinburgh on 24 July.

Chiefs will be attending from as far afield as Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States, as well as travelling up from England. Gathering organiser Lord Sempill, a member of the Standing Council of Clan Chiefs, said that the chiefs themselves saw the meeting as "a defining moment".

"Symbolically, it is very important that it is taking place in the Scottish Parliament and will be chaired by the parliament's Presiding Officer," he said. "What we hope will result from it is an idea of how to take forward the clan system into the 21st century."

The Scottish Government will be represented by tourism minister Jim Mather, although First Minister Alex Salmond plans to take part in the Gathering events in Holyrood Park.

Lord Sempill said the convention would discuss how Scotland and the chiefs could use the clan system for tourism opportunities. "In the past, grants have not been forthcoming from VisitScotland for these sorts of projects, and we hope to look at ways of changing that," he said.

The chiefs will hear speeches by the Lord Lyon David Sellar, King of Arms, followed by Donald MacLaren of MacLaren.

Among others scheduled to attend are the Earl of Elgin, the Duke of Montrose, Sir William Macpherson, Lord Macdonald of Macdonald, the Duke of Argyll, Donald Cameron of Locheil, the Duke of Buccleuch, Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor and Margaret Eliott of Redheugh.