The Clishmaclaver Newsletter of the Clan Donnachaidh Society Upper Midwest January 2017 Issue Around the World It Is Time to Remember the Scottish Bard Robert Burns on his Birthday By James Robertson Ward, Editor, The Clishmaclaver Every beginning of the year edition of our newsletter is dedicated to Robert Burns, the beloved Scottish poet, and this year the reports are rolling in of celebrations which will be described on the following pages. Those of you who would like to know more about Burns have more opportunities than ever to get acquainted with him; your local library has been supplemented by a giant website that advertises everything you wanted to know and a lot more besides. It is: www.robertburns.org. Our own website has a brief history of Burns in our About the Clan section of: www.clandonnachaidh.org. Inside this issue: Burns Hist. 1 CDSUM Ann. Rpt. 2 Chicago Burns 3 Milwaukee Burns 4 Tilted Kilt 5 Struan in Florida 5 Chief Honored 18 6 Edinburgh Tattoo 7 So curl up with a book of Burns poems and pick up on some of your favorites. And be sure to know the words to Auld Lang Syne so you ll be prepared to sing it when you go to a Burns Night event. Depending on where you live there is usually one available, either on his birth date (January 25th) or a nearby weekend.
Page 2 CDSUM Annual Report Editor s Note: This is the report for 2016 of Activities of our Branch of Clan Donnachaidh which will be included in the Clan s Annual Magazine. Thanks to volunteer leadership by Vice-Presidents and members in our various states, another excellent year has passed into history with our Highland Games clan tents giving us a wonderful chance to meet new friends, as well as reconnect with old friends. We added new members, too, with one of our best growth years. The highlight of the year came with the celebration of our 30th Anniversary as a Branch at our Annual General Meeting. Our planning committee chose the historic Pere Marquette Hotel in Peoria, IL as the site. The hotel s Grand Ballroom was made available and provided room for display of photos and souvenir programs of our 30year history. The weekend event also included a Friday night pub crawl, with a cruise the next day on the Spirit of Peoria ; the group was piped aboard by our Clan Piper, Michael Flemming. A hearty lunch was served aboard and we were serenaded by both our piper and a Dixieland Band. Back to the dock, we returned to the hotel for a formal business meeting giving a report on the past year, and setting plans for 2017. After adjournment, and a short period of rest and refreshing, our group moved on to Alexander s Steakhouse on the riverfront for our Anniversary dinner. That s the story of our exciting year here in the Upper Midwest. We re looking forward to a bright 2017! William Reid Bill Reid, President, Upper Midwest Branch.
Page 3 Chicago Scots invite you to the Robert Burns Supper on Feb. 4th Each year the CHICAGO SCOTS gather together to celebrate the birthday (January 25th), life and work of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Join us for an evening of cocktails, dinner, toasts, music and dancing. 6 P. M. Cocktail Reception and Whisky Tasting 7 P. M. Main Reception (Cathedral Hall), University Club, 76 E. Monroe, Chicago. RSVP: careysmith@chicagoscots.org About Robert Burns: Whether his subject was a man or a mouse (or even a louse), Scotland s National Bard had a rare talent for putting himself into other s shoes and expressing life s universal emotions. From traditional ballads and romantic songs to humorous satires and thought provoking poem, Robert Burns composed some of the world s instantly recognizable lines of poetry and song lyrics. His words have been cherished and passionately recited for the past two centuries. Indeed, it s because of this great man that we promise, every Hogmanay, to tak a cup o kindness with our neighbors and go forward into the new year with a sense of belonging and hope for the future. University Club of Chicago
Page 4 Burns Club of Milwaukee Picks Klemmer s for Annual Supper The Robert Burns Club of Milwaukee requests the pleasure of your presence at the traditional Robert Burns Supper on Sunday, February 12, 2017. The popular Klemmer s Williamburg Inn, 10401 W. Oklahoma Ave., Milwaukee, WI. 53227, is the location. (See photo above). 5:00 Fou and Unco Happy Hour (Reception and Cocktails) 7:00 Supper (meal choices to be made with your reservation) Whiskey Marinated Sirloin or Cod Almandine PLUS ENTERTAINMENT, HAGGIS, RAFFLE, A PIPER AND MORE! Reminder: Wearing the kilt is optional but welcome! Reservation Form I am enclosing a check/money order to Robert Burns Club of Milwaukee for $ for reservations for the Feb. 12th,2017 Burns Supper at $25 per dinner. Dinner Choice: Whiskey Marinated Sirloin Cod Almandine. Name Address City State Zip Phone E-Mail Reservations with dinner choice MUST be received not later than Feb. 1, 2017. Cancellations MUST be received by Feb. 5th, 2017. Call 262-792-1405 for more information. Send check and reservation form to: Robert Burns Club Ian Day, 650 B McHenry Cir., Brookfield, WI. 53045-3636.
Page 5 Is there a bit of Instant Scotland Near You? Yes, if you live in Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, and certain parts of Illinois (Rockford and Quincy). No, if you re in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. The Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery Franchise wants you to visit them and join their Clan. The executives who are cutting the ribbon for the franchise opening (above) have convinced the new operators that they are selling fun with the help of the attractive wait staff shown in their tilted kilt outfits. There is no haggis in sight, but plenty of Burgers and Shepherd s Pie, as well as other Celtic offerings. The walls are lined with big screen televisions tuned to sporting events and Scottish and English memorabilia are on display. Don t expect any Robert Burns events, but you can purchase their Tilted Kilt Girl calendar for 2017 as a souvenir of your visit. Their website will guide you to eight suburban locations in Chicago, two in Detroit and two in Indianapolis. Struan Visits Florida Branch Alexander Gilbert Haldane Robertson of Struan and his wife Bridget visited the Central Florida Highland Games during a winter trip. According to Clan President, Christy Duncan, Everyone had a wonderful time. It was a beautiful weekend, perfect weather, but exhausting. We took in over 20 members so lots of work ahead. (Right) Alexander Struan and his wife Bridget
Page 6 The Chief to be Honored in 18 Pictured above is Alexander Gilbert Haldane Robertson of Struan, 23rd Chief of Clan Donnachaidh. He was born in 1936, the youngest of four children, and the only son of Langton George Duncan Robertson of Struan, and his wife, Laurie. He succeeded his father as chief of Clan Donnachaidh in 1983. Struan studied electrical engineering at Edinburgh University and then, having become interested in the application of mathematical models to management, took a postgraduate course in Operational Research at the London School of Economics. After a career in the Civil Service (with an Operational Group in the Department of Health and Social Security), he opted for a modern version of the traditional activity of his family, farming. He bought a small fruit farm in the southeast of England in 1980 and has been growing apples and grading fruit for himself and neighboring farmers ever since. A unique Clan Gathering in 2018 to honor Struan on his 35th year as Clan Donnachaidh Chief and this 80th birthday. It is scheduled for August 10 to 19, 2018. The committee is working to plan 10 days of activities and tours which should be of interest to everyone. This gives plenty of time for planning and saving funds for the trip. Webmaster Brian Robertson is preparing an informational flyer which will be e-mailed to the membership and will give more details. (Thanks to Faith Elliot for the above information from our Clan website)
Page 7 Edinburgh Tattoo to Feature Clan Donnachaidh Marchers In a first time event on the program, the Executive Committee has asked our Struan and members of Clan Donnachaidh to march in the 2017 Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The date for our Clan is August 12th and as this is a world class event, attended by thousands each year, it is a distinct honor. The Tattoo (see photo below) is performed in the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. Visitors from all over the world will be in the audience at 7:30 p.m. for the Saturday night performance. The entertainment consists of musical performances by choral groups, bands, and drill teams. So if you are planning to visit Scotland this summer, get your tickets ordered now and your travel plans in order. Due to the short run of the Tattoo, tickets are in demand at the height of the vacation season. You ll also be able to visit the 2017 Glan Gathering and International AGM, which will be held the same week. Information is available at the Clan website, which is: http:// donnachaidh.com. If you would like to receive the newsletter from Scotland, add / maillist.html following the.com. Brian Robertson is the Clan s Webmaster. This is not to be confused with the Upper Midwest Branch website which is: www:// clandonnachaidh.org. Ben Kuhl is our Webmaster.
Page 8 WWW.CLANDONNACHAIDH.ORG CLAN OFFICERS BILL REID, PRESIDENT JOHN REID, TREASURER, V.P.-ILLINOIS PATRICIA WILBER, MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN LYNN WOOD, SECRETARY BOB ROBERTSON, V.P.-ILLINOIS KATHY HART, V.P.- INDIANA BOB DUNCAN, V.P. IOWA RUSS READ, V.P. WISCONSIN LUKE ROBERTSON, V.P. MICHIGAN JON CARLSON, V.P.- MINNESOTA GORDON WILBER, PRES. EMERITUS BEN KUHL, PUBLICISIT & WEBMASTER JAMES ROBERTSON WARD, NEWSLETTER EDITOR CLAN TRUSTEES JESSIE READ TIFFANY KUHL PATRICIA WILBER CLAN COUNCIL CLAN OFFICERS & TRUSTEES, PLUS DICK & BRENDA ROBERTSON MARY JANE ROBERTSON LIZ REID Clan Donnachaidh Society Upper Midwest Clan Donnachaidh Society Upper Midwest History Clan Donnachaidh Society Upper Midwest (CDSUM) was established in 1986 by Gordon and Patricia Wilber along with Joanne Reid and Phillis Anderson. They initially gathered about 12 people the Wilber s town house in Hoffman Estates to begin the task creating Clan Donnachaidh Upper Midwest. The first thing they did was man a table at the Scottish Fair in the Irish American Center in Chicago. There more people signed up. By the end of 1986 the by-laws were written and Clan Donnachaidh Society Upper Midwest was officially established! Clan Donnachaidh Society, Pacific Northwest donated 3 dirks, which were raffled to raise funds for the newly established society. Since that time, the clan created the Clishmaclaver for all Clan members to keep up to date with Clan activities. Gordon and Patricia also began the "Taste of Scotland" at their home. This gave everyone a reason to get together, sample authentic Scottish foods, and of course, a dram or two of single malt scotch. In February 1990, Gordon and Patricia along with Marge Hale and the rest of the CDSUM members hosted the North American Conference of Clan Donnachaidh Presidents in Chicago. Alexander Gilbert Haldane Robertson of Struan (Chief of Clan Donnachaidh) found out about the event and wished to participate, which he did. Struan also returned in February 1993 for a 5 branch tour to kick off the centenary year. Our members represented CDSUM well during the Celebration in Pitlochry Scotland. CDSUM turned twenty five in 2011 with a celebration dinner on the Milwaukee River. The event was arranged by Russ and Jessie Read. This year we celebrated our Thirtieth anniversary with a luncheon cruise on the Illinois River at Peoria. Since its founding, CDSUM has continued to grow. We have active members in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. We currently man CDSUM tents at nine games across our territory. Clan Donnachaidh Society Upper Midwest James Robertson Ward, Clishmaclaver editor 893 Saddlewood Drive Glen Ellyn IL 60137