Page 1 Clan Donald Nova Scotia Fall/Winter 2013
CLAN DONALD NOVA SCOTIA
Fall/Winter 2013
"Ni h-eibhneas gan Chlainn Domhnaill…" (It is no joy without Clan Donald ....)
Nova Scotia Highland Games and Gatherings 2013
One-year-old Rylan Macdonald in his Clan Donald kilt
outside the Clan Donald Tent at Antigonish Games
Antigonish
Branch
member,
Peter Troy
MacDonald,
of Ottawa,
with his
young son,
Hugh, and
Wade
MacDonald
of Halifax
at the
Antigonish
Games.
Jessie Everill, daughter of Chris and Carla (MacDonald)
Everill of Halifax Region at the Festival of the Tartans,
New Glasgow
We welcomed new members, Amber and Blaine
MacDonald of Chaswood, NS, and Canon Mel Langille of Fortrose, Scotland at Festival of the Tartans, New Glasgow
Page 2 Clan Donald Nova Scotia Fall/Winter 2013
Flora MacDonald Tribute Judy Parks, program coordinator for Annapolis
Valley Branch, sent the following message and
photo:
October's meeting ...nearing Halloween .... was
significant as the Ghost of Flora MacDonald graced our meeting. Clad in a
shawl of MacDonald
tartan, compliments of the clan collection, she
portrayed the Flora of
Bonnie Prince Charlie
fame. In her Scottish accent she told about
Flora's life and
especially her year in Windsor, Nova Scotia
with her military
husband. Laura
Churchill-Roe was the actress from the
theatre company in
Windsor accompanied by narrator Junie
Hutchinson. Their
historical portrayal was most educational and entertaining.
We had a good turnout for the meeting following
the program led by commissioner Gail Gordon. A
lively social hour followed, hosted by Marlene and Jack MacDonald.
November dinner meeting will be on St. Andrew’s
Day, the 30th, at MacGills Restaurant on Kentucky
Court in New Minas. Visitors welcome, but please
let us know. Call Marlene at 902-542-1028
More about Flora ... Highland heroine Flora MacDonald (born 1722
in Milton, South Uist) famously helped "Bonnie" Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart) escape
from the Isle of Uist to Skye. The prince had fled
following defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Charles had been on the run for two months before
he met Flora. Both her fiancé Allan MacDonald
and her step-father, Captain Hugh MacDonald of Sleat, were 'Red-Coats' (members of King George's
forces) and apparently Flora was unwilling to help
until she was told the escape plan had actually been
made by her step-father.
The Prince was disguised as Flora's 'Irish Maid' -
'Betty Burke' and they made the famous journey by boat to Skye evading capture on the way and
eventually landing between Uig and Mogstad in
Kilmuir, at what is now called Rudha Phrionnsa
(Prince's Point). There were five oarsmen on the boat, as well as the Prince, Flora, and a kinsman,
Neil MacEachen. After arriving on Skye, Flora
aided the Prince in his escape to Portree where they parted company never to meet again. Flora was
arrested for her part in the escape, and imprisoned
at Dunstaffnage Castle, Oban and briefly in the tower of London, she was released in 1747.
In 1750 Flora and her fiancé Allan MacDonald of
Kingsburgh were married and lived in Flodigarry,
Skye, moving to Kingsburgh House after the death of her husband’s father. They had seven children -
five sons and two daughters.
Flora and Allan along with two sons, a daughter, her husband and children emigrated to North
Carolina in 1774 where Allan and his sons fought
for the British in the American War of Independence. Allan, his son and son-in-law, were
captured at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge in
February, 1776. On his release, Allan was sent to
Windsor, Nova Scotia with the 84th Royal Highland
Emigrants Regiment. Life was difficult for Flora
after her husband’s capture and she was persuaded
to return to Scotland with her daughter. This she did after spending the winter of 1779 with Allan in
Windsor. Her husband followed her to Scotland in
1783 where they lived together for some time in
Uist and Skye. Flora MacDonald died on March 4
th, 1790. It is
said that 3,000 people attended her funeral. She
was buried in the cemetery at Kilmuir, her shroud a sheet in which Bonnie Prince Charlie had slept
during his stopover in Skye.
(The above information
was gleaned from many sources including Flora’s
‘Declaration’ relating to
her involvement with the
Prince, which was given
to authorities after her
capture; and, from the
Flodigarry Hotel website.
Flora and Allan lived in a
cottage which is now part
of the hotel complex. Ed.)
Portrait of Flora by Allan Ramsay
Page 3 Clan Donald Nova Scotia Fall/Winter 2013
The Skye Boat Song (source: Education Scotland/Scotland’s Songs)
Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing
Onward, the sailors cry!
Carry the lad that’s born to be King
Over the sea to Skye.
Loud the winds cry, loud the waves roar,
Thunderclaps rend the air.
Baffled our foes stand by the shore.
Follow they will not dare
Many's the lad fought on that day
Well the claymore could wield,
When the night came silently lay
Dead on Culloden’s field.
Burned are our homes, exile and death
Scatter the loyal men.
Yet ere the sword cool in the sheath
Scotland will rise again!
(This is the best-known Jacobite song but it wasn't
created at the time. The words were written by an
Englishman, Sir Harold Boulton, about 130 years ago.
He used a Gaelic song format, a rowing song called an
iorram, and the tune is said to come from the Gaelic
song ‘Cuachan nan Craobh’ or ‘The Cuckoo in the
Grove’.)
Gaelic College Bursary Each year, three bursaries are awarded by Clan
Donald to students attending summer school at the
Gaelic College in St. Ann’s, Cape Breton. Each
bursary is worth $300. The 2013 bursary recipients
were: 1) Lauren MacDonnell, Timberlea, NS – Fiddle
2) Jade MacDonald, Chester Basin, NS – Fiddle
3) Anna McNeil, Tantallon, NS – Highland Dance
A letter from Ken MacDonald … (Since we didn’t publish a Spring Newsletter this year,
we include this letter now … it was sent to us following the Boston Marathon bombing. Ken is a native of Cape
Breton and a member of Clan Donald Nova Scotia)
“An update on the situation since the Marathon:
My wife, Louise, and her family lived near the Town
Diner that is shown where the crowd gathered after the
capture of the terrorist. The population of Watertown is
around 50,000 and that is where I lived and graduated
high school. I lived with my brother Stewart and his
family. Stewart and Leta Gray also lived in Watertown.
Friday everything was in lockdown including Newton. It’s hard to explain the feeling when you
cannot go out your door or run errands. Stewart’s
grandson crossed the finish line about 15 minutes before
the first blast. So you can imagine there was a great deal
of worry and confusion until he called and said that all
six of his group were in an apartment at the Boston
Commons about one mile away. His parents, Sandie,
Richard, and his sister, Whitney, were with us and we all
watched the race go through Newton. We live about
eight miles from the finish line.
This is an experience that all of us will never
forget, especially the shutdown of all cell phone service, and our daughter, Allison, working in an office on the
waterfront in downtown Boston. However, we are all
safe and life is returning to normal at a very slow pace.
Much has changed in the U.S. but it will be strong again.
It was our definite belief in Jesus Christ that made these
past days possible to survive and to continue the love for
others.” Sincerely,
Ken and Louise MacDonald
Newton, MA
May the
road rise
to meet you;
May the
wind be always at
your back,
The sun
shine warm upon your face,
The rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his
hand.
Balbeg, Inverness-shire
Page 4 Clan Donald Nova Scotia Fall/Winter 2013
Awards Banquet, July 20, 2013 Arisaig, Antigonish County
Pat Christensen, CDNS Commissioner Eric Mapplebeck, and 2013
Recipient of the Clan Donald Achievement Award - Frances
MacDonald
Text of presentation given by Pictou County
Commissioner, Pat Christensen … Frances MacDonald was born to William and Ruth
MacLeod of Avondale, Pictou County, N.S. Frances
attended East Pictou Rural High School and was
employed by Lismore Seafood. In 1988 she married
Jerome MacDonald from Bailey's Brook from where
they raised three children, Randall, Goldie and Blaze. The children kept them busy with guitar, fiddle, and
mandolin lessons; also, they were members of the
church choir and 374 Air Cadets; and with that came
band, fundraising, drill and range. Frances was president
of the Cadets Parents Auxiliary and co-chair of the
building committee ...never a dull moment for a high
energy Mom.
Frances has been involved in her community in a great
variety of ways: with the Wintertime Review; the
Culloden celebrations; church choir; community choir -
the "Oceanaires"; and, for the 175th Anniversary of the
Church, she composed a song called "Beautiful St. Mary's"; with her children, in memory of Karen
MacDonald, she composed a song titled "You Called
Her Name" and then set up the CD launch. In addition,
Frances volunteered with the Firemen's Ceilidh for the
Merigomish Fire Department; with a fund raiser for
Jerry Holland when he was sick; and, she was
housemother at the Gaelic College when her children
attended in 2003 and 2004. In 2003 she organized a
Mixed Fiddle Workshop at Lismore with 16 students in
attendance and over the years the numbers grew to as
many as 86 and thus brought the move to East Pictou
Middle School with such teachers as Ivan and Vivian
Hicks, Jerry Holland, Howie MacDonald, Pat and
Winnie Chafe, Fleur Mainville, Maggie MacDonald,
Billy Pitts, Ray Stewart, Merton Arbuckle, as well as her children to mention a few. This workshop is now known
as “The Pictou County Ceilidh Association”.
Frances had a group named "The 110 Wing Fiddlers"
and also taught step dancing and rug hooking. She
belongs to a group called "Fiddling Around" and "The
Pictou County Oldtime Fiddlers".
In 2013 she put on a fund raiser for the Canadian Cancer
Society called "The Bearded Cancer Ceilidh".
Frances is a member of Clan Donald Pictou County and
we, her fellow Clan members, are most proud of her
accomplishments in the Clan, and her untiring efforts to
keep this Scottish heritage alive.
Ronald A. MacDonald gave the presentation for the Hall of
Honour recipient - the late Katherine Mary MacDonald. a
prominent educator and supporter of the arts in Antigonish.
Scott Williams, a
very well-known
piper and teacher
from Antigonish,
entertained with
several selections
as folks arrived at
the Awards
Banquet and then
piped in the head
table guests.
Page 5 Clan Donald Nova Scotia Fall/Winter 2013
Memorial Service, August 18, 2013 Pictou, Nova Scotia
Commissioner
Eric welcomed
everyone to the service.
Guest preacher
Rev. Jeff
Lackie with
Piper Marlene
MacLellan
Some gathered under the shade of the tent
Barry MacDonald read one of the scripture lessons
… a beautiful summer day for our 23rd Annual
Memorial Service.
Ella MacDonald & Betty MacDonald
Page 6 Clan Donald Nova Scotia Fall/Winter 2013
Bereavements
Annapolis Valley - Kathy Mapplebeck, age 54, on December 7, 2012,
Meadowvale, NS, wife of CDNS Commissioner, Eric Mapplebeck.
Antigonish County – Hector MacDonald, age 58, on March 23, 2013,
Antigonish, NS, husband of Carole Gillies.
Eugene Silver, age 77, on August 15, 2013, of
Antigonish County, NS, husband of Germaine (MacDonald) Silver.
Cape Breton Kenneth MacDonald, age 73, March 14th, 2013,
of Sydney, NS. Former Commissioner of Clan Donald Cape Breton.
Patricia “Pat” (MacDonald) Mosley, in her 99th
year, October 13, 2013 of Sydney, NS. A member
of the Clan Donald and Angus family.
Halifax Region – Carol MacDonald, age 66, on July 12, 2013, of Richmond Hill, Georgia, wife of Russell
MacDonald.
Pictou County – Eugene R. MacDonald, age 86, on December 28, 2012, of Mashpee, MA, life member of Clan
Donald Nova Scotia. Predeceased by wife, Dolly,
in 2002.
Ellice McDonald, Jr. CBE, of Wilmington,
Delaware, passed away on June 10, 2013 at the age of 100. Ellice was High Commissioner of Clan
Donald USA from 1976-1983 and a life member of
CDC and CDNS. He was predeceased by his wife
Rosa in 2009.
Rita MacIsaac Cameron, age 93, on September
13, 2013, of New Glasgow, NS. Life member and past Commissioner of Clan Donald Nova Scotia.
Received CDNS Achievement Award in 2001. Life
member of Clan Donald USA.
Clan Donald Canada 2013 AGM
The AGM was held on September 13-14 at the Nav
Centre in Cornwall, Ontario, hosted by the Glengarry-
Stormont branch. It was a great time to renew friendships and to meet new members.
We were treated to a reception on Friday evening
with entertainment by the MacCulloch Highland Dancers who put on an outstanding performance.
Their dancing has taken them all over the world,
they have even performed for Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle! Of course, there was business to
attend to with a meeting on Saturday morning
chaired by our High Commissioner, Glenda
McDonell. Following the meeting, many of the attendees gathered for lunch at a Celtic pub in
Williamstown (Glenda’s hometown).
A banquet on Saturday evening rounded out the weekend with a rousing ‘toast to the haggis’ and
an entertaining guest speaker, Arthur Milnes, a
fellow at the Centre for the study of democracy at
Queen's University, in Kingston. He served as research assistant for former Prime Minister Brian
Mulroney. The ‘silent auction’ was lots of fun with
many of us taking home some interesting objects.
Well done, Glengarry-Stormont! We’ll see you in
Truro, Nova Scotia next year on September 19th
and 20
th.
Nova Scotia contingent at the Saturday Banquet
Page 7 Clan Donald Nova Scotia Fall/Winter 2013
Angus L. Macdonald Cairn
Port Hastings, Cape Breton It was brought to
our attention at the
Spring Meeting of
Clan Donald Nova Scotia that the cairn
next to the Tourist
Information Centre in Port Hastings,
honouring Angus L.
Macdonald, was crumbling and either
had to be repaired or
removed as it was becoming a safety hazard. The
cairn was erected many years ago by the Nova Scotia Association of Scottish Societies
(predecessor of The Federation of Scottish Culture
in Nova Scotia). Following the meeting, our CDNS Deputy
Commissioner, Ron McConnell, contacted the then
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Renewal, the Hon. Maurice Smith, to consider the possibility of having the cairn repaired.
We are pleased to announce that through Ron’s
leadership and with the support of Mr. Smith, the cairn has been repaired by Arsenault Monuments of
Antigonish. The bulk of the repair cost is being
covered by the Government of Nova Scotia with Clan Donald Nova Scotia and The Federation of
Scottish Culture sharing the remainder. Our thanks
to Ron for spearheading this project and to Karen
Mudge for bringing it to our attention.
The plaque on the cairn reads:
“Erected to the memory of the Honorable Angus L.
MacDonald P.C., Q.C.S., J.D., LL.D.
Born in Dunvegan, Inverness County August 10, 1890
Died in Halifax April 13, 1954
Premier of Nova Scotia 1933-1940
Minister of National Defence for Naval Service
1940-1945
Premier of Nova Scotia 1945-1954
Erected by the Nova Scotia Association of Scottish
Societies”
Meet our new Commissioner …
Eric Mapplebeck, of the
Annapolis Valley Branch of Clan Donald, stepped
into the position of
Commissioner of Clan
Donald Nova Scotia in May of this year. He says
he was very honoured to
be offered the position as he is ‘more than proud’ of his Scottish heritage (MacEachern from the Isle
of Rhum) and welcomes any opportunity to put on
his kilt. Eric was born in Windsor, NS and grew up in
Harbourville on the Bay of Fundy. This is where
he met his future wife, Kathy, when he was just
fourteen. A few years later they moved to Toronto where they married and raised two sons. Moving
back to Nova Scotia after twenty years in the big
city, Eric and Kathy settled in the Valley. Along with other interests, they both enjoyed biking (Eric
has two Harleys). Several years ago, they attended
the Highland Games in Antigonish and stopped by
the Clan Donald tent; they were given a registration form and decided to join the Annapolis Valley
branch. Kathy passed away last December (2012)
after suffering for three years with ALS. They had been married for thirty-seven years.
Eric was introduced to carpentry work at a very
young age (his father was a furniture maker) and although retired now, he continues to work in that
field on a casual basis. When in Toronto, Eric’s
ability to work with heavy equipment led him to
an interesting occupation as the operator of a cemetery!
Eric has been blessed with two beautiful
grandchildren …a two-year-old grandson and a one-month-old granddaughter. Besides his love of
all things Scottish, and his Harley-Davidsons, Eric
enjoys animals (he owns two dogs and a cat), he is an avid gun collector, attending and selling at
shows all over Atlantic Canada, and, is Past Master
of Markland Masonic Lodge #99 in Kingston and a
past Grand Lodge officer. A very busy individual! We wish you well, Eric, in your new commitment
as Commissioner of Clan Donald Nova Scotia.
Page 8 Clan Donald Nova Scotia Fall/Winter 2013
Clan Donald Nova Scotia Executive
Commissioner:
Eric Mapplebeck
P.O. Box 489
Kingston, NS B0P 1R0
Tel. 902-765-0331
E-mail: [email protected]
Deputy Commissioner:
Ron McConnell
109 Hawthorne Street, P.O. Box 1324
Antigonish, NS B2G 2L7
Tel. 902-863-2598
E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary:
Alastair Macdonald
587 Colby Drive
Dartmouth, NS B2V 1Y5
Tel. 902-462-1317
E-mail: [email protected]
Treasurer:
Wayne MacDonald
15 Acadia Drive
Kentville, NS B4N 5E1
Tel. 902-679-1915
E-mail: [email protected]
Federation of Scottish Culture in Nova Scotia
Representatives
Pat Christensen
RR3, Site 3, Box 11
New Glasgow, NS B2H 5C6
Tel. 902-695-2066
E-mail: [email protected]
Dennis MacDonald
3919 Hwy. 2, Unit 38
Lake Fletcher, NS B2T 1J3
Tel. 902-221-7607
E-mail: [email protected]
“Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna
mhath ùr!” (Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!)
CDNS Historian
Ronald A. MacDonald
96 Pleasant Street
Antigonish, NS B2G 1W9
Tel. 902-863-2863
Branch Commissioners
Annapolis Valley:
Gail Gordon
14 Duncan Avenue
Kentville, NS B4N 1N4
Tel. 902-678-4535
E-mail: [email protected]
Antigonish:
Ron McConnell
109 Hawthorne Street, P.O. Box 1324
Antigonish, NS B2G 2L7
Tel. 902-863-2598
E-mail: [email protected]
Halifax Region:
Alastair Macdonald
587 Colby Drive
Dartmouth, NS B2V 1Y5
Tel. 902-462-1317
E-mail: [email protected]
Pictou County:
Pat Christensen
RR3, Site 3, Box 11
New Glasgow, NS B2H 5C6
Tel. 902-695-2066
E-mail: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Sheila D. MacDonald
951 Montague Road
Montague Gold Mines, NS B2R 1V2
Tel. 902-435-4223
E-mail: [email protected]
Clan Donald Canada
website
www.clandonaldcanada.ca
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