OUR REF: CC/AG/VICKERSON

CLAN FARQUHARSON IN 2009

This is a newsletter from Alan Caig, Vice President of Clan Farquharson UK and is intended to assist in the coordinating of the various events in the UK in the summer of 2009 for all Clan Farquharson associations. These events include The Gathering 2009 in Edinburgh, Clan Farquharson Gathering in Ballater and the Finzean 400^th Anniversary. This may be placed on your web sites or disseminated to your members, as you wish.

1. THE GATHERING OF THE CLANS IN EDINBURGH

A. GENERAL

On 25 and 26 July 2009 the clans will gather in Edinburgh. This is the first such gathering since Sir Walter Scott brought King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822. So far there are about 120 clans having registered their interest in attending.

B. HIGHLAND GAMES

(i) General

These will be held in Holyrood Park, which is adjacent to the Palace of Holyrood House at the foot of the Royal Mile, over Saturday 25^rd July 2009 and Sunday 26^TH July 2009. Entry is by payment at the gate and is anticipated to be approximately £8.00 for each day. If you have a gathering “passport” (see below) entry to the games for the two days is included. We have booked a clan tent and this may serve as a rallying point for our members throughout each day. We are looking for volunteers to man the tent for about one hour at a time, to ensure that all visitors will have a person to speak to, hand out leaflets and generally socialize. The tent will be paid for by UK and perhaps the overseas associations would be prepared to make a contribution towards the cost (£200.00) for the two days.

(ii) Food & Drink

I understand that nobody is allowed to bring food or drink into the games field, which means that you will have to purchase these from vendors on the field. We are expecting to be supplied with a complimentary dram for our members and visitors.

(iii) Meeting

There may be the possibility of UK organising a social event for clan members on the Friday evening. This would be a dinner (depending on numbers) or meeting for a drink in a local pub. We would like your input on this, please.

In order that our clan members may meet and generally socialize together on the two days of the games, I suggest that we all meet at a coffee house, which we will nominate at 10.00am each day.

We have also expressed our interest in booking the clan meeting tent at the highland games, for 50 mins on the Saturday. This will serve as a general meeting for all clan members, when the Clan Chief will be able to address all of his clansmen.

C. PAGEANT AND PARADE

(i) General

This is two activities which run into one. First of all, there will be a parade of clans from the Palace of Holyrood House, up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle, where clan members will take their seats on the castle esplanade for a Scottish pageant.

(ii) Entry

In order to take part in either the parade or the pageant ( or both) clan members must be in possession of a “passport” which may be purchased from the organizers and which are priced at £88.00 upwards. There are 8500 passports in all of which 4000 have been sold so far. I would suggest that any clan members who have not yet purchased a passport do so at the earliest time.

(iii) Marching

At a later time we will be given details of the rallying place for the start of the parade which will be approximately 5.30pm. Clan members should bear in mind that the Royal Mile is actually over a mile in length, is uphill and has cobblestones in parts. Members will need to be at least reasonably fit in order to enjoy this parade. Clan members may still attend the pageant even if they do not wish to participate in the parade.

Clans will march in the parade in alphabetical order, in groups of clans, each clan headed by the Clan Chief. Each group will have a pipe band. The whole parade will take approximately 2 hours.

(iv) Flags

Only one flag per clan will be allowed on the parade. At the time of writing this newsletter, UK is having made a flag bearing the name “Clan Farquharson” and with the Clan Chief’s Crest and it is suggested that this would be the appropriate flag to be carried in the parade. We have not appointed a flag-carrier, so if there are members who wish to put their names forward, they may do so and we will devise a fair way of selecting the member.

(v) Dress

The Gathering has not so far issued any instructions on dress. It is suggested that the appropriate dress for clan members will be as follows:-

Gentlemen

Farquharson kilt, belt, day jacket, shirt and long tie, long hose with flashes, sgian dubh, black polished shoes, Balmoral or Glengarry. It is suggested that dirks, plaids and other accoutrements would not be appropriate.

Ladies

Farquharson skirt or dress, black shoes, white blouse, jacket, hat.

I should like to stress that this will be a very public event, with thousands of tourists lining the Royal Mile, and is likely to be televised. It is anticipated that the Duke of Rothesay will be in attendance. Accordingly, it is important that we give the best possible impression.

2. CLAN FARQUHARSON GATHERING 2009

UK has moved forwards its annual gathering to Tuesday 28 July to Thursday 30 July, so as to immediately follow the Edinburgh gathering in order to make it easier for those coming from overseas to join us and also to end that week with the Finzean 400^th and the Aboyne Highland Games.

3. FINZEAN 400

2009 is the 400^th anniversary of the Farquharsons at Finzean (pronounced “Fing-an”). The present incumbents, Angus and Alison Farquharson are hosting a concert on Friday 1.8.09 and a garden party at Finzean House (transport will be required) on Sun 2.8.09. These may be by invitation only so not all of our clan members may be able to attend but we will clarify this as soon as further details are available.

4. DRAFT PROGRAMME

Fri 24.7.09 8.00pm Social gathering of Farquharsons in Edinburgh

Sat 25.7.09 10.00am Social Gathering

11.00am Highland Games in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh

1.00pm Clan meeting in the clans meeting tent

5.30pm Parade up the Royal Mile

7.30pm Pageant at Edinburgh Castle

Sun 26.7.09 &

Mon. 27.7.09 10.00am Social Gathering

11.00am Highland Games in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh

Mon 26.7.09 Free day/travel to Ballater

Tues 28.7.09 6.45pm Dinner in the Albert Hall, Ballater with Clan Chief

Celebrate Clan Chief’s 90^th birthday

Wed 29.7.09 10.30pm visit Balmoral Castle, visit Braemar Castle, lunch in

Braemar, drive past Invercauld House

7.30pm Concert at Finzean

Thurs 30.7.09 10.30am Clan AGM at Glen Lui Hotel, Ballater

12.30pm Committee meeting

8.00pm Ceilidh in Ballater

Fri 31.7.09 10.00am Visit Culloden Battlefield

Sat 1.8.09 10.30am Aboyne Highland Games

12.30pm Lunch in clan tent on games field

7.30pm Informal supper in Albert Hall, Ballater

Sun 2.8.09 10.30am Church service at Finzean

2.00pm Garden party at Finzean House

Thurs 13.8.09 11.00am Ballater Highland Games

1.00pm Informal lunch in the clan tent

The fine details for each event will be published in a later edition of this newsletter, although we hope that the main details will not change. The final programme and a booking form will be provided shortly, and will be posted on the UK web site.

The dinners and three visits must be pre-paid as we need to book seats for the dinner and coaches for the visits. Those clan members who hire a car would not need to use the coach. There is a list of accommodation in the Ballater/Braemar/Aboyne area on the UK web site. Aboyne is about 10 miles from Ballater and we will not be providing transport to the games but there is a bus service from Braemar and Ballater. Further details and booking form will be sent out later in the year and will be posted on our web site.

The Farquharson Band from Nova Scotia are intending to be in Scotland at this time and will hopefully be joining us.

5. CONTACTS

UK. Alan Caig may be contacted on the following:-

Home Address:

8 Thornborough Close

Hartburn

Stockton on Tees

TS20 2PA

England

Mobile Telephone: 07907 968693 Email: acaig@btinternet.com

USA

Sharon Farley: sharon.farley1@att.net