The name “Scotland” derives from a Gaelic word for “wanderer”, and the Scots have both wanderlust and a strong affection for Scotland. The Scotch-Irish trace their ancestry to Scotland as well—through Northern Ireland. In the 17th-century, the English government encouraged Scottish Lowland Presbyterians to migrate to Ulster, in Northern Ireland, to strengthen England’s control there. Then while large-scale Scottish immigration to North America started in 1718, it was in the 18th-century that about two million Scotch-Irish descendents migrated to the American colonies, the Scots usually in groups, the Scotch-Irish more often individually.
Many Scotch-Irish came to the New World because of the Potato Famine of the 1840s, simply to work in industry in the 19th-century, or because of the difficult economic conditions in Scotland, especially in the 1920s. Many early immigrants settled in Pennsylvania because of the religious freedom there. Later, some moved down to the southern colonies—especially to Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina—despite the fact that the Highland Scots strongly protested against slavery. Today, the Scotch-Irish in the United States number about six million, and each year the Montgomery County Department of Parks and Heritage Services at Green Lane Park hosts one of the largest Scottish-Irish Festivals in Eastern Pennsylvania.
“The Festival is in its 11th year,” said Mark Shope, the Green Lane Park Supervisor. “People can really enjoy themselves. It’s a beautiful park of 3,000 acres, and in past years, nice days have drawn as many as 10,000 daily visitors.”
“It’s a good family event. There are things here for everyone,” said Terry Corona, one of the administrators at the park. “And people can picnic; they can bring their own food; stay all day.”
This year’s Annual Scottish-Irish Festival will be held at Green Lane Park, located at 2144 Snyder Road in Green Lane, PA (18054) from September 10th through September 12th (Friday night, September 10th, from 5:30-10:00 p.m.; Saturday, September 11th, from 9:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.; and Sunday, September 12th, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.).
“We would encourage car pooling, as parking is scattered all over,” said Shope. There are shuttles from the three shuttle lots. Check the Visitor Parking Map on the Web site for more details.
Dog rescue organizations will also be part of the festival. “Originally, we started out looking for the Celtic dog rescue organizations, organizations rescuing Collies, German Shepherds, Irish Wolf Hounds, the dogs usually used to herd sheep,” said Corona. “Other [animal] rescue groups then asked to be included, and today, there are about 20 rescue organizations participating. It gives them a chance to get various donations and to find homes for some of the animals. We knew there were a lot of animals out there needing homes.”
One of the participating bands will be Loch Rannoch Pipes & Drums, which will perform as the first band of the day on both Saturday and Sunday. “They’ve been with us for a long time,” said Corona.
“We’re in Fountainville, PA,” said Lucien Nantista, who joined Loch Rannoch Pipes & Drums a few years back. “We have 12 pipers and 7 drummers. The band is great! We play all kinds of music, and we like this festival; it’s a lot of fun.”
“[All] the music’s great!” said Shope. “We book some really great bands.”
The fiddle and the harp are two traditional Celtic instruments, but hammered dulcimers, pedal steel guitars, and electric mandolins are also prevalent. Bagpipe music is an especially important part of the Highland games but also for any celebration of clan identity.
The traditional family structure, especially in the Highlands, centered around the clan, of which there were originally about 90. Here in the U.S., both the Scots and the Scotch-Irish have been drawn to the land as farmers and herders, just like back in their countries of origin.
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Some of the seven standard events in the Highland games include the competition stone throw of a 16-pound rock, where the athlete moves and spins around to help in throwing the rock, and the throwing of a Braemar stone (a 25-pound stone) while standing still. There’s also a competition throwing a caber, a 16- to 20-foot tree trunk made out of oak, beech, or poplar. In this latter game, the caber must flip over and away from the athlete at a 180-degree angle at 12 o’clock for it to be a “perfect throw”. The caber throw must pass at least 90 degrees in order to count.
“[The Highland games], it’s not a sport many Americans get to see,” said Shope.
“All these [games] come from the Scottish military, or from agriculture, and the weights are derived from commerce—from weights on the balance,” said McKenzie. Fore more information about the rules for these games, see http://www.heavyevents.com/.
Another special part of this festival is the sheep dog demonstrations. “We try to get across to people that these are working dogs,” said Maggie Chambers, who herds sheep competitively. “They are extremely intelligent, and we use whistles and verbal commands [to get them to aid with herding the sheep].”
“The dogs are British Border Collies and are different than the Lassie Collie,” said Chambers. “They’re the easiest all around utility dogs. They are bred to work closely with humans and for intelligence and work ability. Sometimes they’re bred for specific traits.”
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“The Festival is phenomenal!” said Chambers, who has held sheep dog trials at many of the previous Scottish-Irish Festivals at Green Lane Park. “They have great bands, and the people that put [on the Festival] are terrific!”
Saturday and Sunday will also be full of ethnic dancing--from both Scotland and Ireland. One of the featured Highland dancing groups will be the Caledonian Highland Dancers of Bucks County.
“Scottish Highland dancing was started by men—different clans used dances to choose the strongest warrior,” said Sandra Weyman, the director of the Caledonian Highland Dancers. “As the years went on, the Scottish regiments used the dancing as part of their [military] training. Today, more girls than guys dance, but there are a fair number of boys [as well].”
“[Scottish Highland dancing] is predominately a competitive sport,” said Weyman. “The Official Board of Highland Dancing in Scotland has set up the standards.
“The dancing is extremely technical,” said Weyman. “The hands and feet are [to be kept] in particular positions [during the dancing]—within one half inch of a position. It’s very exacting! The dancers are judged by their technical positions—and for their timing to the music.”
“The Scottish dancing has stayed very true to Scottish culture,” said Weyman. Part of this adherence to the culture can be seen in the retaining of the traditional, strictly regulated tartan, Scotland-made kilts, standard jackets, and soft glove-leather shoes. While the Irish step-dancers have modernized some of their costumes, the Scottish dancing has changed very little.
“I have competitive dancers that compete locally and at a distance,” said Weyman. “The girls start as young as 4 or 5 and many will compete right through college—and some up to 30 [years of age].”
“Highland dancing is solo dancing,” said Weyman, “[but] sometimes groups dance at festivals. I try to vary the dances. Among our dances are ‘The Sword Dance’ and ‘The Highland Fling’, a dance of joy.” The Sword Dance was originally done by warriors, and there are two interpretations of it: first, that if a warrior touched the sword while dancing, it was a bad omen, and the other that it was a dance of victory, a triumphal dance.
“I think Highland dancing just sums up everything that’s great about Scottish culture—music, kilts, interpreting the pipes and fiddles. The energetic dancing brings it all together,” said Weyman.
Various Irish step-dancing groups are also scheduled throughout the two full days of the festival.
“There are two kinds of dancing,” said Murray. “There’s step-dancing, which is more of a solo type of dancing, with fancy dancing steps—this is sometimes done in a line—and the arms staying down at the side, and there’s Ceilidh dancing, which is a group dance similar to square dancing, where one uses the arms. All the dances include two basic Irish steps—the “two-threes” and the “sevens”—all moving in different formations, as in such dances as the ‘Sweets of May’ and the ‘Trip to the Cottage’. Some dances seem more complicated than others, but they’re basically all made up of two basic steps.”
The Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance was named after Murray’s grandfather, Michael Fitzpatrick, and started by her sister down in Lower Bucks County in 1994. Murray started the Upper Bucks County branch in 1996, and a third, the Central Bucks County branch has since opened as well. Michael Fitzpatrick was a fiddler back in Ireland, and Murray and her four sisters all started dancing when they were young. They dedicated the school to their grandfather and today are, as Murray said, “. . . passing on the culture and tradition to the next generation.”
“We’ve been part of the Festival for at least five years,” said Murray. “I think it’s great! It’s gotten more popular each year, and the whole reason for [our] doing this kind of dancing is for people’s enjoyment.”
“People hear the music, and it sort of draws them. It’s so lively,” said Murray. “[The Festival] is an event that the dancers love to dance at—probably their favorite all year. It’s always a nice weekend.”
“[People should] come out and enjoy themselves. There’s good food and good entertainment,” said Mark Shope.
So, indulge your Scotch wanderlust and wander out to the Green Lane Park Scottish-Irish Festival this weekend, whether to celebrate your Scotch-Irish heritage, to discover the Scotch-Irish culture in-depth, or just to enjoy a day in the park.
© 2010 by Catherine J. Barrier. All rights reserved.
