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Clan Currie Society Announces Plans For Annual Tartan Day Events Highlights include return to Ellis Island with a new exhibit from The Drambuie Collection of Edinburgh New York and New Jersey will be alive with the sounds of Scotland as the Clan Currie Society joins with other leading Scots organizations to celebrate Tartan Day Weekend throughout the metropolitan area. Clan Currie will once again return to Ellis Island to commemorate National Tartan Day with their annual program. In partnership with the National Parks Service and The Drambuie Collection, Clan Currie, along with Scottish and American dignitaries, will lead the Opening Ceremonies for a new Tartan Day exhibit. The celebration is scheduled for Friday, April 2, 2004 at 11:00 AM. Mr. Robin Nicholson, curator for The Drambuie Collection in Edinburgh and a leading scholar on the Royal House of Stuart, will be among those speaking at the Opening Ceremonies. The Drambuie Collection, a major resource of Scottish works of art belonging to The Drambuie Liqueur Company, has prepared a new exhibit exclusively for Tartan Day entitled, "Loyalty & Exile: The Jacobites and America." The exhibit, which is free to all visitors of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, will run into May. "We're so grateful to Ellis Island for inviting us back for a third year," said Robert Currie, president of the Clan Currie Society. "This event provides an important opportunity to recognize the vast contributions of Scots and Scottish-Americans to the development of the United States." Currie continued, "We are especially grateful to our partners at The Drambuie Liqueur Company for their generous support in making this exhibit possible." The new exhibit examines Scots during the Jacobite era in 18th century Scotland who were forced into exile as a result of their support of the Stuart kings and their romantic hero, 'Bonnie Prince Charlie.' His forces met defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Many members of Clan Currie, then known by their Gaelic name, MacMhuirich, died on Culloden Moor fighting for the Stuart cause alongside the MacDonalds of Clanranald. Hundreds of supporters were exiled and Scottish society underwent significant change. The ideas behind the Jacobite rebellion soon after played a role in the American Revolution. Though the collection typically is restricted to reserved viewings in Edinburgh, a selection of artifacts is currently on display at the Albany Institute of History & Art in Albany, New York, through May 9, 2004. The touring collection includes many examples of Jacobite glass and original manuscripts and memoirs, as well as scores of other artifacts. Invited guests to the Ellis Island exhibit opening include the Hon. Michael
R. Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York, the Rt. Hon. Lesley Hinds,
Lord Provost, City of Edinburgh; the Rt. Hon. Elizabeth Cameron, Lord
Provost, City of Glasgow; Sir Thomas Harris, Her Majesty's Consul-General
and Director-General, British Trade & Investment; and the Hon. Susan
Stewart, First Clan Currie began its successful collaboration with the Ellis Island Immigration Museum in 2002 in the coordination and sponsorship of the first Tartan Day celebration. Clan Currie and the National Museums of Scotland joined forces to host the traveling exhibit, "Home and Away: Highland Departures and Returns." The following year, Clan Currie returned to Ellis Island, bringing with them four of Scotland's top crafters for a hands-on demonstration of the making of kilts, violins, bagpipes, and Shetland Isle knitting. The 2003 event, also produced in cooperation with the National Museums, was captured in the form of a short documentary film now in post-production entitled, "The Crafter's Song."
Clan Currie Set to March in Tartan Day Parade, Sat. April 3 Members of Clan Currie will also march in the 6th annual New York National
Tartan Day Parade along 6th Avenue. Upwards of 3,000 pipe and drum bands,
Scottish organizations, and fellow clan societies are expected to march
on April Included among them will be Society member David Currie, who will travel from his home in Saudi Arabia especially to participate in the weekend's festivities with Clan Currie. Though it is his first visit to New York City, an ancestor of his was Pipe Major of the Yonkers (New York) Pipe Band. Mr. Currie will most likely have traveled the farthest to march in the annual parade. This is the second time Clan Currie has marched in the parade. The society also marched alongside the City of Edinburgh contingent as guests of former Lord Provost, the Rt. Hon. Eric Milligan. The 2002 parade was led by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Sir Sean Connery followed by over 8,000 pipers, drummers, and clansfolk. Tartan Day Weekend to Conclude Where it All Began Clan Currie will complete the Tartan Day Weekend by helping to sponsor festivities in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Robert Currie, who is also the chairman of Tartan Day New Jersey, will attend celebrations in Perth Amboy, NJ, at Caledonia Park and the Proprietary House Museum. Scots played a vital role in the history of the city, which is named after the Earl of Perth, Scotland. The city is the site of the first successful Scottish settlement in the Colonies. Clan Currie, a NJ-based, international, non-profit cultural and educational organization, is active in preserving and promoting highland heritage at Scottish Games, ethnic festivals, as well as community groups and classrooms.
The roots of Drambuie Liqueur Company may be traced directly to the period of history examined by this exhibition. In 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie bequeathed to the MacKinnon clan of Skye, the owners of Drambuie, the recipe for scotch whisky liqueur still followed today. National Tartan Day is an American celebration that recognizes the contributions of Scots and Scottish-Americans to the development of the United States. In 1998 the U.S. Senate passed a resolution recognizing April 6 as National Tartan Day in recognition of "the outstanding contribution of millions of Scots-Americans to our great nation." The date commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, which was an influence on the American Declaration of Independence. Almost half of the signatories on the Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent, while three-quarters of U.S. presidents have been of Scottish ancestry. For additional information about Clan Currie and the Ellis Island Tartan Day exhibit, contact the Clan Currie Society at (908) 273-3509, via e-mail at clancurrie@mail.com or by visiting their Web site at www.clancurrie.com. For more information about the Tartan Day Parade and other New York area events, go to www.tartanweek.com. For more information about the Perth Amboy Tartan Day festivities, contact the Proprietary House Association at (732) 826-5527, or www.proprietaryhouse.org. For more information about The Drambuie Collection’s U.S. touring exhibit, visit www.clancurrie.com/press/2003_june5.html. ### Home •
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