March 2, 2006

Clan Currie Society Announces Event Schedule for 2006

The Clan Currie Society today announced their preliminary schedule for Scottish games and festivals for 2006. Society members and friends are cordially invited to meet up with fellow Clansfolk at the following events:

	Elspeth Currie performs the sword dance at the 2005 Bonnie Brae Scottish Games.

June 3, 2006 – Bonnie Brae Scottish Games – Millington, NJ
Clan Currie returns to the popular Bonnie Brae Scottish Games on Saturday, June 3, 2006. The games will be held at Bonnie Brae School in Millington, New Jersey.

“We think of Bonnie Brae as our clan’s home games in the United States,” said Robert Currie, President of the Clan Currie Society. Currie was part of the original planning committee for the first Bonnie Brae Games and served as Director of Piping and Drumming until 1992. In recognition of his efforts in establishing the games, Currie was named Honorary Chieftain for the 1993 gathering.

Produced by East of the Hebrides Entertainments, the games will feature traditional piping, highland dance, and athletic competitions. For further information and tickets, contact East of the Hebrides Entertainments at (610) 825-7268, or visit their website at www.eohebrides.com.

July 6-9, 2006 – Grandfather Mountain Highland Games – Linville, North Carolina
In 2006, Clan Currie will begin sponsorship of the Master (Professional) Harp Award. At this time, there are no plans to host a clan tent at the Games. Any clan member interested in hosting a tent and/or presenting the Master Harper Trophy should contact the Society. Clan Currie made their first appearance at the games in 1994.

Highland athletic competitions are a popular attraction at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.

The Grandfather Games are considered America’s grandest highland games because the spectacular mountain setting is so reminiscent of Scotland. The deep blue peaks of 6,000-foot Grandfather Mountain tower above a grassy green meadow ringed by 170 red, blue, yellow and green striped tents. The color is augmented by thousands of Scots luxuriously costumed in tartan plaids, and the energy is amplified by the sounds of bagpipes and kettle drums echoing across the moor.

For more information phone 828-733-1333 or visit online at www.gmhg.org. For lodging and other travel information, contact North Carolina High Country Host at 800-438-7500 or www.mountainsofnc.com.

August 19, 2006 – Bute Highland Games – Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland
The beautiful Isle of Bute is home to many significant MacMhuirich/Currie farms and estates, including Balliecurrie farm and the lands formerly known as Balilone and Achmor – two sixteenth century estates overlooking Loch Fad. Plans are currently underway to host the 2007 international clan gathering on Bute to coincide with the 60th Anniversary Games in August of 2007.

	Clan Currie will return to the Bute Highland Games on August 19, 2006.

Curries from throughout the region are cordially invited to attend the games and visit with Alan and Avril Currie of West Lothian, Scotland who will serve a host and hostess for the gatherings. The Society made their fist visit to the Bute Games in 2003.

For additional information on the Bute Games contact the Rothesay Tourism Office at +01700 502151.

September 22-24, 2006 – Clanjamfry Scottish Festival – Memphis, Tennessee
The Clan Currie Society makes their fourth appearance at the annual Clanjamfry Scottish Festival in Memphis, Tennessee. Clan Currie was the Honored Clan for the 2005 gathering. The festival will be held on the grounds of the Evergreen Presbyterian Church in the Vollentine-Evergreen historic district neighborhood in midtown Memphis.

Members of the Clan Currie Society lead the Procession in the Kirking of the Tartans at the 2005 Festival.

Produced as a fundraiser for the Church’s Recreation Outreach Ministry, the popular festival will feature traditional piping, highland dance, athletics, as well as a whole host other music and craft demonstrations. There will also be children’s events and a Kirking of the Tartans worship service on Sunday, September 25.

For further information and tickets, visit the Clanjamfry website at www.clanjamfrymemphis.org.

October 21-22, 2006 – Richmond Highland Games & Celtic Festival – Richmond, Virginia
Clan Currie makes its third visit to the Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival this October. As with previous years, Clan Currie is the proud sponsor of the Games’ “Harpist of the day” competition. The 2006 event will again feature Celtic entertainment on two stages, with continuous live performances. The Celtic Harp competition will take place on Sunday, October 23. Additional competitions are scheduled for highland dance and fiddle.

For advance ticket locations and information, call (804) 569-3200 or visit: www.richmondceltic.com.

“Just a wee dram,” organizers of the Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival offer up some Southern hospitality.

About Scottish Highland Games
The origins of Highland Games in Scotland can be traced back many hundreds of years. King Malcolm is thought to have begun the Royal Association with Highland Games at Braemar during the 11th Century. Clan Chieftains used the Games to recruit staff – winners of races made excellent couriers while winners of strength events made fine bodyguards and soldiers.

Events were developed to test for strength, stamina, accuracy and agility using the elements and materials of their day-to-day life. The caber toss, stone putt, hammer throw, weight lift, sheaf toss, archery, wrestling, foot races up steep hills and Highland Dancing all combined to tax the endurance and strength of the competitors. While many of the events have become more sophisticated and refined over the centuries, they retain the essence and flavor of the ancient days.

About The Clan Currie Society
The Clan Currie Society, an 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 Society has over 2,000 members worldwide.

The organization started as a family name society in Glasgow, Scotland in 1959 to further the knowledge and appreciation of the MacMhuirich bardic dynasty. The MacMhuirichs served for over 700 years as professional poets to the Lords of the Isles and later to the MacDonalds of Clanranald. The Red Book of Clanranald, one of Gaelic Scotland’s literary treasures, was penned by successive generations of the MacMhuirich family.

Today, the organization is a leading American-based foundation that focuses on celebrating the Scots-Gaelic origins of the Currie name as well as producing outstanding programs and events to honor Scotland’s rich culture and ancestry.

The Clan Currie Society also hosts the annual National Tartan Day celebration at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. The Society also produces a number of highly successful concerts featuring Scottish music and Gaelic poetry readings. Clan Currie is now venturing into the field of documentary filmmaking with a concentration on Scottish themes.

Home • History of the Clan • Clan Leadership • The Currie Tartan • Clan News
Press Room • Join Us • Calendar of Events • Clansfolk Profiles • Clan Library • Clan Registry

clancurrie@mail.com
P.O. Box 541, Summit, NJ 07902-0541
(phone) 908- 273-3509, (fax) 908-273-4342