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Tartan Day on Ellis Island Sixth Annual Celebration Set for April 7, 2007 Tartan Day returns to Ellis Island for a sixth year on Saturday, April 7, 2007. The Clan Currie Society again plays host to a day of celebration of all things Scottish. Headlining the 2007 program will be a thoroughly unique and moving theatrical presentation entitled, The Island Tapes in the Ellis Island Theater. In addition, Ellis Island will play host to a broad range of outstanding performers who will present Scotland’s “portable culture” – the music, dance, and folk tales that were brought to this country by Scottish immigrants. "We're so grateful to Ellis Island for having us back for a sixth 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. Our program for 2007 represents some of the best of demonstrations of Scotland’s wonderful music, dance, and storytelling heritage and has been designed to be fun for the entire family.”
Live in the Ellis Island Theater - The Island Tapes An unforgettable multimedia experience might best describe The Island Tapes. Several years ago, Scottish guitarist David Allison was asked to write music for a series of DVDs of silent black and white documentaries held by the Scottish Screen Archive. One of them, the soundtrack for “St. Kilda – Britain’s Loneliest Isle”, ended up being reviewed as “a great musical score” by Empire Magazine. The rest as they say is history. Allison and Currie have been discussing the prospect of an Ellis Island performance for some time. Say Allison, "Bringing The Island Tapes to Ellis Island is the realization of a long held ambition. If your subject is emigration from Scotland to the United States, this place must feature. Alongside the specially created live music we use audio clips of Scots who passed through Ellis Island on their way to forging new lives in America. It is an honour and a privilege to bring The Island Tapes to the island of hope and the island of tears."
The show was premiered to great acclaim in Glasgow at Celtic Connections 2006 and played to full houses at the recent Edinburgh Festival. Most recently, the program completed a nationwide tour of Germany. In addition to the St. Kilda film, Allison and his company will also perform to a screening of “A New Way to the New World.” The film captures a transatlantic sailing via steamship from Glasgow to New York, and then continues up the Hudson River to Niagara Falls. Ellis Island is a fitting place to observe Tartan Day. The island and its historic buildings represent America's "Golden Door." From 1892 to 1954, more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. Although many Scots arrived during the colonial period of our history – helping to build the new nation - an additional half-million Scots came through Ellis Island. It has been estimated that 40% of Americans today can trace at least one ancestor's entry into the United States through Ellis Island. The Tartan Day event runs from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. There is no admission charge to the Tartan Day events or the immigration museum. Passage to Ellis Island is by ferry and there is a nominal transport fee. Passenger ferries run from Battery Park in New York City and Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. For complete ferry schedules to Ellis Island, visit: www.circlelinedowntown.com. For additional information about Clan Currie and the Ellis Island Tartan Day observance, 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.
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