Clan Donald Mid-east A BhratachThe Banner Regional Commissioner Ramblings

Hello Fellow Clansmen! So weve been through an exciting Spring Scottish season and it was a success. I saw a lot of you at the games in Maryland this spring and will be able to concentrate on the Virginia games this fall. Special thanks go out to one of our newest membersMary Sparkswho stepped forward to man the Clan Donald Tent at Bridgeport, WV. Mary had just joined Clan Donald a year prior and was now on her own as convenor. Dave Rankin sat by his cell phone all day long and agreed to be her life-line.so everything went great. This spring saw almost perfect weather for our games. New on our agenda was Fort Lee in Virginia and the return of the Frederick Games. The games Frederick games were actually in Mount Airy, MD and the location and weather proved enchanting. Now down to business. In the last newsletter we mentioned a Clan Donald sword raffle. Weve been about selling tickets all spring and are set to hold the raffle drawing .and more importantlyparty at Killarney House in Davidsonville, Maryland on 3 June 2012 beginning at 5PM. This has always been a lot of fun when Dave Ranking held the event and the food is great. This year part of your meal proceeds will be given back by the restaurant to support our Clans fund raising in support of the 2013 AGM. Your commissioners can provide you with the details on the dinner and Rick Keller has graciously agreed to post the details up on the Clan Donald Mid-East website and the details of the sword raffle and Irish restaurant are in the newsletter below. Stan Darroch
Spring 2012, Issue 2

In this issue:

Regional Commissioner Ramblings

Killarney House Clan Donald Fundraiser and Menu

1-2

Killarney House Dinner

The Clan Donald sword raffle and Killarney House dinner fundraiser are on Sunday, June 3rd starting at 5:00 p.m. Directions and information are as follows; From VA - take I-95 into MD. Get off on exit 15 and take MD-214 East Central Ave towards Largo. E/Central will merge onto MD-214. Restaurant is about 13 miles east of the beltway on your left. From Route 50 in MD (between Bowie and Annapolis) - Get off on exit 16 and take MD-424 south/Davidsonville Rd. Take 1st Left heading east on MD-214 (E/W Central Ave). Restaurant is about .8 mi on your left. 584 W Central Ave, Davidsonville, MD 21035, (410) 798-8700, http://www.killarneyhousepub.com If you need further directions, please use Google Maps and use the address above to provide door to door directions. The clan raises money if you order one of the dinners from the menu listed on page 2. (continued on page 2)

Clan Donald Spring Sword Raffles

4-5 Story Corner: The Story of the White Pet

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Page 2 Spring 2012, Issue2

K i l l a r n e y H o u s e D i n n e r ( c o n t d )
Clan Donald Fund Raiser Dinner Menu

Starters: Caesar Salad or Potato and leek soup Entre Selection: Limerick Chicken Pasta Tender chicken breast grilled with portabella mushroom diced and finished with a garlic cream sauce and tossed with grated Asiago cheese and fresh pasta Powerscourt Salmon Fillet of Salmon oven baked to perfection and finished with a tomato and basil sauce. Served with garden rice and fresh market vegetables Corned Beef and Cabbage A first cut of corned beef, slow cooked for ten hours with a blend of herbs and spices until it is lean and tender, served with braised cabbage, mashed potatoes and mashed carrots and parsnips Crab Cake Salad A 5oz Jumbo lump crab cake, broiled and served over a romaine lettuce, crumbled blue cheese, walnuts, croutons and cranberries Dessert: Irish Bread Pudding

Menu price- $25 per person plus tax and gratuity. $10 from each menu chosen will be donated to Clan Donald ME Menu will be available from 5.00PM onwards that evening For reservations call 410 798 8700

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Page 3 Spring 2012, Issue 2

Clan Donald Spring Sword Raffles

Clan Donald is raffling off two swords! One is a broadsword and the other is a Scottish claymore. The proceeds go to Clan Donald fundraising. The swords will be raffled off on Sunday, June 3rd at the Clan Donald dinner at the Killarney House. Here are the rules for the raffle; 1) 2) You do not have to be present to win at the drawing. We have to be able to read your contact info on the ticket stub..so write legibly. If we cant read your phone number we will redraw. Price is $5.00 per ticket or five tickets for $20.00. Each sword will be raffled separately so there will be two winners overall.

3) 4)

This Scottish basket-hilt Claymore is the equal to any raised by clansmen as they overran the English at the Battle of Falkirk on Jan. 17th, 1746. The pierced basket-hilt is a faithful reproduction of one found on the Culloden Moor. The fully tempered high carbon steel blade is of the typical fullered, doubleedge, broadsword pattern of the 1500's - 1800's. The basket also has a rich red cloth liner and a scabbard is included. Made by Windlass Steelcrafts. Overall: 39-12" Blade: 32-12" long, 1-34" wide, 316" thick Wt: 3 lbs/14 oz http://www.museumreplicas.com/p-197-brass-basket-hilt-claymore.aspx Pictured Right: New Clan Donald member Brandon Tucker preparing to defend the sacred hearth and home (if he wins the raffle). Basket Hilted Broad Sword pictured. Pictured Left: New Clan Donald member Brandon Tucker preparing to defend the sacred hearth and home (if he wins the raffle). Scottish Claymore pictured. The claymore you purchased was replicated by Paul Chen from a museum piece dated from the 15th century. The sword has authentic styling, is fully functional and has excellent balance. The overall length is 54 3/4", the blade is 41" and the weight is 4lbs 14ozs. It is a very nice weapon from Cas Hanwei. Bradley Imports supplies similar products for several highland games for prizes and raffle items.

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Page 4 Spring 2012, Issue 2

S t o r y C o r n e r : T h e S t o r y o f t h e W h i t e Pe t
A great part of our Highland heritage comes forward to us in the form of stories or fables. For those of you who have children, great-grandchildren, nephews/nieces (or just like story time) this section will be a recurring piece of the Mid-East A BhratachThe Banner. This is The Story of the White Pet! There was a farmer before now who had a White Pet, and when Christmas was drawing near, he thought that he would kill the White Pet. The White Pet heard that, and he thought he would run away and that is what he did. He had not gone far when a bull met him. Said the bull to him, All Hail! White Pet, where art thou going? I, said the White Pet, am going to seek my fortune; they were going to kill me for Christmas, and I thought I had better run away. It is better for me, said the Bull, to go with thee, for they were going to do the very same with me. I am willing, said the White Pet; the larger the party the better the fun. They went forward till they fell in with an old dog. All Hail! White Pet, said the old dog. All hail! thou dog. Where art thou going? said the old dog. I am running away, for I heard that they were threatening to kill me for Christmas. They were going to do the very same to me, said the old dog, and I will go with you. Come, then, said the White Pet. They went then, till a cat joined them. All hail! White Pet. said the cat. All hail! oh cat. Where art thou going? said the cat. I am going to seek my fortune, said the White Pet, because they were going to kill me at Christmas. They were talking about killing me too, said the cat, and I had better go with you. Then they went forward till a cock met them. All hail! White Pet, said the cock. All hail to thyself! Oh cock, said the White Pet. Where, said the cock, art thou going? I, said the White Pet, am going away, for they were threatening my death at Christmas. They were going to kill me at the very same time, said the cock, and I will go with you. Come, then, said the White Pet. They went forward till they fell in with a goose. The goose joined them as well. The party went forward till the night was drawing on them, and they saw a little light far away; and, though far off, they were not long getting there. When they reached the house, they said to each other that they would look in at the window to see who was in the house, and they saw thieves counting money; and the White Pet said, Let every one of us call his own call. I will call my own call; and let the bull call his own; and each animal in his own turn. With that they gave out one shoutGAIRE!
(continued on page 5)

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S t o r y C o r n e r : T h e S t o r y o f t h e W h i t e Pe t ( c o n t d )
When the thieves heard the shouting that was without, they thought the mischief was there; and they fled out, and they went to a wood that was near them. When the White Pet and his companions saw that the house was empty, they went in and they got the money that the thieves had been counting, and they divided it amongst themselves; and then they thought that they would settle to rest. Said the White Pet, Where wilt thou sleep tonight, oh bull? I will sleep, said the bull, behind the door where there is room for me. Where wilt thou sleep thyself, White Pet? I will sleep, said the White Pet, in the middle of the floor where I am used to sleeping. Where wilt thou sleep, oh dog? By the fire where I used to sleep. said the dog. I will sleep, said the cat, in the candle press, where I like to be. and the cock and goose slept in the rafters where they were accustomed to be. They were not long at rest, when one of the thieves returned to spy out the house. The thief saw all things in the house were still. The thief snuck into the room and went forward to the candle press for a candle, that he might have some light; but when he put his hand into the box the cat thrust here claws into the thiefs hand, but the thief took a candle still and tried to light it. The dog then got up, and he stuck his tail into a cooking pot of water by the fire; he shook his tail and the water put out the thiefs candle. The thief realized that there was mischief afoot in the house, so he fled. On his way out the White Pet gave him a blow and likewise the bull, the cock began to crow and the goose began to belabor the thief with her wings. The thief ran back to the woods where his comrades were hiding. They asked him how it had gone with him. It went, said he, but middling: when I went to the candle press, there was a man in it who thrust ten knives into my hand; and when I went to the fireside to light the candle, there was a big black man lying there, who was sprinkling water on it to put it out; and when I tried to go out, there was a big man in the middle of the floor and another big man who gave us a big kick and shoved me out of the door and the whole time there was a little brat in the loft calling out CUIR-ANEES-AN-SHAW-AY-S-FONI-MI-HAYN-DA which means in gaelic Send him up here and Ill do for him When the thieves heard the story, they did not return to seek their lot of money; and the White Pet and his comrades got it to themselves and it kept them peaceably as long as they lived. Stan Darroch

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6907 Hard Rock Ct Alexandria, Virginia 22306 Tel: 703-768-1526
E-mail: stan.darroch@cox.net

Check out the Clan Donald Mid-East Website http://mid-east.clan-donald-usa.org/index.html