As announced in the year-end issue of The Tartan, our AGM location will begin to rotate between the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in Linville, NC, and sites elsewhere in the country. The Board of Directors hopes that by rotating AGM venues we will encourage greater membership participation.

The annual Board of Directors Meeting and "Founders Dinner" will continue to be held in July during the Grandfather Games in Linville.

Society assists castle restoration project by funding reports needed for grant application

In the Christmas 2012 edition of the Tartan newsletter our president, Peter Clepper, reported on our urgent November 2012 donation to the Dunollie Preservation Fund to immediately assist Dunollie Castle. He said:

"This past month, we also convened our first web-based Board meeting. At that meeting, we agreed to an emergency request from Dunollie for funds to develop a major construction grant proposal. The purpose is to halt the deteriorating foundation of the Castle. Professional scientific analyses are essential for successful proposals. Ashby McCown has given us a report in this issue about the Castle situation."

The article in the Christmas 2012 Tartan newsletter concerning our Board of Directors web based meeting also discusses the situation at Dunollie Castle. elaborates further:

"As a special additional item, Peter Clepper described a recent communication from Dunollie House. It has been known for some time that the foundation structures and base of the castle are progressively weakening. To remedy the situation, a major grant will be sought from the preservation trust: Historic Scotland. An application, however, must be accompanied by appropriate scientific and professional analyses, and the cost for these is fifteen hundred pounds, which the Dunollie Project foundation does not have. There is some urgency in moving these matters along."

"A motion to send this amount from our reserve fund was discussed at length. Ashby McCown, attending as an invited observer, provided helpful information gained from his past several summers working on the historical collections at Dunollie House. The Board approved the motion. (A check was sent, with accompanying letter, on November 17.) Ashby McCown has given us a description of the Castle problem, in a related article."

Clan MacDougall Society of North America donates more than $9,000 toward renovation and preservation of Dunollie Castle

July 2009

Past-president Richard T. MacDougal spoke to our Clan Chief and others during a formal dinner at Argyll Gathering Hall in Oban on July 22. Here is the text of his remarks:

Madam MacDougall, Project Director Catherine Gillies, distinguished guests, MacDougall clanfolk, friends:

While our celebration today is not the end, but only an early stage in the grand and wonderful scheme to renovate Dunollie for the use and appreciation of MacDougall clanfolk, it certainly is a red letter day and high water mark in the process.

To celebrate more than 2 years of hard work by the leaders in Oban, and the overlapping terms of office of 2 Presidents and officers of Clan MacDougall Society of North America, I am deeply honored and prideful to be delegated by the American Clan Society to present this check to the Dunollie Trust for $9,220.00 dollars!

Here is a link to a news story about the event. 

Regional commissioners and state representatives: Please send information about 2013 games at which there will be Clan MacDougall tents to webmaster@macdougall.org for inclusion in this calendar.

Look for Clan MacDougall tents at these Scottish games:

Note: We use the Google Calendar format. You can add the Society's Scottish Games calendar to your own web-based calendar by clicking here.
Having trouble seeing the calendar above? Click HERE to open the calendar in a separate window.

For a general list of Scottish games and festivals, visit The Association of Scottish Games and Festivals.   For an excellent site about Scottish Games in Canada, visit http://web.ripnet.com/~nimmos/highland_games.html There is no guarantee that a Clan MacDougall tent will be at games listed on these other sites.  

Notices 

How to get involved in the Clan MacDougall Society of North America
Check out the Standing Committees page and contact the chairperson of a committee on which you would like to serve.

 Message group
A Yahoo group has been established for the Pacific Northwest regional MacDougalls. All MacDougalls are welcome. Visit the page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MacDougall/

  Dues Members can renew dues with PayPal.

 GYLEN CASTLE DEDICATION
On Friday, May 12, 2006 an event took place which was of great interest and significance to all MacDougall clan folk who are concerned with clan history and treasures. Chief Morag MacDougall of MacDougall cut the ribbon officially reopening Gylen Castle to visitors.
It has been 11 years since the mother and aunt of Chief Morag created the Gylen Castle Repair Fund and commenced the process of applying for grants and making plans for the careful reconstruction and repair of this beautiful clan treasure. It has suffered from more than 350 years of ravage and deterioration from weather, at its high perch on the southern end of Kerrera Island in Oban Bay, on the northwestern shore of Scotland.
 I am greatly indebted to Chief Morag, her husband, Richard Morley, our good friend Hamish MacDougall of Appin and Bridge of Weir, and friends at the Oban Times for providing us with details of the dedication ceremony.
More than 80 interested clan folk and media attended the dedication – some of whom walked and some of whom rode the two miles from the ferry dock to the castle.
Prior to and after the official ribbon cutting at the castle, there were interesting and informative speeches back at the Gylen Teahouse by a number of the official representatives, most of whom are well known to many of you: Mike Robertson (Factor of the MacDougall estates and interests), Catherine Gillies (of the Friends of MacDougall Collection), Dr. John Raven of Historic Scotland, Martin Hadlington (Chief architect of the Gylen Repair Project), and, of course, the official speech of Chief Morag herself.
Unavoidable conflicts kept me from going over to represent our NA Society, but we were ably represented by Mr. Gary MacDougall of Chicago, who gave an excellent speech on our behalf. There was very good coverage by local and national Scottish news agencies.
To put the significance of the completion of this extensive repair work in historical context, let me fill you in on some of the history of this architectural treasure.
Gylen Castle was built during ca. 1582-1587 by Duncan MacDougall, who was either the brother or the son of the chief at that time. It was clearly constructed as a fortified residence. Its design is obviously defensive, with heavy walls, guarded entrances, gun loops and ports, and observation outlooks on all sides. However its design was not entirely for utility or defense.
Not only is it surrounded by glorious scenery on all sides, but, clearly, great care, artistry and craftsmanship went into its construction. You will see many interesting features such as: crowstep gables, corbled cornices, romanesque carvings, and sculptures of faces and figures.
Sadly, no amount of repair work or money will restore Gylen to its original condition, because in 1647 (after only 60 years) a detachment of the army of the fanatic Covenanters captured and burned the castle and killed all who resided and defended therein, either on the spot or taken to Inverary Castle and hanged.
To add to this tragedy, it was on this occasion that the great family treasure, the Brooch of Lorne, disappeared. It had been captured by MacDougalls from Robert the Bruce in 1306. The Brooch of Lorne has since been returned to the MacDougalls and remains in the possession of the Chief.
 Gylen Castle was returned to the Chief of the MacDougalls in 1660, after the restoration.
Even though the repair work on Gylen is finished, important planning continues for repair and preservation of Clan MacDougall treasures: Dunollie Castle and Dunollie House and estates, in the interests of visiting Clan folks.
The "Gylen Castle Repair Fund" was some time ago converted into the "MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust", and this continues to be a primary vehicle for funding continuing preservation work.
Donations to this fund can be made through the Clan Society Treasurer or directly to Scotland. In addition, I will continue to sell copies of Bill MacDougall’s clan history "Kings in the West, and Beyond the Seas", with proceeds going to the Preservation Trust.
Respectfully submitted, June, 2006
Richard MacDougal, Past President
Chairman, International Relations Committee

Sheet music:   Suzanne McDougal has been kind enough to scan images of several Clan MacDougall-related bagpipe tunes and make them available on the Society's Web site.
Midi tune:   Mary (MacDougall) Hilchie of Ottawa, Ontario, printed one of the scanned tunes above and made a midi sequence called dunolly.mid.

 This area is for special notices of interest to MacDougalls. To post a notice here, please send it to webmaster@macdougall.org