Speech by the MacLaren of MacLaren to the Clan Convention on 24th July 2009

Just published on the Panalba website, is the speech made at the time of the Clan Gathering in Edinburgh on the role of the clan chief in modern times.

Donald MacLaren of MacLaren tells this story:

In his bid to unite Dalriada and Pictland, Kenneth MacAlpine invited all the Pictish princes and nobles with rival claims to the throne to a great meeting and banquet. Disarmed at the door, rather like us, they entered all unsuspecting. But pits had been dug beneath the benches on which they were seated and at a given signal the bolts securing the benches were drawn out. As one of the hapless nobles fell into the pit he looked up and cried out: "What is this treachery? You invited us for a discussion on kinship." Kenneth MacAlpine moved cautiously to the edge and looked down slyly: O a dhaoine bhochda! Feumaidh nach do thuig sibh an cuireadh. "Oh dear, you must have misread the invitation. It clearly said a convention on Kingship." And with that, they were all murdered and he was master of most of Scotland. Sadly, by the end of lunch, unlike in our case, there wasn't much of a group photo.

Things have moved on a little since then, and I commend the article to you. Panalba is a community for anyone who has a love for Scotland. It includes recommendations for travel and accommodation, special events, blogs and articles from acclaimed Scottish writers.