Kilted Flying & Visiting Relatives in N. Ireland

**cessna152towser** · 1st August 10, 12:45 PM

On Saturday I took a half hour flight on Easyjet from Edinburgh to Belfast to visit relations. Note that many of the other passengers disembarking at Belfast Aldergrove International Airport were also wearing kilts. The European Pipe Band Championships were taking place at Stormont in Northern Ireland on the same day and many pipers converged on Belfast airport.
More to follow shortly.

**cessna152towser** · 1st August 10, 01:16 PM

There was an excellent travel deal on Ulsterbus, travel throughout the six Counties of the Province of Ulster by Ulsterbus for a whole day for only £8.

I travelled to the Europa Bus Station in central Belfast then caught another bus to the home of my ancestors. This is the old town of Lurgan where my Irish great-grandfather was raised. His family are thought to have been settlers from Scotland who were given land at Lurgan in the sixteen nineties by the British Government for their support of the Williamite Campaign. A cottage was built on the land which remained in the family until the early twentieth century.

A further four miles brought me into Portadown, where my Irish Great-Grandmother grew up. During the nineteen sixties the new city of Craigavon was created by urbanising the area between Lurgan and Portadown and nowadays Lurgan and Portadown are older suburbs of the modern city. However the city has never achieved its anticipated population growth. Although Craigavon is the third largest city in Northern Ireland, the population is still only around 90,000.

Wearing the Wilson tartan in the home town of my great grandmother Elizabeth Wilson. She later emigrated to Canada, as did her daughter and four sons. My grandfather was the only one of his family who settled in Scotland.

Aunty Vi is the widow of my late mother's second cousin Andy. So her son Brian is my third cousin. Brian's great grandmother was a sister to my great grandmother.

With Aunty Vi at the Rushmere Shopping Mall in Craigavon City Centre.

Some members of a pipe band in the Belfast airport departure lounge.

Kilties in the airport bar.

Starbucks Coffee shop in Belfast airport.
So for those who have not yet tried flying kilted, I say go for it. But don't forget to pack your kilt pin away in your luggage.

About to board the 21:00 departure for Edinburgh as a heavy rain shower passed. That's all folks.

**McClef** · 1st August 10, 01:38 PM

Good to see you had some kilted company for your visit Alex!

**Jordan** · 1st August 10, 03:19 PM

I flew kilted a few weeks ago Inverness to bristol and back no problems at all and security were nice enogh too. Its good to see your still getting about Alex if your ever traveling up my way we'll have to meet up

Jordan