Hello X'ers. Thank you in advance for the welcome. I have actually been a lurker here for well over a year. Figured it was time to move out of the shadows.

I dont want to make my 1st post a sales pitch, but I have to explain how our business ventures were the path to our involvement in and our love for the Gaelic culture and its people. By way of introduction, I am from the Pittsburgh, PA area (about 20 minutes north and east). My family and I run a small custom embroidery and printing shop. We started doing Scottish, Irish and celtic designs about 8 years ago simply because my kids were into the music, the culture, the languages. My son has been the driving force and has to be credited with coming up with many of the unique designs that we offer.

About 2 1/2 years ago we were asked to do an embroidery job for a clan and have been hooked ever since. This year is the 1st time we have made more concerted effort to attend a number of events as we really enjoy doing this type of work. We love the atmosphere of the games, the commitment of the clan members to their heritage and history, the challenges of coming up with historically accurate artwork and items no one has seen before, and the friendly spirit we see displayed amongst members of the community.

Dont know how much I can contribute to the site but I know it will be an excellent vehicle for me to learn more and to stay in touch with folks from various part of the country that I have met at the games. I have met Sir William at events in Virginia, met Rocky at last years Celtic Classic, have exchanged hellos with a couple of members of Clan Claus who I now recognize as X'ers to name a few.

Want to thank Steve and the rest who make this site work. Your site has been a great informational and educational source for me. Have used it to learn about events, tartans, vendor sources, clan info, and so on. Thanks for the time and effort it takes to run a quality site and for allowing me to be a part.

Mark R