Which Clan?

[JolyStNicholas]

Strong family history and family relationships to family in Scotland and Ireland lead me to make the only logical choice. Thank you for asking in the fashion you did!

[creagdhubh]

Kyle,

There is no need to get your hackles up I assure you. Your signature line reads "Kyle Andrew Smith Macpherson" but on facebook and on the Clan Macpherson Association website you are listed as simply "Kyle Andrew Smith" and "Kyle Smith" respectively. Given that and the nature of this forum, I think it's pretty obvious to see how I might have made the assumption that you had only included "Macpherson" here to show your Clan affiliation. Once you mentioned (earlier in this thread) that your father was a Macpherson it became clear that that was why you have included it in your signature line here. But clearly other places you either go by or have gone by Smith, so it was not clear that it was your legal name. I don't care one way or the other if your parents share the same name or, if they don't, whose you took. My wife didn't take mine. But wives not taking their husbands' names, children with hyphenated surnames or the names of their mothers is all fairly recent. They are some of today's naming conventions. Do you have a better way of saying that? Any time you have a child with a hyphenated surname or who has his mother's surname, seeing connections to things that are typically patrilineal in descent becomes more difficult. That was all I was saying. I wasn't trying to make a big deal about anything and there was no slight at you intended and no harm meant to anyone else.

Regards,

Kenneth,

No worries mate, I wasn't being defensive and certainly did not have my "hackles up" - I'm sorry you took it that way. Honestly, it does slightly concern me that you are conducting research about me, that's a wee bit strange and disconcerning in my opinion - I don't know, perhaps I am overreacting - but that's my gut-feeling. In regards to my most recent post explaining the detailed information and provenance concerning my full-name, I was merely discussing the actual "breakdown" of my name in order to address your question and earlier post - I certainly didn't have to go into all of that detail, but alas, that's just the kind of person I am (perhaps one of the reason's why I am an educator!).

If you have any further questions or concerns with my full-name, please PM me; let's not waste other people's time on this forum with the continuance of pointless dribble. By no means am I attempting to be negative, condescending, pretentious, or "on the defensive", so please do not misinterpret my tone. However, I will say that I am uncomfortable with you conducting outside research about me. Again, if you have a question, why not just PM me on this forum? I enjoy my time on xmarksthescot immensely, have made many friendships, and have most certainly learned quite a bit about the many different and interesting facets in regards to bonnie Scotland, and more specifically, in regards to the wearing of Highland attire. I do not wish to be a apart of any negativity, or toxic conversations on this forum - I directly steer clear of any of that nonsense, as it is completely unnecessary and boring. I feel blatantly afronted that you would "look into me" further, yet I suppose that's the price we all pay for the ease and efficiency of today's technology. I am not upset, I am simply responding to your latest post. Let's move on to more intriguing topics mate.

Slainte,

[SlackerDrummer]

Kenneth,

No worries mate, I wasn't being defensive and certainly did not have my "hackles up" - I'm sorry you took it that way. Honestly, it does slightly concern me that you are conducting research about me, that's a wee bit strange and disconcerning in my opinion - I don't know, perhaps I am overreacting - but that's my gut-feeling. In regards to my most recent post explaining the detailed information and provenance concerning my full-name, I was merely discussing the actual "breakdown" of my name in order to address your question and earlier post - I certainly didn't have to go into all of that detail, but alas, that's just the kind of person I am (perhaps one of the reason's why I am an educator!).

If you have any further questions or concerns with my full-name, please PM me; let's not waste other people's time on this forum with the continuance of pointless dribble. By no means am I attempting to be negative, condescending, pretentious, or "on the defensive", so please do not misinterpret my tone. However, I will say that I am uncomfortable with you conducting outside research about me. Again, if you have a question, why not just PM me on this forum? I enjoy my time on xmarksthescot immensely, have made many friendships, and have most certainly learned quite a bit about the many different and interesting facets in regards to bonnie Scotland, and more specifically, in regards to the wearing of Highland attire. I do not wish to be a apart of any negativity, or toxic conversations on this forum - I directly steer clear of any of that nonsense, as it is completely unnecessary and boring. I feel blatantly afronted that you would "look into me" further, yet I suppose that's the price we all pay for the ease and efficiency of today's technology. I am not upset, I am simply responding to your latest post. Let's move on to more intriguing topics mate.

Slainte,

Kyle,

I am writing this on the public forum rather than in a PM as apparently I now have to defend myself. I have not been doing outside research on you and the idea that you think I have is not just a little disturbing. Of course, I can see where it would be upsetting from your point of view as well. So let me make a couple of pertinent points. You are friends with some people on facebook who have mutual friends with me. It is not unreasonable to expect that you might show up on the "friends" list of some pages that I might visit simply as a matter of course. Whereas in the past your name might have gone completely unnoticed by me, I have now seen it so many times that if I come across it, it registers. Additionally, you have a link right there in your signature to the Clan Macpherson association website where your name is listed not once, but three times, on the homepage. I often, for any number of reasons, click on the links to websites in people's signature lines. Isn't that why you put them there in the first place?

So let's please put this unpleasantness behind us and move forward with mutual respect and understanding.

Yours sincerely,

[creagdhubh]

Kyle,

I am writing this on the public forum rather than in a PM as apparently I now have to defend myself. I have not been doing outside research on you and the idea that you think I have is not just a little disturbing. Of course, I can see where it would be upsetting from your point of view as well. So let me make a couple of pertinent points. You are friends with some people on facebook who have mutual friends with me. It is not unreasonable to expect that you might show up on the "friends" list of some pages that I might visit simply as a matter of course. Whereas in the past your name might have gone completely unnoticed by me, I have now seen it so many times that if I come across it, it registers. Additionally, you have a link right there in your signature to the Clan Macpherson association website where your name is listed not once, but three times, on the homepage. I often, for any number of reasons, click on the links to websites in people's signature lines. Isn't that why you put them there in the first place?

So let's please put this unpleasantness behind us and move forward with mutual respect and understanding.

Yours sincerely,

Sounds good to me mate, and thank you for your tactful response.

Kind regards,

[Kilted Canadian]

Somewhat related to the inital topic....

If a hypothetical person of Scots descent is a Potato (to use the example) and has a Potato tartan to work with: should he choose through familial ties to join the MacCarrot Clan Assc. and wear its badge with all the associated entailments, should he also cease to wear the Potato tartan and adopt the M'Carrot one instead?

[davidlpope]

Somewhat related to the inital topic....

If a hypothetical person of Scots descent is a Potato (to use the example) and has a Potato tartan to work with: should he choose through familial ties to join the MacCarrot Clan Assc. and wear its badge with all the associated entailments, should he also cease to wear the Potato tartan and adopt the M'Carrot one instead?

Is there a chief of Clan Potato? Is there a Clan Potato? Is the Potato tartan historic and linked to the Highlands, or is it a modern tartan recently designed by John Potato from Moline Illinois and Potato is a traditional Czech surname?

I think it's best to choose a single clan to profess loyalty to, and stick with it. Whether that's Potato or MacCarrot is up to the individual (although the preference is normally for the surname one bears...)

David

[After re-reading the quoted post, I think the answer is simply, "yes"...]

[SlackerDrummer]

Somewhat related to the inital topic....

If a hypothetical person of Scots descent is a Potato (to use the example) and has a Potato tartan to work with: should he choose through familial ties to join the MacCarrot Clan Assc. and wear its badge with all the associated entailments, should he also cease to wear the Potato tartan and adopt the M'Carrot one instead?

If we are talking about being a Potato as in being a descended member of the clan and not just having the surname in common, I would suggest that the person stick with the Potato tartan, its clan badge and accoutrements. If there is a familial connection to the McCarrots, then by all means join the clan association, but that's probably as far as I'd take it. If however, said Potato felt a connection with the McCarrots that he/she didn't feel with the Potatoes, I'd join the McCarrots, wear their kit and most likely abandon the Potato stuff. But it's a personal choice, perhaps more so than any other discussed on this forum.

[Jock Scot]

Somewhat related to the inital topic....

If a hypothetical person of Scots descent is a Potato (to use the example) and has a Potato tartan to work with: should he choose through familial ties to join the MacCarrot Clan Assc. and wear its badge with all the associated entailments, should he also cease to wear the Potato tartan and adopt the M'Carrot one instead?

Which ever tartan you decide on, then stick with it. Well, that is what we generally do over here.

I honestly think that many of you are still over-thinking all this.If you use me as an example,I suppose I could easily choose from at least 10 tartans(some of them are really attractive ones) with my assorted ancestors and my sons could add at least one more to their list with their mother's connections.

If you want to use your Scots connections to justify wearing more than one tartan, then go ahead , just bare in mind that most Scots could very easily do the same --------but we don't.

[WVHighlander]

Wow, what a interesting posts.

As for Clan affiliation I went with my last name and am a current member of Clan Cochrane. (which is interesting..) Kilts wise I have a couple of choices. My Cochrane tartan is sitting in a pile of ash in Germany...thanks to a warehouse fire. Hopefully, my replacement will be here in a week or so. I have a Sport Kilt (yes don't give me grief) in the Army Tartan. I can also were my regimental tartan if I wanted to put the quid to it. On that I have to agree with Messr. Scot getting multiple kilts gets a bit expensive. Hats off to you guys who can...maybe after I leave the military and win the lotto!!!

I am looking at a getting a PV Cochrane muted (because it's not the full price of a worsted wool, I will probably be in NC for my next assignment so its cooler, and I might participate in some games and CAN'T were my good kilt throwing the caber.)

[Jock Scot]

Wow, what a interesting posts.

As for Clan affiliation I went with my last name and am a current member of Clan Cochrane. (which is interesting..) Kilts wise I have a couple of choices. My Cochrane tartan is sitting in a pile of ash in Germany...thanks to a warehouse fire. Hopefully, my replacement will be here in a week or so. I have a Sport Kilt (yes don't give me grief) in the Army Tartan. I can also were my regimental tartan if I wanted to put the quid to it. On that I have to agree with Messr. Scot getting multiple kilts gets a bit expensive. Hats off to you guys who can...maybe after I leave the military and win the lotto!!!

I am looking at a getting a PV Cochrane muted (because it's not the full price of a worsted wool, I will probably be in NC for my next assignment so its cooler, and I might participate in some games and CAN'T were my good kilt throwing the caber.)

Somewhere, I think in this thread, I did mention that there are exceptions to the one tartan train of thought that is prevalent in Scotland and there is no doubt wearing an Army tartan, Unit tartan is most definitely one of those. I think it is fair to add that it is expected that you have actually served in that particular Unit, which you obviously do. I am so sorry to hear that your other kilt is now a pile of ashes, I hope that there was not a lot else of yours in the fire. Keep your head down laddie and good luck.