Caledonian, St. Andrew, Scottish Societies, etc.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I belong to both my clan society and the Saint Andrew's Society of Washington DC. Although it's nearly a three hour drive to Washington DC I attend about 80% of our events; the few that I miss are usually the result of conflicts with other "fixtures" -- things like my wife's birthday... In addition to events (May 22 will be our Kirkin' of the Tartan at the National Cathedral) we have a uniformed colour guard, and sponsor a pipe band. The Society also awards scholarships to students from Scotland studying in the USA and to US students studying in Scotland. Both our Burns Supper and Tartan Ball are well attended. We also enjoy a monthly lunch, and a more or less bi-monthly whisky and cigars gathering at the City Tavern Club. The requirement to join is proof of Scottish descent (either in the paternal or maternal line) and proposal by two members in good standing. Once a person is proposed as a member their details are circulated to the whole of the membership for comment before a final decision is taken by the membership committee. This process takes about three months, and dues are about $150 per year. More details can be found on our website: www.saintandrewsociety.com

I'm also active in my clan, attending about six Games annually, in addition to attending to my duties as Pursuivant-- an Bladier-- to my Chief. Whilst not a particularly large clan compared to the Campbells or MacDonalds, Clan MacMillan has a number of branches throughout North America, the largest of which is the Appalachian Branch which both David Pope and Joe McMillan belong to, as do I. I thoroughly enjoy the sense of community belonging to a clan society provides, and would encourage anyone to join their clan society-- especially if they are a MacMillan! Dues are about $25 a year, and include a breezy little new letter, now available online. Again, details of the Clan MacMillan Society are available on line, with links to all of the branch societies: www.clanmacmillan.org .