Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
July 3, 2008 issue
Story by Celeste von Mangan
Ancient Celtic tradition is alive and well in western North Carolina as the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games hosts Scottish heavy athletic events, as well as clan members at clan tents offering history and genealogy study.
Athletic Events
If you are feeling sturdy, you may want to sign up for the amateur athletics held on Sunday, July 13, at MacRae Meadows. Try your hand at the clachneart, hammer throw, weight toss, turning the caber or tossing of the sheaf. Plenty of spectator opportunities exist for those who just want to watch these ancient and exciting feats of athleticism on Friday, July 11, Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 13, when the Scottish athletic events literally take center field.
To better understand what the Scottish athletic events are, consult the mini-guide below.
Clachneart: Scots Gaelic for “Stone of Strength,” the clachneart was the forerunner of the Olympic shot put. The stone is approximately seven and three-quarters inches in diameter and weighs 16 pounds.
Hammer Throw: Derived from older competitions where an actual sledgehammer was thrown, the hammer used in modern Scottish events has a D-handle attached to the ball by wire and weighs in at 22 pounds.
Weight Toss for Height: The objective of this strength event is to toss the 56-pound weight with its attached handle over a horizontal bar of variable height.
Turning the Caber: Acknowledged as the centerpiece of the modern highland games, turning the caber—a 16- to 20-foot section of tree trunk weighing between 100 to 180 pounds—requires immense strength and great skill.
Tossing the Sheaf: The sheaf consists of a burlap or plastic bag stuffed with chopped rope, straw or mulch and weighing 16 pounds. Competitors toss the sheaf over a crossbar with a pitchfork.
Highland Wrestling Competitions: Also known as Cumberland wrestling and backhold wrestling, this competition will take place on Saturday, July 12, and requires wearing the kilt in its traditional form.
In addition to the heavy athletics and wrestling, the kilted mile, kilted quarter mile and clan kilted mile will be run on Sunday, for both children and adults, beginning at 12:00 p.m. Signup for the track events is prior to their start. Also on Sunday afternoon, field events will be held for children age 12 and under. Wee ones can compete in miniature versions of the adult athletic events like tossing the caber. All participants who finish each event receive a medal. The clan tug o’war rounds out the Sunday afternoon athletics.
History and Genealogy
Think you might have some Scottish blood running through your veins? Wasn’t great grandma a MacDougall? Discover your Celtic roots at one of the numerous clan tents encircling MacRae Meadows and representing more than 100 clans. Helpful clan members have books, information sheets and samples of tartan cloth at the ready for anyone searching for his or her Scottish heritage.
Don’t be shy about approaching any one of the colorful clan tents. If you do not have a name that is overtly Scottish in your family, despair not: you may be part of a clan sept--a smaller family or clan that joined a more powerful clan. The septs may or may not have blood ties.
You say you just found out that your Scottish ancestors came from the lowlands and were not romantic highlanders? Cheer up; the lowlanders were often well educated and culturally sophisticated people. Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott—icons of Scottish culture—were both lowlanders.
On all three days of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, structured history and genealogy studies will take place at the clan tents.