tartans. I have occasionally wondered about this and today all my questions were answered.Maclean of 2010 seems a much more lively, prosperous town than in 1998 – however the main expansion seems to be in the number of tartan lamp-posts – they were everywhere. By sheer coincidence we bumped into the one person who could give us the whole story – Nancy from Kirknewton (near Edinburgh) Although she left Scotland back in 1965 she had not lost her Scottish accent and it seems the tartan lampposts were her idea. Many towns in Australia have a “gimmick” usually taking the form of a giant statue of a local animal or vegetable – therefore you have The Big Banana, The Big Sheep and in Humpty Doo in the Northern Territory a giant statue of a Boxing Crocodile (honestly – how could I make this stuff up!!)
Maclean did not have a gimmick but Nancy though it should have one, and one which promoted the Scottish history and culture of the place – after all there has been a Highland Gathering and Games in Maclean for 107 years, not to mention the famous Maclean Pipe Band. Nancy, an arch publicist if there ever was one, knew that the Olympic Torch for the Sydney 2000 Games would be passing through Maclean and proposed that some of the lamp-posts should be tartanised. It took two years for planning approval to be given but eventually ten posts were painted in various clan tartans with the name of the clan at the top – and done at Nancy’s expense!
The scheme was a hit and as we drove through Maclean today we could not believe the explosion of tartan – two hundred (!) posts have now been decorated with clan tartans – unbelievable, in questionable taste, but fabulous.
The town certainly seems to be more bustling than it was – there was a buzz about the place that had been missing in 1998. Even the Maclean Hotel, which in 1998 had served us a pretty mediocre lunch, was now very much trendified with the most amazing, kitsch, awful but somehow fabulous mural on the courtyard wall (see photo)
Currently in the Highlands of Scotland there is
much debate about multi-lingual road signs i.e. road signs in both Gaelic and English. You will be interested to know that the Gaelic/English debate is of a global nature but Maclean has bitten the bullet and has Gaelic in the road signs as per the photograph – although I look forward to Ron’s approving (or otherwise) of the translation.Finally, a test for Ron and any other Gaelic scholars out there – the motto of Maclean in Gaelic is “Failte yo baile MacGhill’Leathain” – what is the translation of this into English? Please post your answer as a comment on the blog.
Roxy with child would you like a wee dog to complete your gray nomad look!Glad I didn't witness your cranky old bloke look at the Easter camp spot - remember 1972...
ReplyDeleteGlad you got the ants out of your pants and your 4-wheel out of the sands. My tame Gaelic scholar says your phrase means sth like "Welcome to the Castle of the McLeans. Gaelic orthography - gie's a break. Fond greetings, Sigga
ReplyDeleteAnts in yours pants?
ReplyDeleteAs an amateur Gaelic expert I have of course consulted the resident professional and here is the reslting wisdom regarding Maclean and its idiosyncracies. Aite MhicNeachdainn would seem to be perfectly correct. We agree that the motto, at least as transcribed is a little deficient, and ought to be "Failte gu Baile MhicGhill'Eathain", which means Wecome to the town of Maclean. There are, by the way, so far as I know, more ways of spelling and misspelling MacLean in Gaelic than there are in English, which is quite an achievement. Incidentally, although a Lewisian living in Melbourne was quite sure the original Maclean was a Skyeman, an authority on Australian Highland emigration, Roddy Balfour, Councillor for Croy and district, told me on my enquiry at a meeting on the above subject, that Maclean came from Ardersier or thereabouts. So there. Hope this doesn't put people off what is otherwise an entertaining and informative blog.
ReplyDeleteG'dye (or whatever you say) Ron