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Clan MacAlpine Gathers at the Society’s 5th AGM in Oban, Argyll, Scotland! In August 2004, the Society held its 5th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Oban, Argyll, Scotland. We had 60 Clan members attend our morning meeting and join us for our Clan dinner that evening. Clan members came from the UK, Sweden, Canada, and the USA to join in the celebration of our heritage. Three representatives from the “McAlpines North Canterbury Pipe Band” of New Zealand were in attendance as well as the Society’s Patron, The Hon. Sir William McAlpine, 6th Bt. and Lady Judy McAlpine. Sir William spoke at both the AGM and the dinner to offer encouragement to those present to continue to support our Clan revival effort. It was quite a wonderful event and I know that many kinship ties were formed and that many lifelong memories were made. In fact, some of those present turned out to be long lost cousins!  During the day, the Society hosted a table in the Clan Heritage tent at the Argyllshire Gathering that offered information on the Clan and its history. An exceptional piece of research on the MacAlpine families contained in the census records of Scotland was on-hand courtesy of Margaret McAlpin of Buckinghamshire, England. Michael Quick was among numerous others who helped to answer questions of interested visitors during the day. For several days before and after the AGM, 25 of us enjoyed a tour through Scotland which included visits to many areas of particular relevance to our Clan’s history. Some of the highlights included a visit to see the Stone of Destiny (Stone of Scone) upon which the MacAlpine Kings were coronated, a visit to Dunadd Hillfort our ancient Clan seat, and a visit to the Isle of Iona where King Kenneth MacAlpin is buried. During our stay in Edinburgh, the Lord Lyon King Of Arms invited our group of 25 to Lyon Court for a private tour. Lord Lyon had arranged for the register containing the only MacAlpine Arms thus far recorded to be available for our viewing pleasure. Later that day, Sir William McAlpine and I met with Lord Lyon to discuss the progress we have made to-date in becoming an organized name group and to ask for advice on those things we can do to further our progress. Overall, the visit to Lyon Court was quite a success as we demonstrated our continuing commitment to gaining recognition of our Clan. The crescendo of the AGM was our Clan dinner; great food, great entertainment, and great haggis. The Address to the Haggis by Alex Hood of Scottish Highland Trails was simply the best. Thank you to everyone who attended our AGM, especially to Sir William and Lady Judy. Also, a special “Thank You” to everyone at Scottish Highland Trails who organized our tour and ensured that the Clan dinner was fantastic! | ||||
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