Scotland - August 3 and 4, 2002

On Saturday, we drove through the Scottish mist to the Aboyne Highland Games, meeting our Irwin/Irvine relatives for the first time at the Clan tent. The weather was miserable, turning the turf into a massive mud puddle. In the afternoon, we drove on to Aberdeen to view the North Sea before heading back to Grant'n. We became a part of history on Sunday, attending the Irvine-Keith Clan Peacemaking Ceremony, marking the 600 year anniversary of a tragic battle between the clans. Tensions over territory led the Keith family to kidnap and drown an Irvine boy, and the Irvines retaliated, killing most of the Keith family in a bloody battle. Although the families have been peaceful since then, an official ceremony was held to bring the two families together and the clan chiefs signed a peace treaty. It was a little cheesy at times, but we all felt the history of our ancestry. That evening, we all ate and did Scottish folk dancing at a Ceilidh. The drive home that night was a challenge- dodging sheep asleep on the road and bunnies hurling themselves in front of the car (the Scottish equivalent of squirrels). Click on thumbnail to see larger image.