All is now in readiness for what promises to be
the greatest assembly of clans and families in
Scottish history. On the eve of The Gathering,
Iain Gunn spoke with Lord Sempill, the man
whose energy and initiative made it possible.
n the face of all the economic gloom and
I
doom that seems to have overtaken the world
in recent months, there are, no doubt, plenty
of pessimists who think The Gathering might
turn out to be something of a damp squib. They’re
all about to be proven wrong. With more than 6,400
of the 8,000 all-inclusive passports now sold and
the remainder almost certain to be sold in May, The
Gathering promises to be an outstanding success.
The hand-tooled leather passports contain all the
accreditation and ticketing that guarantees access to
all the events in Edinburgh over the weekend of July
25 and 26. Thirty eight per cent have been snapped
up by Americans while 35 per cent have been sold
within the United Kingdom. The Canadians are
next with 10 per cent followed by the Australians
with seven per cent and New Zealand with two per
cent. The remaining eight per cent have been sold
throughout the world.
Lord Sempill has no doubt that the event will be
a huge success. He stands by his original estimate
of 30,000 people attending over the two days.
“We’re seeing evidence of a tremendous amount of
goodwill toward The Gathering from people all over
the world,” he said. “This is not about a nation of
five million people, but an international family of
41 million. There’s a feeling that this will be a once
in a lifetime opportunity and people are naturally
very keen to participate. That is being translated
into a determination to come and be part of what
will be a very significant milestone in Scottish
history. We already have firm commitments from
over 100 clan chiefs and the representatives of 128
clan organisations. The Clan March up the Royal
Mile from Holyrood House to the Castle will be an
extraordinary spectacle as will the Clan Pageant on
the Castle Esplanade.”
On Friday, July 24, the Scottish Parliament is to
be the scene of a Clan Convention, the biggest of
its kind ever held in Scotland. Delegates, including
the clan chiefs and their key officials, will take their
seats in the parliamentary chamber where they will
listen to a number of keynote speakers including the
Lord Lyon King of Arms, the distinguished Scottish
historian, Professor James Hunter, and the Scottish-
American Robert MacWilliam.
For further details visit
www.thegathering2009.com
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