When my daughter Adelaide gets older, I have decided that she is going to try Highland Dancing. Fast paced, lots of fun, steeped in history, Highland Dancing will allow her to get some exercise, make some friends and learn to follow instructions.
My daughter is less than a year old. Why would I want to get her signed up for something so early? Truth is, she’s always had an incredible way of holding herself upright. She likes her legs out straight, her toes pointed. She has a dancers stance. Always has and I think it would be great if she can get involved in something that also has costumes that I can support and agree with.
My husband is pretty much on board with this plan. Together we talked to friends who have a daughter in highland dancing. She started dancing a little older than I initially expected, which I’m completely okay with. I always found it funny when people had their daughters in dance at the age of 2 even if it is really cute.
Our friends also talked to us about the clothing and how nice it is having something that is a little less revealing and there is also the ability to show off your family history – something that I would love to do.
The truth is, my daughter has a chance to wear many different tartans from both sides of her family and I’m having a really hard time deciding which tartan would be the best choice. Having descended from several great Scottish families, we have a lot of tartans to choose from. Here is a breakdown:
Murray (of Atholl)
Father’s side: Adelaide’s great-grandmother was Janet Latimer Murray.
Elliot
Father’s side: Adelaide’s 2x great-grandmother was Helen Elliot.
Sinclair
Mother’s side: Adelaide’s 2x great-grandmother was Margaret Dryden. Our Dryden family came to Canada in the 1700s but before that, they were affiliated with Clan Sinclair.
Keith, Falconer and Austin
This tartan is applicable on both sides of Adelaide’s family.
Father’s side: Adelaide’s 3x great-grandmother was Grace Marshall. The tartan known as Marshall is also known as Keith, Falconer and Austin.
Mother’s side: Adelaide’s 5x great-grandmother was Nancy Dickson. Clan Dickson is considered a sept of Clan Keith. This would mean that this tartan is on both sides of the family and could be a strong contender as a tartan for Adelaide.
MacLaren
Mother’s side: Adelaide’s 3x great-grandmother was Catherine McLarty. My research shows that McLarty’s would have worn the MacLaren tartan.
Kennedy
Mother’s side: Adelaide’s 4x great-grandmother was Margaret Kennedy.
McInnes
Mother’s side: Adelaide’s 4x great-grandmother was Euphemia McMaster. Through some basic research, I understand the McMaster clan was part of Clan MacInnes, but there may have been a divide around the time of the Jacobite Rebellion.
In light of the Cambridge Scottish Festival this weekend, I think we need to go see some of the tartans in the flesh before we make a decision. Which tartan do you think we should choose?
Note: Tartan images came from The Scottish Register of Tartans.