And so the clans were scattered
From land and sheiling torn
Their tartan was forbidden
And their culture held in scorn.

And then there was the quiet time
Long Years of Dark despair
When the great, great family of the clan
Seemed broken beyond repair.

Then somewhere in the distant past
A pipe was heard and then
The feet in dance began to stir
And the tartan blazed again.

And all the stories of the past
With pride were now retold
Of how the clan was bound by love
Of the brave and of the bold.

And children listened and felt the blood
That stirred within their veins
And the clan that once seemed broken
Began to live again.

And now the spirit of the clan
Is felt in every clime
And heads are raised in every land
For now is the gathering time.

And here we meet in happiness
And often part in tears
For in the children of Donnachaidh
Flows the love of a thousand years.

This poem was written and recited for the Ceilidh at the Clan Donnachaidh Gathering in 1975 at Bruar Falls Scotland, by Jock Reid of the London Branch. I am sad to report that Jock passed away this year. The above poem was one of the prizewinners of the Highland Arts Competition sponsored by Prince Charles and out of 6,000 worldwide entries, it placed twenty-sixth! It was published in June 1978 in a book entitled "The Silver Jubilee Book of Prizewinning Poems".