Important time for Clan MacBean as new Chief from the USA is to be installed near Inverness
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THE new chief of the Clan MacBean is coming “home” to Inverness-shire for his clan’s big gathering this week.
Richard McBain of McBain is travelling from Tucson, Arizona to take part in unique events during the Clan MacBean Gathering from August 4 to 7 around Inverness, the clan’s ancestral seat.
The gathering’s main event will be the inauguration of the chief in succession to his father the late James McBain of McBain, attended by the Lord Lyon of Scotland who will be acting in his role as the monarch's representative.
The ceremony will be held in the McBain Memorial Park overlooking Loch Ness near Dores immediately after the gathering sees the dedication of a memorial to “Scotland’s moon walker” Captain Alan Bean, pilot of NASA’s Apollo 12 module on the second moon landing in 1969. This starts at 2pm.
Capt Bean, the fourth person to walk on the moon, was proud of his Scottish roots, and was the first to take a piece of tartan, MacBean of course, to the moon and back again.
The gathering organisers are hoping to have representatives of the UK Space Agency and Space Scotland present at the dedication.
Mr McBain (66) will be returning to the Dores area of Kinchyle the historic homeland of the MacBean chiefs.
The clan is a member of Clan Chattan, a federation of Scottish clans, and on Thursday August 4 in the Lochardil House Hotel, Inverness, the Clan Chattan Association AGM and dinner will be held from 4pm.
On Friday August 6 the MacBean clan will be present at Moy Highland Sports Fair, sharing the Clan Chattan tent. The fair, on Friday and Saturday, is held in the grounds of Moy Hall the seat of the Mackintosh of Mackintosh, chief of Clan Mackintosh and Captain of Clan Chattan.
On Sunday August 7 at 1pm on Culloden Battlefield a wreath laying ceremony will be held to honour those who lost their lives on both sides during, and following the battle.
A gathering of the MacBean clan, will also take place at the battlefield, in conjunction with Clan MacGillivray, from 12.30pm.
Following this, from 2pm onwards, there will be demonstrations of sword fighting by two master swordsmen, and presentations on weapons from the period by a master swordmaker, in the events field behind the visitor centre.
