Tartan Day 2005!

OK, so ye're dealin' with nae fewer than 1527 Pipers and Drummers this year fer Tartan Saturday Afternoon, centerpiece of New York's Tartan Week doin's --- but hey, look at it this wa': 1500 may not match a number like 2000, but it sure helps fill the stops when big numbers are indeed what one be after! Anywa', despite a severe, torrential rainstorm that would have otherwise caused an event of this magnitude tae be canceled, the assorted honkers an' bangers proceeded wi' the Parade as scheduled. Bravely and fearlessly did the following Pipe Bands (an' a few o' their friends) tromp down Sixth Avenue and 44th Street toward 56th Street, near the ol' Jekyll & Hyde Club:

The Atlantic Watch Pipers; the Mt. Kisco Scots; The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Marching Band; the NYC Corrections Department Pipers; the Port Lethern & District Pipe Band; the Breezy Point Pipe Band; the Rochester Scottish Pipers; the High Plains Pipin' Society and Loch Raven Pipe Band; the William Sutherland Reid Pipes & Drums; the Silver Arrow Piping Society; the Marion County Sheriff's Department Pipe Band from Ocala, FL; St. Ann's of Hampton Pipe Band; Bemidji, MT's 1st City Pipers; The Loch Rannoch Pipers; the Palm Beach Pipe Band; the Pocono Region Pipe Band; the Melrose & District Pipers; the Northwest Pipers; the New York Scottish Pipes, Drums and Dancers; the Montreat Scottish Pipers; the Rockland County Scots; the Tri-County Pipe Band; the Staten Island Pipers' Association; the Camden County, NJ Police & Fire Department Pipers; Shamrock & Thistle Pipe Band; The Nittany Highland Pipe Band; the Colum CIlle Pipes & Drums; the Brian Boru Pipe Band; the Celtic United Pipers; the Washington Memorial Pipers; the Jaffa Highlanders; the Pipes & Drums of St. Brendan the Navigator; the Glen Boig Pipe Band; the Manchester Regional Police & Firemen's Pipers (and their mighty Drum Major, Ox Gara); the Atlantic City, NJ Sandpipers; the Clan Gordon Highlanders of Locust Valley/Lattingtown and the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment; and the Morris County, NJ Police Pipe Band!

After the March, the Paraders retired tae one of four official Post-Parade Parties: the first two, at two branches of Connolly's Bar --- one at 121 West 45th Street, the other at 14 West 47th Street; the third at Maggie's Place, 21 East 47th Street; and the last, at Eammon's Bar, 9 East 45th Street. All the Pipers posed for photo ops, traded a few tunes, tales and business cards and there was all sorts o' noisemakin', honkin', bangin' and the like ---- and, eventually, the time came tae call it a day. Ye donna march in the rain unless ye're brave enough, and ha'e enough o' th' fortitude.

Just so's ye knows, some o' these Pipe Bands and their friends have their places on me Highland Links segment, so ye be welcome tae ha'e a peek fer yerselves if ye wish! Meanwhile, if ye missed all the fun, Tartan TV presented the full parade on their pages throughout the month! And if ye still want more kilt from yer rabbit ears, Tartan TV: The Public Television Series is there tae kick it up a notch fer ye! In New York City proper, ye can watch the Tartan TV Series on Garden City, Long Island's verra own WLIW/21, every Saturday evenin', startin' at 7:30 pm! Be there, if ye wouldst!