Robert Amyot MacKinnon is proud to be the commissioner of Scotland’s Clan MacKinnon in France and in continental Europe He lives in Aubigny-sur-Nère (Cher) in central France a town with historic Scottish roots dating back six centuries when the French king Charles VII was losing in the spirit of what was even then known as the Auld Alliance archers and soldiers to help,” says Robert the grateful Charles gave them part of what is now the north of Cher department “The Scots ruled it for over 300 years until finally the line was extinct and the area reverted to France.” Many of the Scots there were allowed to become naturalised French Scottish noblemen who had helped France were also rewarded with prestigious property such as Châtillon-sur-Indre for John Stewart and Concressault and Aubigny for John Stewart of Darnley Charles VII also created the garde écossaise an elite military corps of 100 Scotsmen who formed the personal guard of the French sovereign The Château des Stuarts in Aubigny-sur-Nère is witness to this close history and the town still holds a week-long Franco-Scottish festival every July in honour of the Auld Alliance Visitors come from across the world to enjoy Highland dancing and piping as 2023 is the 600th anniversary of the Scots coming to help Charles,” says Robert The town has a tartan flavour all year round and it is not uncommon to see people in kilts Robert’s wife Chrystel is a noted kilt-maker who even gets orders from people in Scotland The town council is keen to celebrate the connection between the two countries and a museum in the town explains it in detail “Kids in Scotland are taught about the Auld Alliance in school but it is not taught in France People do not know anything about it until they come here.” Robert was born in Canada after his clan was exiled to Nova Scotia – it reputedly helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to France in 1746 following his defeat at Culloden They lost their ancient clan lands because of their support for the Jacobite uprising Almost more Scottish than the Scots in Scotland I grew up surrounded by tartans and pipe bands Having dreamed of visiting Europe for years Robert made his first trip as a young hippy “I went to Amsterdam and then hitch-hiked to France and just fell in love with it I missed it so much that I came back and worked as a musician and then I played Flemish pipes until I read Les Mâitres Sonneurs (The Master Pipers) by George Sand.” They come in different sizes: the larger they are He toured France playing music until he retired five years ago I have seen many more young people interested in pipes There is a blooming interest in traditions and cultures.” He met his wife at a festival in the Alps: “I was acting and singing and playing “We have been together for 30 years and have two adult daughters we lived in Haute-Savoie near the Swiss border “I wear the kilt every day and a lot of people are starting to do the same Some have Scottish roots and others just think it’s cool.” Read more: France’s own kilt-maker He has adopted hundreds of people of all nationalities into the clan Being adopted by a clan gives you new roots and contacts.” who was asked to become clan commissioner six years ago says his duties are simple: “To talk about Scotland which is rapidly turning into Burns Week!” He has also written a guidebook on correct Highland wear “So I try to ensure people’s outfits are coherent French people love knowing how to avoid une faute de goût.” Robert says events are based on culture and history people need to be curious about the clan and Scotland and be ready to learn new things We do things seriously but we do not take ourselves seriously I want to know that as well as wearing a kilt and drinking whisky Madame Anne Gunhild MacKinnon of MacKinnon is the 38th chief of the name and arms of MacKinnon and her line goes back 900 years.” Aveyron is home to the world’s biggest bagpipe collection Whisky production in France is picking up pace ‘Brexit made Scottish independence and EU re-entry more likely’ Eight pairs of tickets for this summer’s festival are available exclusively to Connexion subscribers Architects set out to modernise Le Grand Rex while respecting its original design Exploring an ancient craft form at a company founded 120 years ago when Scotland was Catholic and England was Protestant a pact was sworn between nations; a solemn alliance and Philip IV of France to ratify an agreement that the two nations would band together to defend themselves against ‘Perfidious Albion’ the ‘Auld Alliance’ between Scotland and France still endures There are outcrops of tartan all across the Hexagon Large associations including the ‘Caledonian Society of France’ the Association France Grande-Bretagne in Paris and Auld Alliance – le Lien Franco-Ecossaise in Orléans organise exchange visits and clan meetings Read more: From banking to wine: four surprising Scottish-French ties They also post events being held by numerous other local associations After the rugby Trophée Auld Alliance which was founded in 2018 one of the biggest Scottish sporting events in France is the bi-annual Highland Games held in Bressuire (Deux-Sèvres) Organised in mid-June by the AJEF (Association sportive des Jeux D’Ecosse en France) the weekend event includes tossing the caber The games will be held next year on June 15-16 and are expected to attract upwards of 12,000 people “We will also be running the first International Championship for the best mixed team,” says organiser Alain Rousselot The Highland Games are the result of firm links being forged between the two nations because Bressuire is twinned with Fraserburgh in Scotland “We are lucky because we are twinned with cities in eight different countries and all of the associations are very strong the medieval Château de Bressuire is a beautiful setting for the games Read more: Celtic nations descend on France to celebrate shared ancestry do not miss the fortified Château Saint Mesmin in Saint-André-sur-Sèvre an imposing donjon was added in the 15th century almost doubling the size of the construction It offers medieval-style activities and workshops for adults and children daily in July and August The Highland Games in Luzarches (Val-d’Oise) just north of Paris will be held over the last weekend of September (September 30 to October 1 Teams from all over Europe will take part in traditional sports a Scottish festival held over the Whitsun weekend (which was from May 26-28 in 2023) and hosted at the Domaine de l’Abbaye de Thiron-Gardais (between Chartres and Le Mans in Eure-et-Loir) Read more: Aveyron is home to the world’s biggest bagpipe collection and although the dates have not yet been announced it is expected to be over the Whitsun holiday An event to attend is Melting Kilts in Dinard (Brittany) usually held over the first weekend of October Organised by the Mouvement Associatif du Tartan clan representatives and gatherings are all expected to be on the programme along with food and dancing Another town with exceptionally strong Scottish connections is Aubigny-sur-Nère (Cher) The mairie’s website even features tartan wallpaper the Château des Stuarts is slap-bang in the middle of the historic centre with its cobbled streets and half-timbered buildings The estate was first gifted to Sir John Stewart of Darnley (1380-1429) as a reward for having commanded his forces on the French side against the English during the Hundred Years War The castle was built by Robert Stuart de Lennox at the start of the 16th century and remained in the family’s hands until the line died out in 1672 It has been well-maintained and now houses offices and a museum the Centre d’Interprétation de l’Auld Alliance which traces the history of the Stuarts in Aubigny The facade of the chateau still features the Stuart coat of arms which faces a monument to the Auld Alliance in the form of a massive sword surrounded by rocks and water Wander round the town and you will find a Scottish bar and a distillery maturing the first batches of its own whisky There is even a kilt-maker in town; Lady Chrystel handcrafts traditional kilts in any tartan required “I get orders from all over France; I even get orders from Scotland,” she says She also makes historical costumes using tartan “People bring sketches and we discuss the ideas and then I make whatever they want.” The town holds its Fêtes Franco-Ecossaises every year in mid-July and this year marks the 600th anniversary of the town being gifted to Sir John Stewart of Darnley all of it topped off by a firework display on the Sunday evening do not miss the new and glorious Festival Ecossais 1782 2023 in the extensive grounds of the Château de Saint Andiol Festival Ecossais 1782 is organised by Marie-Nadège Barthazon and Erik Lopez “We are proud of the long love story between France and Scotland and wanted to introduce that to the south of France,” explains Marie-Nadège Barthazon and we started from zero but it was amazing and we saw how many other people love Scotland We are delighted to have the Highland games and real Highland cows.” the date when the infamous ‘Act of Proscription’ was finally repealed Imposed by the English after the Jacobite uprising of 1745 the law was designed to stamp out Scottish culture by banning The festival offers a programme of pipers and concerts and demonstrations of Border Collies working with Scottish Blackface sheep and an open competition to find the most elegant man wearing a kilt Activities will include demonstrations of ‘handfasting’ the tradition of knotting ribbons for a wedding (tying the knot!) and for anyone wishing to tie the knot there will be a blacksmith with an anvil at the ready There will be guided visits to the haunted chateau a historic reconstruction of the Clan Mannaheim Jacobite encampment There are some good Scottish pubs and bars in France Read more: The Scottish brewer who made craft beer in France before it was trendy or else contact Monty Butcher in St-Barbant and investigate Céline Pochat’s Scottish shop “I just love Scotland and everything Scottish,” she says “I’d love to sell fresh haggis,” says Céline “but it’s really difficult to import it since Brexit.” If that leaves ye thirsting for a wee dram there is no shortage of whisky distilleries or specialist whisky bars in France the Whisky Lodge (established in 1968) offers an extensive selection of Scotch and French-made whiskies You can even order whisky from their online boutique They organise an annual whisky festival every March in Lyon’s Palais de la Bourse The Toulouse Whisky Festival is held every May and the Whisky Live Paris festival runs from October 21 to 23 For inspiration on how to add a little Celtic flair to your cooking at home grab a copy of Ecosse by Sarah Lachhab from Alsace with photography by Aurélie Bellaccico from Paris The authors say that having lived in Scotland for years they wanted to change French preconceptions of Scottish cuisine Written in French, it has wonderful recipes for all the traditional Scottish favourites, including cock-a-leekie soup, cranachan (whipped cream, whisky, porridge oats, honey, and raspberries), and their own vegetarian version of haggis. www.editionsdelamartiniere.fr French Highland dancer picked to perform at Coronation party Historic Clan MacKinnon lives on in France’s unique Scottish town ‘Mediaeval’ French boat to sail from Brittany to Scotland Many remained in France during the occupation