Official symbol of the Beach Celtic Festival
"PIPER", as we refer to him, is the official symbol of the Beach Celtic Festival.
After the first year of a successful event, we decided to look for a concept that was uniquely Celtic and would thus serve as a "symbol" for the Beach Celtic Festival in years to come - a photograph consisting of a silhouette of a man playing the bagpipes against the backdrop of mountains and a sunset - a photo that looks extremely similar to Sandy's father, Donald. And so the "Piper" was born. You can see the Piper every Fall standing guard in Kew Gardens in the days leading up to the Festival. The phrase "Ne Oublie", meaning "Never Forget", is the official motto of the Clan Graham...and one the Clan Graham abides by at all times.
The Clan Graham
The early history of the Grahams in Scotland is not easily understood. There is a legend that says the Roman Antonine Wall was broken by Graeme, a great Caledonian chief, as he drove the Roman legions out of his country. This, unfortunately, might never be proven although there are references to Grame or Gryme, a thane or chieftain, right back into Roman times.
One theory is that there were similar names from the Celtic "Greamach" (grim) or the Saxon "Gram" (fierce). There is a tradition in Scotland that the daughter of a Gryme married a King of the Scots, Fergus II. The Celts and Saxons disappeared or were swallowed up by the descendants of "Lez Grames" of Norman origin. Some say that the original Grahams in Scotland were Picts, established long before the Normans came into Scotland.
All these theories apart, solid information has established a Norman descent of the Grahams. These Normans were originally of Viking descent and thus a Graham lineage goes back into Scandinavia.
From the records available, the first Graham known in Scotland was Sir William de Graham (or De Graeme), a knight who accompanied David I, England’s premier baron, on his journey north to claim the Scottish crown in 1128.[1] William De Graeme personally witnessed the signing of the charter founding the Abbey of Holyrood in the same year 1128. From this line descended the Montrose line of Grahams, one of the most distinguished families of Scotland. This knight might have originated from a place listed as "Graeg Ham" in the Domesday Book of William the Conqueror in 11th Century in England - now the town of Grantham.
Read more about the Clan Graham >>
Clan Graham Association of Scotland
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