The 26th annual North Texas Irish Festival was held in Centennial Hall at Fair Park, Dallas, on February 29, March 1-2, 2008. Four years ago the Irish invited the Scots to come and participate in this event and it has been a huge success with attendance this time between 52,000 and 54,000. The event features many of the top Irish and Scottish musicians and dancers in the world and a number of cultural presentations on eight stages at Fair Park. Also, as in the past, the festival offered a variety of delicious Irish and international food and drink, cultural crafts, and ethnic vendors.

The Clan MacLeod Society was represented by Gerald MacLeod, Doug Beaton, Amy Miller Beaton, Ross McCaskill and Gloria McLeod. There was a steady stream of visitors through Centennial Hall and the MacLeods were fortunate to be close to the entrance and exit doors. A lot of people passed by and many stopped to visit. We are glad to announce that Amy Miller Beaton and Elizabeth McKinney are new members of the Society.

The Clan MacLeod Society, South Central Region, will lose our Regional Vice President, Ross E. McCaskill, at the end of this month as he has enlisted in the Navy. You will read about him in a separate article. We sincerely regret to lose Ross but he will be serving our country and we can’t fault that. The good news is that Amy Miller Beaton volunteered to accept this position on an Interim basis until she can be formerly elected to the position at the NAG later this year. Amy has been very active in the MacKay Clan in the past but since she is now married to a Beaton (MacLeod), she is changing her allegiance. We welcome her and know that she will perform the duties of RVP of the South Central Region in an exemplary fashion.

We shall continue to “Hold Fast