This writer was intrigued to receive an e-mail from a UK address and from a person who obtusely established themselves as a woman, a Scot, a member of the gentry (or perhaps aristocracy), and as a patriotic British citizen. Of course, since they did not actually identify or describe themselves (the surname Shakespeare leaves some doubt as to authenticity) and give an address, or even a location, they may or may not be who they say they are, and normally, we would not publish their remarks.

        However, in this instance, "Liz" presents, or at least appears to present, the British perspective on Scotland and Ireland rationally and with some civility and flair, as you would expect from a person with an English education. The Brits are the only people in the world who can pick your pocket or stick a shiv in your back, and make you like it. So we thought to let you judge her remarks for yourself, and perhaps to provoke a conversation that might lead to some actual reconciliation, or at least to some improved understanding between ancient (as well as current) adversaries. Please, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts on either our perspectives, hers, or your own. We would ask only that you comply with our editorial policy and have the courage and decency to identify yourself. We will withhold the personal information if you wish.

And so, without further ado, here is what she wrote:

From: "Elizabeth Shakespeare" shakespeare_elizabeth@yahoo.co.uk

To: iainguth@bellsouth.net

Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 7:40 AM

Subject: Your web site macdonnellofleinster.com

As someone with actual Scottish blood and the proud
daughter and grand daughter of officers who fought for
their country, I was saddened to read so much ill
feeling in your web site.

I think your attitude towards the people and
institutions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland does a great disservice to your
cause. Instead of rejoicing in the genuine and
honourable traditions that people of all parts of this
great country have played in its development and
continued success, you seem to wish to create
divisions.

By all means tell the story of a fine Scottish clan,
but please try to do so in a spirit of friendship and
respect. These islands have a long history. Many
people have fought and died for loyalties and ideas                                                                                                              that have blended into what we are today.

I have no ill will towards you, but I am saddened by
the apparent ill will you have towards many honourable
Scottish and English people. Titles, land holdings,
ancient emnities and alliances, they all add to the
rich history of these British Isles; however, history
did not cease at any given point in the story. It goes
on, it develops and new issues come into the picture.

Since 1745, when the Sottish and English last fought,
many Scottish people have given great service in the
British army, helped to build the British Empire as
engineers and merchants, and rightly hold true to
their loyalty as subjects of Her Majesty. With the
greatest respect to your research and desire to
promote your heritage, on the 300th anniversary of the
Act of Union it is important to recognise our shared
history and not dig up long buried hatreds.

With best regards,

Liz

OUR RESPONSE:

After posting our response, members' criticism suggested that our complaints had not been specific enough.  We have therefore amended our response as follows:

        We realize that Anglophiles will not approve of our editorial position, and we would not expect it. Unfortunately, their upbringing would give them a point of view contrary to ours. It is to correct the bias they have been given by their government that we found it necessary to create our association and website. The English have never been accused of altruism. How could they understand an American child of Irish descent hiding his ethnicity at school because all the history books and folklore portray his ancestors as ignorant drunks, potato farmers and superstitious fools? But then, our school books did not say that the English controlled all the schools and printing presses in the British Isles so that theirs was the only version of Irish or Scottish history that Americans read, that they deprived our ancestors of all education and status in both countries for more than two hundred years, or that they actually believed that history should be manipulated to give them an advantage.  I am not descended from ignorant drunks, as your despicable government allowed me to believe as a child.  I am, in fact, a direct, legitimate, lineal descendant in the male line of the lords of The Isles, as well as a relative of the wife of our first president. As a sovereign American Citizen, not even Elizabeth II is my superior, and my known genealogy is far more ancient than hers.  "Srioghail Mo Dhream!" (My blood is royal!)

        We are sorry to disabuse you of your English notions of honor, but honor, like truth, is not a relative value, it is absolute. You imply that the English have acted honorably, an absurd contention which we will continue to disprove. It is no small matter for a government to defame an entire race for hundreds of years as a matter of policy.  We owe it to our ancestors, as well as to our descendants, to restore that heritage which your countrymen have labored so hard to destroy, and which destruction you now ask us to accept, using that old Sasunnach argument that your sins and crimes are ancient and therefore irrelevant. There is nothing ancient about your crimes in Ulster, and your government is directly and exclusively responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocents there, most of them executed by British firing squads for being "rebels."

        But first, I must deny your general contention of our ill-will toward the British people and their institutions. Our association’s purpose is clearly stated under the title "Our Cause." We are pro-Gaelic, not anti-British, or anti anything else for that matter, unless you would consider that we are anti-murder, anti-theft, anti-discrimination, anti-tyranny, etc., and indeed, we have British friends and supporters, including serving members of the British military establishment. Like your ire toward the Nazis, all the acts we complain of took place on our soil, as a result of your unwarranted invasions, not because of any act of our ancestors, except to be in possession of the land you wanted. If you Brits don’t want to be held accountable for the crimes you have committed, then don’t commit them. If you commit them against us, not only will we hold you accountable, we will have retribution, no matter how long ago your ancestors did it, or how long it takes to achieve it. We are an ancient people, we love a good fight, and the 16^th Century was only yesterday as far as we are concerned. Any record shop in Dublin, full of Irish rebel songs, should let you know that 1922 is fresh in our minds. Besides, there is no statute of limitation on murder.

        You begin with the statement, "As someone with actual Scottish blood." Was this a shallow attempt at an insult, or do you really think your blood is more Scottish than mine? How long must your family live in Scotland before you are Scottish? How long after your family leaves Scotland is it before you are no longer Scottish? Is it relevant that your ancestors were evicted illegally and against their will? Must your ancestors be Gaelic, or can they include Normans? Anglo-Saxons? Irish? Flemings? French? Norse? Danes? Welsh? If so, to what degree? Clearly, you do not understand the dynastic nature of being Gáidhlig. Rather, I would say that your statement was a product of the arrogant, elitist, exclusive, English superiority that you and your Sasunnach countrymen have been conditioned so well to practice ever since William the Bastard changed his nick-name to "The Conqueror." Even though we hold no ill-will toward the English, no red-blooded American will long suffer disdain.  Didn’t losing two wars to us teach you any respect?

        You say you are: "the proud daughter and grand daughter of officers who fought for their country." Did any of them join the British Army because they had been illegally evicted from their ancestral lands and they, together with their wives and bairns, would otherwise have starved, as was the case with my ancestors, both in Scotland and in Ireland? Or perhaps your soldiers fought for the queen like the 10,000 MacDonald immigrants to Cross Creek in North Carolina did for George III in 1777, only to be abandoned to their fate on the cold shores of Nova Scotia, after they lost at Mill Creek to a rag-tag North Carolina militia; or like the 42^nd Highlanders, most of whom were also MacDonalds, did at New Orleans in 1814, only to be wasted by Packenham for British greed and arrogance. So you thought we Tennessee Volunteers couldn’t fight, did you? And finally, how could you rationally accuse me of ill will after my family fought for yours in two world wars? Our resentment is rightly against your crimes, not against your blood.

        Next you say: "By all means tell the story of a fine Scottish clan, but please try to do so in a spirit of friendship and respect." Is it in a spirit of friendship and respect that Anglophiles celebrate the Battle of The Boyne in Ulster each year?  How dare your Lyon Court, an official agency of the British Government, say that The MacDonnells Of Leinster are not qualified to serve Clan Donald as chief!  How dare Macdonald of Castle Camus tell me that I may not march with the Clan at a Scottish Festival in The United States carrying our family banner because it is not approved by Lyon Court!  Why would this Sleate fop think Lyon Court's authority extended so far?  Lyon Court's campaign to defame, subordinate and trivialize Clan Donald is ongoing and pervasive. (See articles on The Chief of Keppoch, Clan Donald Badges, The Honor Of Clan Donald, and MacDonald Heraldry.)  All of this is done without a murmur of protest from our so-called High Chief, Gorrie Bosville MacDonald Of Sleate, whose ancestors were, of course, appointed by Lyon Court.  How dare Lyon Court impose themselves into Clan Donald affairs at all!  Do you really think that I would spend 27 years and many thousands of dollars traveling repeatedly across the Atlantic, in pursuit of a goal as inane as the one you describe? We are serious people, more of us all the time, and you would do well to take us seriously. We are engaged in restoring the honor and heritage of our race for the sake of our children. This is necessary because our honor is still being repeatedly assaulted by your countrymen, indeed by some MacDonalds. You should never forget the old prophesy, especially if you have Campbell blood, still recalled in the West Highlands today: "Seachain an fearg nam Domhnalliach" (Beware the wrath of the Donalds!)   And by the way, Clan Donald is not merely a Scottish clan.  We held our lands which, at the peak of the lordship, included half the lands of Scotland, the Isle of Man, and a third of Ulster, as independent lords of The Isles, with eight major branches in what is now Scotland, four major branches in what is now Ulster and one major branch in Ireland!

        We will not nit-pick all the other historical errors and revisions you state in your letter.  We have no way of knowing whether you are a source or a victim of that propaganda.  We will, rather, end our response with the firm declaration that the status quo is not acceptable. We understand why you wish it so, but you must stop using Clan Donald as a foil for British policy, you must stop teaching English propaganda and lies to Scottish children, and you must stop teaching the children of Ulster to hate. All children, everywhere, are entitled to know the truth, to live in peace, and to be proud of their ancestors. Anticipating a rebuttal, the way for English children to be proud of their ancestors would have been for those ancestors to have acted honorably.  Saying it is so when you know it is not is defined as propaganda!

        A new government was finally sworn in for Ulster today. The speeches from both sides were inspiring, although it remains to be seen whether the will, the available resources and the ability to govern exist in sufficient measure to permit success. But then we have learned not to depend on the largess of the Sasunnaich. We'll be watching.  We’ll tell the story and shape events ourselves. Your government’s lies deprived me of my right to enjoy my childhood and caused me to be ashamed of my Irish ancestry, but you will not deprive my grandchildren. We too, can use words as a weapon.  See how you like it for a change. If the story is harsh, that’s your fault, not ours. And may the Act Of Union be unceremoniously dumped on the ash heap of history as it deserves. Ulster is Irish. Suas Alba! Erin Gu Bragh!

Iain Guth                                                                                                                                                                            Seannache                                                                                                                                                                           The MacDonnell Of Leinster Association