By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – From the sounds of bagpipes to traditional dancing and Highland Games, a little piece of Scotland has made its way to Southern Arizona.
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The 40th annual Tucson Celtic Festival and Highland Games kicked off Saturday at Rillito Park, bringing together people from across the community to celebrate Celtic culture, traditions and history.
But for many attending, the festival is about more than music, food and festivities. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with their roots and discover the stories behind their family history.
For Richard McBain, hereditary chief of Clan MacBean, the festival is a chance to bring together people connected through generations of shared ancestry.
“All of my clan people are around the corner here, celebrating, getting together, cousins, relatives, through hundreds and hundreds of years of history,” McBain said.
Scottish clans are traditionally large extended family groups connected through shared ancestry, heritage and history.
For members of Clan MacBean, those connections stretch across generations and geographic boundaries, bringing relatives and descendants together at events like the Tucson Celtic Festival.
“You can find people you’re connected through, and you can hear their stories. You can find your history,” McBain said.
While some festivalgoers are exploring their family history, others are sharing a piece of their homeland with the Tucson community.
Sharon Taylor, a festival vendor originally from Scotland, brought traditional Scottish products to the event, giving visitors a chance to experience items they might not typically find in local stores.
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For Taylor, it’s also an opportunity to help people feel connected to a country they may have never visited.
“A lot of people don’t get to connect with their roots that have ever been to Scotland, and so the next best thing is that I can bring all the products from Scotland to you that you can’t normally see in the shops or buy,” Taylor said.
That connection to heritage is something Tucson Celtic Festival Association President Lyle Inscho hopes visitors take away from the celebration.
“It’s really great finding out our background, our history, and learning something more about ourselves,” Inscho said.
Now in its 40th year, the festival continues to offer Southern Arizonans an opportunity to experience Celtic traditions through live music, dancing, cultural displays, vendors and the traditional Highland Games.
The Highland Games feature athletic competitions inspired by Scottish traditions, adding another element of history and culture to the weekend celebration.
Whether visitors are tracing their family roots or experiencing Celtic culture for the first time, organizers and participants say the festival is an opportunity to learn about the traditions that continue to connect people across generations.
The 40th annual Tucson Celtic Festival and Highland Games continues through Sunday, Oct. 25, at Rillito Park.
For four decades, the celebration has brought a little piece of Scotland to the Old Pueblo, reminding visitors that while traditions may begin thousands of miles away, the connections they create can be found much closer to home.
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