Mr. Donald E. Jackson of the High Plains Scottish Heritage Society, initiated the Scottish Festival and Highland Games in 1998, producing a festival in Amarillo in 1998. This festival resulted in the formation of a new organization, the League of Celtic Nations, including members of the High Plains Scottish Heritage Society and the West Texas Irish Society of Amarillo, and the West Texas Scottish Heritage Society of Lubbock. It was incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization on March 16, 1999, per the IRS Letter of Determination.
The League of Celtic Nations added the various directors at the time of incorporation, and proceeded to hold its second festival in 1999 in Amarillo. The festival included various aspects of Celtic heritage and culture including Scottish country dancing, a pipe band competition, Scottish Highland dance competition, sheep dog demonstrations, and various Celtic entertainers. Both 1998 and 1999 festivals resulted in considerable loss due to weather.
Mr. Jackson resigned as President in early 2000 due to health considerations, but remains on the board in an advisory capacity and as historian. The new President, Taylor Norman, in addition to various new directors, dedicated itself to retiring the past debt through various fundraisers, and to operate the 2000 festival within a tight budget. Bothwere accomplished and the profit was used to apply towards the previous debt. The Board also elected to move from outdoors at the park to indoors at the Fairgrounds.
The 5th annual Celtic Festival and Craft Faire was held October 5 and 6, 2002, at the Fairgrounds, and was a great success. The Board gave 2,000 tickets to the Race for the Cure (Cancer) participants, and adopted the High Plains Food Bank for can drives at all functions. In addition to professional entertainment, we also featured students from Amarillo (fiddle & Irish dance) and Lubbock (Irish step dancing). All were extremely well received and will be back for 2003, in addition to now having an Irish Step Dance school in Amarillo. The League has now paid off all previous debt and began 2003 in the black. The Board will continue to be all volunteers until we can expand and afford to hire a full or part time administrator.
The 6th annual Celtic Festival and Craft Faire was held October of 2003, at the Fairgrounds, and was also a success allowing us to continue improving both our festival and our financial status.
The 7th annual Celtic Festival and Craft Faire in October 2004, also at the Fairgrounds continued the procession of successful festivals. With more vendors than ever, and the expectedly talented acts we continue to pay the bills and move forward.
Following the General Meeting of the Membership in 2005, the president who moved the League from the red to the black in our accounts, Taylor Norman, stepped down, as did the vice-president, Jack Simpson. Our new President of the League of Celtic Nations is Jim Jellison, a long-time member, tireless volunteer, and supporter. Our new Vice-President is Skip Chisum. Taylor Norman remains a member of the board of directors, our Clan Chairman, and his influence with the clans and other organizations is a valuable asset. Jack Simpson, our long-time "vice-president in charge of unimportant things - and Whisky" will continue to host our whisky tastings at the festival and selected events. Jack also continues to bring his knowledge of the scottish culture to events and educational programming.
The League of Celtic Nations is dedicated to the preservation of the history, arts, and culture of the Celtic people who helped to settle the High Plains region consisting of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. Many of the original settlers were of Celtic descent from the Celtic Nations (Ireland, Scotland, Brittany (France), Wales, Galicia (Spain), Cornwall (England), and the Isle of Mann).
The Celtic people had a direct influence on the "cowboy" heritage through music, poetry, and customs which are obtaining a popularity today as evidenced by the growing number of cowboy poetry gatherings. Many of the original cowboy songs were based on songs from the Celtic Nations, from the tune as well as in the lyrics. The League through various entertainers will hold workshops to demonstrate where this musical influence came from, and how it is represented in the cowboy songs and culture.
Some of our goals in education include having genealogical research available to assist those who wish to trace their ancestral relatives, the regions they came from, and other information such as culture and art. The League will conduct presentations on National Tartan Day in April at the Public Library, and other schools as can be arranged. The League will have representatives from many of the Clans available to answer questions and to help people find their ancestral heritage. Our Festivals feature students in both Irish dance and music (fiddle students). The League also supports the High Plains Food Bank for donations of canned goods at all events.