Commissioner’s Blog introduction

Commissioner’s blog…(star date, unknown)

I am a Macneil via my paternal grandmother, who was Anna Loretta McNeil. (Never ever call her Anna- my goodness she hated that name!) My name is Jamie Ryan. I am a brand-new commissioner and a new member of the Clan Macneil. Maybe that makes me a complete “nube”, but it also gives me a view of being a commissioner that comes from nothing. My perspectives and ideas might seem ridiculous to me once I have some experience under my belt, but right now, my ideas aren’t tainted by reasons why they won’t work.

My membership in the clan Macneil came about after my boyfriend broke up with me and it would have been awkward to continue helping run his clan tent. I researched the clan Macneil on the internet and saw that there was no current commissioner for Colorado so at the same time as joining the clan I volunteered to be Colorado commissioner. I started from scratch in creating a tent, not because resources weren’t available to me, but I was too inexperienced to even know the people to ask or the even the right questions. (You don’t know what you don’t know.)

One of the first things I did was to create a Clan Macneil of Colorado Facebook page. (@clanmacneilofcolorado) It’s free (how can you go wrong with free??) and fairly user friendly/intuitive to set up. I post on the page every single day. Whether it’s a bit of Scottish history on this day, information about upcoming events and activities, or my “Did ye ken” section (which is generally a Scottish tidbit about history, traditions, etc.), it only takes me ten minutes a day. I am hoping that likes on the page will continue to grow and it will become a resource for clan members to be in touch.

My dreams for participating in the clan include growing the presence of Clan Macneil in Colorado and being a part of a closer-knit national community. It would be fun for me to participate in non-festival gatherings, like a Hogmanay party, progressive dinners, game nights, or maybe even music nights. I want to help create a close community through a state facebook page, meet-ups and maybe an online newsletter (for which there are several free options! See above…I like free!).

It would be awesome if this blog became a resource for officers and state commissioners; a place to share war stories, resources, documents, ideas, and fellowship. I can’t wait to get to know other members of the clan and learn from you all!