Welcome to the Clann Otter Scottish meetup group
First and foremost, otters are playful.
Clann Otter aspires to honor our mascot and namesake by committing to making all our endeavors fun, relaxing, and full of fellowship. Otters just wanna have fun!
About Us
Clann Otter aspires to honor our mascot and namesake by committing to making all our endeavors fun, relaxing, and full of fellowship. No matter what else we may do, we aim to enjoy ourselves while gathering and supporting our Scottish/Scottish-American community in New England, sharing our love for all things Scottish.
Clann Otter meetup is open to anyone who would enjoy a hang to appreciate and celebrate the best parts of Scottish culture especially as it resides in New England. We welcome all of the Scottish diaspora and our Celtic cousins
from Asturias, Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, Ireland, Isle of Man, and Wales.
We also celebrate sharing all cultures, so it matters not your heritage, come share it with us! We do not just tolerate or appreciate the diversity of cultures
– WE CELEBRATE DIVERSITY –
There is no background test for membership. Anyone of any heritage who has an interest in sharing all or any part of Scottish culture is welcome!
Why Clann Otter
The otter is revered in both Scotland and in New England.
The Otter is revered in both Scotland and in New England.
The otter is found in all six states of New England – both sea otters and river otters.
It is revered by Native Americans of Canada and New England for being loyal and honest:
The otter symbolizes friendship, peace, kindness, and family.
The otter is also social and mischievous and a symbol of grace, empathy, happiness, and never-ending curiosity.
If we see the rivers and coasts of New England as social routes for carrying cultural attributes, otters carry the messages throughout all the six states via the rivers and coasts.
A group of otters on land is called a romp. A group of otters in the water is called a raft. A group of Scotophiles is called Clann Otter.
How Do I Join?
Right now, we have just started our first pilot/test group in Boston MA. It has gotten off to a wonderful beginning.
Our plan is then to branch out and create chapters slowly so that we have one in each of the six New England states. We plan to proactively start some chapters in key cities. We think our next chapter will be in Providence RI, then Manchester NH, Portland ME, Hartford CT, and Brattleboro VT.
However, individuals who feel they have a constituency to support a chapter, no matter how small their town, may petition to start a Clann Otter meetup outside of our proactive plan – YOU will still be part of the greater raft.
The water is safe and warm, jump in!
Possible Activities
Remember, just hanging out and having fun is number one. No PowerPoint presentations, no speeches (except to welcome and toast), and no formal activities of any sort; unless a chapter wants to have a Scottish music night or a themed night…. THEY decide it will not come from Clann Otter HQ.
Some ideas already suggested by many are:
Light homage to traditional (and untraditional) Scottish celebrations
Ceilidhs – dance parties
A cèilidh or céilí is a traditional Scottish social gathering. In its most basic form, it simply means a social visit. In contemporary usage, it usually involves dancing and playing Scottish folk music, either at a house party or at a social hall or other community gathering place
We are completing kits for us to use to hold our own ceilidhs. Check out our Ceilidh page.
Other Activities
Getting together to watch soccer, college or professional football, or other sports events.
The field is wide open for each chapter to come up with its own events.
Now is a good time to reinforce that we do not allow any political or religious activities. We feel that we are trying to join together and not do anything that would divide us. Of course, this has no bearing on your personal religious or political beliefs, it is just that we neither take positions regarding them nor do we want them to divide us. We hope you understand. To reinforce, YOUR beliefs do not prohibit you from joining us… come one, come all…
Clann Otter simply wants ALL to feel welcome.
come one, come all
Past Clann Otter Meet-Ups
Have a question?
Get In Touch
We would love to hear from you and get set up the events and meetups in your area. Email us at [email protected] to connect with your nearest Clann Otter events or meetups happening now.
call us
+1 (617) 367-1147