As an actress, Montreal-based Liz MacRae has a long list of impressive professional achievements, including an ACTRA Award. She is also a published author.

Perhaps one of her most significant sources of pride, however, lies in the long-standing history of her family’s last name.

“As the newly elected Vice-President of the Clan MacRae Society of Canada for Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces, I am looking forward to finding more MacRaes, McRaes, and MacCraes. There are so many variations of the spelling – it’s amazing! We are known as, or called, ‘The Scattered Children of Kintail’.”

Derived from the Gaelic Mhic Raith or Mac Rath, the surname MacRae translates to ‘Son of Grace’. According to various sources, the surname likely migrated from Ireland to Scotland around the 14th century.

Given her own experience, MacRae recommends that folks who develop an interest in their family ancestry undertake their own personal journey.

“Although we are all so busy in our day-to-day lives, we can do quality research into our roots and where our families have come from in Scotland. My hope, in whichever ways are possible, is to find new members to add to our current membership of the Society.”

With an aim to promote the history of Clan MacRae, the Society has held annual general meetings across Canada to better enable members to connect at Clan gatherings and elsewhere. Modern-day MacRaes are encouraged to share personal stories with each other and to submit items of interest to the Society’s website.

“The AGM in Calgary was wonderful and gave me the golden opportunity to meet 3 of the 4 founders of the Clan MacRae Society of Canada. I feel deeply connected with these wonderful people, and I look forward to knowing them forever. There are so many people with exciting and impressive stories to tell…”

From Scotland, MacRae’s ancestors settled on a farm in Ontario in the 19th century.

“My great-great grandfather John McRae, at the age of 20, emigrated from Glenelg, Scotland – not too far from Kyle of Lochalsh in the Highlands – to Glengarry County in Ontario. Our name was originally spelled McRae before my grandfather changed it to MacRae. My late father grew up on the farm in Ontario with his brothers and sister, first in Apple Hill and later in Williamstown.

“My dad often spoke about our Scottish heritage, probably hoping that interest in our family history would rub off on me. But I really didn’t become deeply interested in it until a few years ago,” she admits. “He told me about the beautiful Eilean Donan Castle in Dornie, Scotland. There was a huge, laminated poster of the castle in his office in the basement and I have dreamed of going there since I was a child. I can now say that my wish has come to be; I visited Eilean Donan Castle in April of this year – it is a truly magical place, steeped in so much history.”

Online research into the family name proved fruitful as well.

“The Eilean Donan Castle website (eileandonancastle.com) was very helpful, detailing how the castle came to be and how it lay in ruins for close to 200 years until it was purchased by Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap in 1911. The restoration began soon after. John’s wife – Isabella Mary Gilstrap – was a talented, strong, helpful and very charitable woman, and her family’s financial contribution to the rebuilding of the castle was immeasurable.

Uncovering stories of one’s genealogical forebears has increased significantly in recent years, with Scotland being one of the most popular destinations for those researching their descendants – especially as over 40 million people have Scottish ancestry worldwide.

Researching one’s roots and connecting with others within an ancestral community is not the only mandate of the Clan MacRae Society – it also provides a very personal experience that may transform an ordinary holiday into an extraordinary pilgrimage – one that offers insight into both cultural background and, perhaps more poignantly, the deepest parts of our beings.

“I really encourage people to visit the places in Scotland where their families have come from. I remember the train ride from Inverness to Dornie. I thought I would take a nap as it was an early morning train. I didn’t sleep a wink and instead took photo after photo of the stunningly beautiful countryside and I kept thinking, ‘Wow…this where my ancestors came from…’ It felt as if they were with me in spirit, riding along on the train with me, nestled in my heart.”

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