Sir Sean Connery to stay away from Tartan Day

Screen legend Sir Sean Connery will not be attending this week�s Tartan Day celebrations in the United States - reports The Scotsman.

In a blow to the profile of the event, which showcases Scotland for millions of potential tourists, Connery was said by sources to have too many "other commitments."

The news emerged as the Tartan Day Parade, which Connery previously headed as Grand Marshal, took place despite monsoon-style conditions. Thirty pipe bands marched along Manhattan�s Avenue of the Americas in the traditional opener of the week-long celebrations.

The former James Bond 007, played a prominent role in both the 2002 and 2004 Tartan Day events in New York. He has described his role as Grand Marshal in 2002 as "one of the proudest moments" of his life. But he has decided to stay away this year after an unseemly row last year with First Minister Jack McConnell. His wife Micheline will attend the showpiece Dressed to Kilt fashion show on Tartan Day itself, April 6, in his place.

Last year�s row began when a planned meeting between McConnell and Connery to discuss the possibility of the actor promoting Scotland, due to take place during last year�s celebrations, was leaked to the media. Connery, a fervent Scottish National Party supporter, cancelled because he feared McConnell would make political capital out of it.

It then escalated when a source close to McConnell said the First Minister would rather be associated with stars on their way up than those on their "way down".

Friends of Connery said his decision not to attend the Tartan Day events this year was simply due to his timetable. "He has a lot of other commitments in his life at the moment," a source said. "For example, he is trying to sort out his autobiography."

In any case, Connery believed that Tartan Day would proceed quite happily without him. "He feels the event has to stand on its own two feet, and it is not all about him walking down 6th Avenue," the source said. "What I can tell you is that he is definitely going next year. He has signed an agreement."

McConnell is also not attending Tartan Day this year, instead sending three of his ministers to fly the Scottish executive flag at the head of yesterday�s parade.

As well as pipe bands from three countries, dozens of American Scottish societies, organisations and charities made their way down the Avenue of the Americas yesterday.

Leading the parade this year was Grand Marshall Randall Wallace, the American author of Scots descent who wrote the screenplay for the blockbuster film Braveheart. He was followed by Scottish tourism minister Patricia Ferguson, health minister Andy Kerr, Tom McCabe, the minister for finance and public services and George Reid, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament.

Randall Wallace said he was exhilarated to be "walking through one of the greatest cities in the world. It is also a city built by immigrants and the Scots who came over were some of the quickest to assimilate and make this country great.

"Through their intelligence, innovation, passion and enthusiasm they have helped make America what it is today."

As thousands of onlookers lined the route, NYPD officers on horseback stopped the traffic for the wave of tartan weaving its way through the skyscrapers of Manhattan towards Central Park.

Among the thousands of marchers was Gus Noble, president of the Illinois St Andrews Society. He said:

"Today is all about raising the profile of Scotland and encouraging more people to invest and support Scotland."

Iain Sinclair of the Scotland Funds, which aims to raise funds in the US for community projects back home, said: "People in Scotland do not understand the magnitude of this event until they come out.

"This is organised not by Scots but by Americans. All we do is turn up and have a good day. Just listen to the crowd. We should be doing more as a country to support this event."

Thanks to `JP` for the alert.

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