The Hotel Palacio in Estoril once again resounded to the sound of bagpipes and Scottish music, as 140 members and friends of the St. Andrew’s Society, Lisbon, celebrated the day of St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, recently. Many male guests dressed in kilts, while the ladies, dressed in all their finery, had the hotel guests lining the corridors to see what grand event was taking place.
The Toast to Scotland was evocatively proposed by the Rev. John Young, locum minister of St. Andrew’s Church in Lisbon, after which Lawson Campbell made his retiring speech. Lawson and his wife, Marie Claude, have worked indefatigably over the years for the Society and they will be sorely missed. Lawson presented the chain of office to David Wilkie, who will lead the society into 2005 and beyond.
After a fine dinner, which naturally featured cock-a-leekie soup, haggis with neeps and champit tatties and Scottish salmon, the sound of the fiddles beckoned all to the dance floor. Much energetic dancing ensued and it was good to see so many young members and guests on the dance floor. At 2.30am, Auld Lang Syne was sung and“each took of his several way, resolved to meet some other day”. The next society event will be The Burns Supper in January. Anyone wishing to be kept informed of the activities of the Society should contact the treasurer at [email protected]
Thanks go to the Hotel Palacio for once again hosting the Caerketton band and the piper Malcolm MacGillivray. The evening would not be complete without the generous support of PrimeDrinks who supplied all the whisky – both malt and grain – as well as the pre-dinner drinks. Menus and table plans were provided by Iain O’Donnell Informática.
