For what more could one possibly wish? Tonight we had a great gathering to honor an anniversary of the birth of one of the great poets of the English – more or less – language. Yes, Robert Burns was born 255 years ago tonight in Alway, Scotland. Burns later became the national poet of Scotland by sending messages to generations still unborn in his magic phrasing of emotions such as “A Red, Red Rose”, “Is there for Honest Povertry”, “Scots Wha Hae”, and even “Auld Lang Syne”. There are more statutes of Robert Burns around the world than for ANY other non-religious character except Queen Victoria and Columbus! Such is the fame a great poet can achieve, but – the poor chap WAS a poet, after all, and it is estimated that upon his death that his total net worth was approximately 1£.
BUT. All that is now history. Tonight is a night for celebration! And so we all gather at the great Scots pub of . . . well, actually McCroskeys Irish Pub in Hickory, North Carolina, and listen to the great Scotsmen of hmmm . . . well, actually, the Belfast Boys! But hey, what do the Scots, the Irish and Americans all have in common? Yeah, England! So let’s go gather together for song, ceremony, food and drink!
Haggis was served well. Marched in with an escort, presented with a prayer, carved with a flourish, and then reverently dispersed in tiny serving cups to the grateful? crowd.
So we had it all. Burns, poetry, prayer, ceremony, haggis, and music by Adrian Rice and Allyn Mearns, “The Belfast Boys”. Good music, great songs, well presented. A good evening. Hickory, The Friendly City, at its best.
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