Bergen Scottish Society

Burns Supper

Del

• Burns' Supper
Saturday 26th January - ABB Kantine
Krokatjønnveien 11C, Fyllingsdalen

We tried out a new venue for this year's Supper; the ABB kantine in Fyllingsdalen, and despite being an informal setting, all the tradition and formality of a Burns night was present.

There was the traditional fare of neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), served along with haggis made expertly by the staff at Solheim Kjøtt. Once again the partnership between Solheim Kjøtt, the Bergen Scottish Society and Findlay's of Scotland produced results enjoyed by all in attendance.

The haggis was piped in Thomas de Ridder, pipemajor, and borne by the chef-of-the-day, Robert, who incidentally did a fantastic job at preparing all the food, including the making of trifle for the first time in his culinary career.

The traditional speeches were also in force. David MacLeod delivered a dramatic and entertaining (and memorized!) Address to a Haggis, James Hosea outdid himself once again as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, and both the Toast to the Lassies, by Willie Dawson, and the Reply to the Toast, by Evelyn Sutherland, were contemporary. This writer believes Burns himself would have approved of the candour of the words spoken.

A special moment for us this year was the recital of "Mons I Urda", the nynorsk translation by Hartvig Kiran of Burns' "Tam O' Shanter". Our guest speaker, Håkon Grønstøl, delivered the poem in a compelling rhythm and tone and it was a joy to see the Norwegians in the room thoroughly enjoying the nuances built into the translation.

Besides the typical traditions, the Bergen Scottish Society included our own, in that musical entertainment was provided by both Grendakoret (7th year in a row!), who joyfully sang three of Burns' songs to a captivating audience, and Bergen Pipes & Drums. Their sound is fantastic and the Society wishes them well on their upcoming endeavours at the World Bagpiping Championships in August, to be held in Glasgow.

And of course, Scottish country dancing was the way to end the evening, just before the playing on the pipes and the singing of Auld Lang Syne, as we stood in a circle, hand-in-hand, grateful for the opportunity to be with friends for an enjoyable evening.