2015 Halloween Supper in the Globe Inn

The traditional Burns Howff Club gathering at Hallowe’en in the Globe Inn opened on a somber note when members observed a minutes silence in memory of their Honorary Treasurer, Frank Manson, whose sudden death during the previous week shocked the club.

President Callum Watson introduced the guest speaker, John Elliot, secretary of Coldstream Burns Club, who after dinner, entertained the company with a talk on the origins of the Celtic pagan festival of Samhuinn which the early church adopted as the Feast of All Saints on 1st November or “All Hallows Eve” on 31st October.  The Hallowe’en legend was used by Robert Burns in his poem of the same name and later drew on the lore of witches and warlocks throughout his famous narrative tale of “Tam o’ Shanter” and much later, the old Scottish custom of children as “guisers” going round the houses in disguise, seeking a reward for a song or poem. The speaker was thanked by the President and accepted an engraved tankard in appreciation.

Club member Donald Shamash gave a hilarious recitation of Burns’ “Holy Willie’s Prayer”, a masterpiece of cynical hypocrisy, complete with nightgown and candle, to great acclaim. Making a welcome return to the Globe Inn was fiddler Andy Kain and accordionist Leonard Brown whose lively musical selections were a highlight of the evening.

Les Byers added his own interpretation of Burns’ poem, “The Letter” and later Andy’s Stewarts “Rumour”. Songs were contributed in fine style by John Caskie. The president announced that past president Ian McIntyre had been successful in the ballot for junior vice president of the Robert Burns World Federation at the recent conference at Peebles and would hold office as president in 2017-18.

The musicians rounded off the evening with a riotous medley of tunes, old and new including a snatch of Glen Miller and Chuck Berry before a Vote of Thanks, wittily proposed by junior vice president Colin Gibson followed by a raucous version of “Auld Lang Syne” which ended a night to remember.