Scottish Culture Comes to the Forefront at Burns Supper

This past Wednesday the Morningside community gathered to celebrate the life of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) with a traditional Burns Supper, led by Morningside Master Professor Sir James Mirrlees.

The typical Burns Supper is held on the bard’s birthday, 25 January. On that day, Scots around the world indulge in haggis, whiskey, and rhyme in tribute to the revered poet. Here at Morningside we too embraced the traditional Supper style. The night began with a bagpiper leading the procession of Fellows. The guests were seated and Sir James read the Selkirk Grace. Next the haggis was piped in and the College Master recited the classic Address to a Haggis, which begins “Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!...”.  

Morningsiders dined on Cock-a-Leekie,  tatties and neeps, and haggis before Professor Christopher Gane of CUHK’s Faculty of Law took the stage for the “Immortal Memory ”, a brief, moving speech recalling Burns the romantic, the socialist, and the internationalist. Morningside Fellow Colin Graham, who hails from Ayrshire, where Burns was born, followed with a reading of “To a Mouse” in Scots. To close the evening, Sir James led guests, Fellows, and students in a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

This was Morningside’s third annual Burns Supper, and also served as the first Mentor-Mentee dinner of term.