Burns Night

25th January marks the celebration of Scottish Bard, Robert Burns; and Welsh Saint of Lovers and Sick Animals, Santos Dwynwen. The tradition of a Burns Supper goes back generations in Scotland. It usually involves good company, great food, rowdy dancing, questionable poetry, cheesy toasting, copious drams of whisky, and of course, a rendition of the famous Scots Poem, Address to the Haggis written by Rabbie Burns himself. So we’d like to welcome you to this special event in Plas Dolguog for all of that and more!

This will be a modern take on a traditional Burns Supper, we shall pay homage to Robert Burns, while breaking away from normative gender roles, shaking up stuffy poetry and cutting out a few long winded speeches. This will be an interactive evening, with guests encouraged to take part by sharing song or story, and join in offering both jovial and heartfelt toasts and thanks to whatever we find significant in our lives.

The night will consist of two main parts, a sit-down meal and semi-traditional Burns Supper from 6-8:30pm, followed by a vibrant ceilidh of Scottish and Welsh tunes played by The Badger Set from 8:30pm onwards. With a final invitation to form a self-organised session in the bar after. Bar will be open 6pm-12am.

The Meal

A two course meal of both homemade meaty and vegetarian haggis and cullen skink, prepared lovingly by Altaea and Ewan will be served AT 6:30pm. During the meal guests will be treated to piano accompaniments and invited to share poems, stories, songs and toasts to each other and all things good and comical. The haggis will be paraded through the room led by Gaelic piper and storyteller James MacDonald Reid, and followed by a recital of the Address to the Haggis, written by Rabbie Burns in Scots and delivered by Ewan (Seriously do not miss this!!!). The sit-down portion of the evening will conclude at 8pm with final toasting and maybe a little roasting.

The Ceilidh

Local trad band The Badger Set (Badger, Gwennie & Liam) will perform 2 or 3 half-hour sets of traditional Welsh Twmpath and Scottish Ceilidh tunes, while Gwennie calls out the steps so we can all join along. If you’ve never ceilidh-ed before, COME! It's an absolute riot, you'll love it. If you have ceilidh-ed before, COME! You know you love it, and some of us will need showing the ropes (until everyones sufficiently sauced on whiskey that no one cares who’s feet are who’s anymore). Golden advice for anyone who’s unsure, if in doubt, spin and stomp!

So come and make merry with us while we twirl each other around all night! You can just come for the ceilidh or book the whole night with the meal as well. Bear in mind meal tickets are limited and will sell out so please book early if you intend to come, they are only available in advance. You can buy ceilidh tickets separately or bundled together for a discount.

Menu

Meaty

Smoked Haddock Cullen Skink

A delicious, thick and creamy smoked haddock soup, hailing from Cullen in North East Scotland, with cubes of potato, caramelised leeks & onions

Homemade haggis

Welsh lamb and pork offal, minced with oats and barley, traditionally spiced and served with a whisky sauce, neeps and tatties

Veggie

Smoked Tofu Cullen Skink

A delicious, thick and creamy smoked tofu soup, with cubes of potato, caramelised leeks & onions

Wild Mushroom Haggis

All the fun and none of the lungs, a veggie haggis made of oats, barley, wild mushrooms and toasted nuts, traditionally spiced and serviced with a whisky sauce, neeps and tatties

Running Order

6:00pm - Arrive at 6pm for drinks and mingling in the hall

6:30pm - Soup will be served and reading of the Alternative Selkirk Grace written by Rabbie Burns and edited by Richard Medrington

7:00pm - Parade of the haggis led by Gaelic Piper and Storyteller James MacDonald Reid and Address to the haggis read by Ewan

7:40pm - Toasts to the lassies, to the laddies and those who know better (toasting applications now open)

8:00pm - Closing of the meal

8:30pm - Ceilidh guests start to arrive

9:00pm - The Badger Set Ceilidh starts

11:00pm(ish) - Loose close to formal portion of evening and invitation to form a session

12:00am - Bar closes

The Venue:

Plas Dolguog is a gorgeous 16th century mansion with stunning views across the Dyfi Valley floodplain. Nestled in beautiful grounds and built on and around the remnants of an ancient stone circle, one such stone still rests in the hall we’ll be in tonight, Dolguog is a truly unique venue. It has played host to numerous events, folk sessions and parties before, as well as the site of a 1990’s spiritual retreat centre for many years. This will be the first Burns supper hosted here, but hopefully not the last!

Dolguog is easily accessible from Mach, just a pleasant 30 minute walk along Garth Road, through Garth holiday park and across the Dulas bridge. Or a 5 min drive along the main road to Cemmaes, it’s the second left turn after you leave the 20mph zone. There's ample parking in front and to the back-left of the house. Feel free to leave your vehicle round the back and pick it up tomorrow.

And finally (most importantly), the Dolguog bar is fully stocked with a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage. And plentiful varieties of whiskey to warm your cockles!