Burns Supper

Running order of a Burns Supper

1. Piping in the guests - to bagpipe or traditional music 


2. Reciting of the Selkirk Grace 


3. Piping in the haggis - guests stand to welcome the haggis to the table 


4. Toast to the haggis - honouring the most important ingredient of the meal with a recitation of Address to a Haggis 


5. The Immortal Memory - an account of the life of Robbie Burns, followed by Burns' songs and poems 


6. Toast to the lassies - a traditional thank you to the women involved in the preparations, and the women in Burns' life and writing 


7. Reply: Toast from the lassies - a contemporary addition to what was traditionally a male-only event 


8. Chair's vote of thanks, and the finale with Auld Lang Syne 

Address to the Haggis
The address was composed in the year 1786 - not long after Burns arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city. There are two stories linked to the poem’s creation. The first considers that Burns invited for dinner at the house of merchant, Andrew Bruce, and composed the poem to amuse the wealthy host and his guests.  The second version is that he composed the poem off-the-cuff whilst visiting the house of cabinetmaker, John Morrison, and was inspired by the sight of the luxurious meat pudding.

The Selkirk Grace
This is recited after the guests have entered the room and are seated at the table and before the haggis is piped to the table.

Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit. 


The Immortal Memory
The Immortal Memory is the centrepiece of the evening and equivalent to a wedding dinner speech - the denoted speaker gives a talk on the life of Burns, in anticipation of the songs and poems to come. Although the speech often touches on the highs and lows of Burns' life, it should include a celebration of his home country of Scotland, his literary genius and his love of all things Scotland. 


At this link you will find an example of the Immortal Memory that poet Cat Hepburn gave at a Burns Supper in Dublin on 25 January 2023.