Saint Andrew Society of Hawaii

09/20/2026

09/20/2026

Everyone had a fantastic time last night at the talk like a pirate sunset Celtic sail! 🏴‍☠️🍻🌅 

08/01/2026

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🕯️ He died in a madhouse at twenty four, penniless and all but forgotten, yet a young ploughman in Ayrshire would soon call him his elder brother in the muse and credit him with lighting the way.

Robert Fergusson was born in Edinburgh in 1750, and in a tragically short life he became one of the finest poets Scotland ever produced. At a time when educated Scots were being taught to be ashamed of their own tongue and to write in polished English, Fergusson did something bold. He wrote in vivid, funny, tender Scots, capturing the real life of Edinburgh, its taverns and markets, its characters and festivals, its bitter winters and its warm crowded closes.

His poems crackle with life and love for ordinary people. He wrote of the city he knew as few had dared to, in the language the people actually spoke, and for a brief moment he was the toast of literary Edinburgh. But he was poor, his health failed, and after a fall he was confined to the city's grim asylum, where he died, only twenty four years old.

That would have been the end of it, but for one devoted reader. A young Robert Burns discovered Fergusson's poems and was electrified. He saw in them proof that Scots was a language fit for great poetry, and he took up the same path that would make him a national bard. Burns openly called Fergusson his master and inspiration.

When Burns came to Edinburgh and found Fergusson lying in an unmarked grave, he was appalled. He paid for a proper headstone himself and wrote the epitaph, honouring the young genius who had shown him the way.

Every time you hear a line of Burns and feel your heart lift, remember the doomed young man who lit that flame first.

Scotland's greatest voice had a teacher, and his name deserves to be remembered too. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

06/22/2026

Leave a place better than when you got there 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

06/20/2026

Us Scots take care 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙🤙🏼
P.S. Boston, sorry about all of your b**r

06/14/2026

What a fantastic evening celebrating Friends of Saint Patrick’s Finnegan’s Wake!

Mahalo to everyone who came out and helped make this beloved tradition such a memorable success. It was wonderful to see Hawaiʻi’s Celtic community come together, with all of our Celtic societies participating and supporting the event in true spirit of friendship and fellowship.

A very special thank you goes to the Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawaii. After all, you simply can’t have a proper wake without the stirring sound of the pipes leading the way!

We’re also grateful to the pubs that welcomed us along our journey and kept spirits high with good company and fine libations. Mahalo to Ferguson’s, Murphy’s Bar & Grill, The Black Shamrock Tavern, and J. Dolan’s for your hospitality and support.

Until next year—sláinte! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿