DUBLIN SCOTTISH
BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ST. ANDREW

The Society was founded on St. Andrew's Day in 1831 for the relief of indigent and distressed natives of Scotland in Dublin

In the early years funds were dispersed for fares back to Scotland, for burials and in weekly payments to widows and other deserving families, which continued for over a hundred years.

Our purpose

Assisted passages back to Scotland became less frequent and the main disbursement of funds was through pensions to elderly and needy Scots in Dublin

The original purpose of the Society is still maintained and today we are paying monthly pensions and giving Christmas gifts to elderly people and making small donations to a number of charities, which over the years have included the Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, the Peter McVerry Trust, Ruhama, Aware, Focus Ireland, RNLI, Mendicity, and Médecins Sans Frontières

Future events

2026 Burns Supper

The 2026 Burns Night Supper will take place at The Grand Masonic Lodge, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, on Saturday 24 January 2026.Commencing with drinks at 7pm, followed by supper from 7.30pm, tickets can be purchased for €80 per person.Please contact Isabelle Moore at [email protected] for further information.

Activities

St. Andrew's Night Supper

We come together with members and guests to celebrate St. Andrew, Patron Saint of Scotland, on or near St. Andrew's day - the 30th of November. Money is raised to support our chosen charity through donations, raffles and fees. A great Scottish evening out.

Activities

Burns Night

Burn's night has become famous the world over for celebrating the life and works of Rabbie Burns. It is celebrated on or near the poet's birthday, the 25th of January. The Dublin Scottish Society follow the traditional form of a Burns supper with various speakers providing the various addresses, the Immortal Memory and so on. A fantastic evening for anyone with a Scottish connection or interest in Burns. All monies raised are donated to the selected charity.

Activities

Other events

The Society also undertakes a number of events through the year from a traditional Scottish Ceilidh to cinema nights and an annual luncheon for retired members of the Society. Each event tries to raise money for charity and provides social outings for members and guests

Membership

Membership of the Society is open to anyone with a love of Scotland and its culture

The main objectives of the Society are:give aid to Scottish people in need, and to make donations to charitable causes.
create fellowship amongst Members, and to promote an understanding of Scotland and its culture.
celebrate the anniversary of St. Andrew and the life of Robert Burns each year.

Membership for the year (January to December) costs:Couple: €30
Individual: €20

History

The Silver Tassie

Burns' Silver Tassie is an 1861 London Silver Presentation Cup with liner, designed by Italian sculptor Rafaelle Monti, and made by the London silversmith Charles F. Hancock, founder of the jewellers Hancocks, the makers of the Victoria Cross.The Tassie has been in the possession of the Society since 1952 and is most recently on loan to the Irish Freemasons' Hall where it is on display. The Tassie depicts a scene from Tam O'Shanter on one side and the Cotter's Saturday night on the other. Under the handles, the poems To a Mountain Daisy, To a Mouse, The Twa Dogs, and On Seeing a Wounded Hare are represented. On the inside Highland Mary is depicted and on the plinth there are words from some of these poems.

History

The Society Seal

Nemo me impune lacessit is the Latin motto of the Order of the Thistle. The motto also appears, in conjunction with the collar of the Order of the Thistle, in later versions of the Royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland and subsequently in the version of the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom used in Scotland. It is often translated as No one attacks me with impunity, or rendered in Scots as Wha daur meddle wi' me?

History

Past Presidents

  • Alderman J Hubbard Clark - 1930/2

  • A.T. McKay - 1933/6

  • Wm. McMillan - 1937

  • William W. Warnock - 1938/41

  • John Brooks - 1942/3

  • John Russell, F.C.A. - 1944/5

  • James H. Cathcart - 1946

  • David Stewart C.A. - 1947/8

  • David H. McQuiston - 1949/50

  • George Martin - 1951/2

  • William Davidson - 1953/4

  • David B. Ferguson - 1955/6

  • G.A. Johnstone - 1957

  • Lt - Col. A. J. Crozier - 1958

  • F.W. Young - 1959

  • Major E.L. McColl - 1961/2

  • P.G. Warnock - 1963/4

  • C. McQuiston - 1965/6

  • M.G. Martin - 1967/8

  • J. S. Anderson - 1969/70

  • J.C. Doherty - 1971/2

  • D. Weston - 1973/4

  • R.D. Burry - 1975/6

  • J.M. Inglis - 1977/8

  • J.J. Mitchell - 1979/80

  • M. Brodie - 1981/82

  • P.G. Warnock - 1983

  • P.C. Scott - 1984/5

  • S. Fleming - 1986-88

  • D. M. Munro - 1989-91

  • John Gibson - 1992-2000

  • Rev. Tom Dundas - 2001-2007

  • Hazel Convery - 2008-2010

  • Pat McCullen - 2011-2014

  • Iain Munro - 2015-2017

  • Rory Maciver 2018- 2021

  • Andrew Munro 2022-

Contact

Contact the Society

If you have any interest in finding out more about the society, or if you would like to join the society, please email us at [email protected], or visit us on facebook for more photos and details of upcoming events.