1859: Belfast Burns Centenary

1859 was the centenary of the birth of Robert Burns, and commemorative events were held all over the world. The Northern Whig newspaper ran a competition for poems to celebrate the centenary and two major events were held, at Belfast Music Hall and the Corn Exchange.

Belfast Music Hall Grand Banquet

With guests of honour Eliza Everitt and Martha Burns Everitt, 250 gentlemen and 80 ladies packed the Music Hall (it stood on the corner of May Street and Upper Arthur Street) to commemorate Burns in style and grandeur. From 6pm until well after midnight, dignitaries, clergymen, politicians and civic leaders gathered to toast and pay homage to the Bard. A portrait of Burns painted by William Dobie was unveiled during the evening. Dobie had trained at the Royal Scottish Academy but was then living in Belfast. The previous year he had completed a painting for Holywood Presbyterian Church of their minister Rev. Henry Henderson, who wrote a newspaper column under the pseudonym ‘Ulster Scot’.

During his speech at the Music Hall, Professor Craik of Queen’s College, Belfast, said “... it might also be a matter of question whether this Ulster of ours be not really more a part of Scotland than a part of Ireland... we have come over and set up another Scotland here – an Irish or Little Scotland it may be called. We have made this Province of Ulster – this Black North – half Scotch, or more than half Scotch, in almost everything, in blood, in language..."

The portrait was later given to Eliza Everitt; around 1901 her daughter Martha donated it to Queen’s College.