Kilts Night at Doolin's - 1st Thursday of January 2007: 
I meet Rob MacDonald - kiltmaker and bagpiper

Every first Thursday of each month we celebrate Kilts Night at Doolin's Irish Pub in Vancouver.  This time, no sooner had I walked in and was heading toward the stage looking for friends when a stranger called out "Toddish McWong!" and came over to shake my hand.

Rob MacDonald, greeted me.  I had never met the man before.  But I recognized the name immediately. 

"Kilt maker," I nodded in recognition, recalling a 2004 article Hearts in the Highlands in the Vancouver Courier that had interviewed us both about Robbie Burns Day. 

Rob and I had a great talk, turns out we have been aware of each other since the 2004 article and in Google circles but had never met in person... although people we knew in common kept saying "You should meet Rob McDonald" or "You should meet Toddish McWong."

Rob makes kilts, and his website is www.westcoastkilts.com.  He regaled us with stories from his days in the Seaforth Highlanders where he first learned to make kilts.  This man is full of great entertaining stories.

He has a wonderful "Imortal Memory" address for Robbie Burns, and he offered to present it for my Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner.  Alas but the program is fully booked, as Dr. Ian Mason, of the Burns Club of Vancouver, is our Burns expert for the evening, and Joe McDonald is our bagpiper.  But I invited Rob to come to the January 15th Gung Haggis Fat Choy World Poetry Night at the Vancouver Public Library.  Hopefully we can fit him in.  For January 28th, at the GHFC dinner?  We'll see....

Kilts Night is the 1st Thursday of every month at Doolin's Irish Pub in Vancouver.