The International Ghost Society held its first ever McGonagall Night at the Beehive Inn in Edinburgh on the 20^th April 2025 – marking almost exactly 200 years after the birth of the infamous poet.

We welcomed around 45 guests, who were treated to some marvellous dramatic readings of McGonagall’s work by local actor Michael Daviot. His climactic reading of “The Battle of Bannockburn” in particular was very stirring, and really brought McGonagall’s words to life.

We also learned a bit about McGonagall’s life via an easter egg hunt, a selection of historical anecdotes, and an RPG version of the poet’s famous walk from Dundee to Balmoral.

In the second half we made a reverse address to the haggis, in memory of an occasion when McGonagall himself rejected a sausage.

Then it was time to announce the results of our Best Bad Poetry Competition, which had a top prize of £100 cash. Several poets were present to read out their entries, which were greeted with both groans and applause.

Ultimately, though, the winner was chosen: poet Marty Sinclair’s “The 2025 BKT Tires World Men’s Championship of Curling” – a lyrical and yet impressively factual ode to the 2025 BKT Tires World Men’s Championship of Curling. You can read the poem in full here.

All the shortlisted poets went home with a certificate of un-appreciation and a tin of peas (a reference to a time when McGonagall was pelted with a plate of peas by an angry publican who disliked his poem about the evils of strong drink).

We also enjoyed some improvised poems composed by guests using magnetic poetry on various items of cookware.

We rounded off the night with a silent disco where guests could tune in to a rousing piece by our virtual piper… or alternatively enjoy the dulcet sounds of the virally famous 2021 Handforth Parish Council Meeting – either one a fitting end to an evening dedicated to a farcical (yet brilliant) poet like McGonagall.

Huge thanks to everyone who came along and got into the spirit of this rather unusual poetry night. We’re ready to do it all over again in 2026!