Groups St Andrews Social events


In the introduction to the Proceedings of Groups St Andrews 2005 it is noted that the Proceedings mark the first 25 years of Groups St Andrews conferences. In addition to the mathematics, illustrated by these Proceedings, we have the following observations:
The seven conferences have contained a wide selection of social events. "Groups St Andrews tourism" has taken us to a variety of interesting and scenic venues in Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. Bus trips have included Kellie Castle, Loch Earn and Loch Tay, Falkland Palace and Hill of Tarvit, Crathes Castle and Deeside, Loch Katrine and the Trossachs, House of Dun, Connemara and Kylemore Abbey, the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, Tintern Abbey and Welsh Valleys, the Roman Baths in Bath, Salisbury Cathedral, Rufus Stone and the New Forest, Stonehenge, Wells Cathedral and the Cheddar Gorge, Blenheim Palace, Glamis Castle. We have been on boats on Loch Katrine, the Thames, and Galway Bay to the Aran Islands. There have also been: musical events with participants as the musicians, Scottish Country Dance evenings, barn dances, piano recitals, organ recitals, theatre trips, whisky tasting, putting, chess, walks along the Fife Coast, walks round Bath, and walks round Oxford. All these have provided opportunities for relaxation, but also opportunities to continue mathematical discussions.

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1981   1985   1989   1993   1997
2001   2005   2009   2013   2017

1981 St Andrews

Saturday 25 July: Wine reception and slide show "Slides of Scotland" by Richard Cormack, Professor of Statistics

Sunday 26 July: Historical talk by Norman Biggs "The life and work of Rev. T P Kirkman"

Monday 27 July: Theatre visit to "Wait until dark" by Frederick Knott at the Byre Theatre

Tuesday 28 July: Bus trip to Crail (museum), Anstruther, (Scottish Fisheries Museum), Pittenweem and Kellie Castle and Gardens

Thursday 30 July : Conference Dinner in David Russell Hall; toast to "Groups - St Andrews 1981" by Professor John Howie and reply by Professor Sean Tobin

Friday 31 July: Theatre visit to "Time and time again" by Alan Ayckbourn at the Byre Theatre

Sunday 2 August: Bus trip to Loch Earn, Loch Tay, Schiehallion and Fortingall

Tuesday 4 August: Visit to Falkland Palace

Note. Professor A C Kim (Busan, Korea) addressed the Korean Mathematical Society in September 1981 giving a one-hour lecture on "Groups-St Andrews 1981"

1985 St Andrews

Saturday 27 July: Formal welcome by Professor Augusto Serafini-Fracassini, Dean Of Science followed by a showing of slides and a talk on "St Andrews and District" by Dr Roy MacGregor

Monday 29 July: Demonstration and participation in Scottish Country Dancing

Wednesday 31 July: Bus trip to Hill of Tarvit House and Falkland Palace

Thursday 1 August: Organ recital by the University Organist
John Kitchen

Friday 2 August: Showing of the film "Chariots of Fire"

Sunday 4 August: Bus trip to Loch Earn, Loch Lubnaig, Loch Katrine , the Trossachs, Aberfoyle, Lake of Menteith and the Wallace Monument; boat trip on Loch Katrine

Monday 5 August Conference Dinner in David Russell Hall: toast to "Groups  St Andrews 1985" by Sir Kenneth Dover and reply by Dr Peter Neumann

Wednesday 7 August: Bus trip to the Fife Coast, Crail, Anstruther and Pittenweem (opportunity to walk part of the Fife coastal path)

Thursday 7 August: Theatre visit to "A bit between the teeth" by
Michael Pertwee at the Byre Theatre

1989 St Andrews

Monday 31 July: Illustrated talk "The Scottish Landscape" by Professor Richard Cormack

Tuesday 1 August: University Reception in Strachan Suite, David Russell Hall

Wednesday 2 August: Bus trip to House of Dun

Thursday 3 August: Conference Dinner David Russell Hall

Friday 4 August: Theatre visit to "Time and time again" by Alan Ayckbourn at the Byre Theatre

Sunday 6 August: Bus trip to Crathes Castle and Royal Deeside

Monday 7 August: Organ recital by the University Organist William Stevenson in St Salvator's Chapel

Tuesday 8 August: Bus trip and/or coastal walk Elie/St Monans/Pittenweem

Thursday 10 August: Theatre visit to "Time and time again" by Alan Ayckbourn at the Byre Theatre

1993 Galway

Tuesday 3 August: Reception

Tuesday 3 August: Theatre trip to "Ointment Blue" by George Fitzmaurice at the Druid Theatre

Wednesday 4 August: Bus trip to Connemara and Kylemore Abbey

Thursday 5 August: Conference Dinner in the Corrib Great Southern Hotel

Saturday/ Sunday overnight and Sunday day trip 7 and 8 August: Boat trip from Galway Bay to the Aran Islands

Monday 9 August: Piano recital in the Aula Maxima by the famous Irish pianist Hugh Tinney (his mother was the mathematician Sheila Tinney and his grandfather, Michael Power, was Professor of Mathematics at University College Galway)

Tuesday 10 August Gruenberg Dinner at the Ardilaun Hotel

Wednesday 11 August: Bus trip to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher

Thursday 12 August: Theatre visit to "A little piece of stuff", a black comedy, at the Punchbag Theatre

1997 Bath

Tuesday 29 July: Evening tour of the Roman Baths

Wednesday 30 July: Bus trip to the Wye Valley, Tintern Abbey, the Welsh valleys and Cardiff

Wednesday 30 July: Conference dinner at the Assembly Rooms in Bath

Thursday 31 July: Musical Evening

Sunday 3 August: Bus trip to Stonehenge, Rufus Stone and the New Forest, Bournemouth

Wednesday 6 August: Bus trip to Wells Cathedral and Gough's Cave in the Cheddar Gorge

2001 Oxford

Monday 6 August: CUP and Springer Reception

Wednesday 8 August: Bus trip to Blenheim Palace

Thursday 9 August: Conference Dinner Lady Margaret Hall

Friday 10 August: Talbot Hall Music Evening

Monday 13 August: Organ recital, the Queen's College Chapel

Wednesday 15 August: Boat trip on the Isis from Folly Bridge

Friday 17 August: Conference Dinner Lady Margaret Hall

2005 St Andrews

Monday 1 August: Whisky Tasting

Wednesday 3 August: Bus trip via view of RSS Discovery at Dundee to Glamis Castle

Wednesday 3 August: Walk along the Fife Coastal Path from St Andrews to Boarhills or Kingsbarns

Wednesday 3 August: Gala Dinner at David Russell Hall

Friday 5 August: Pub night

2009 Bath

Tuesday 4 August: Week 1 banquet, Cumberwell Park Golf Club

Wednesday 5 August: Bus trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury

Thursday 6 August: Evening race meeting, Bath Racecourse

Saturday 8 August: Bus trip to Cardiff

Sunday 9 August: Sightseeing bus trip to London

Monday 10 August: Wine and Cheese party at the American Museum in Britain

Tuesday 11 August: Week 2 banquet, Bath Racecourse Marquee

Wednesday 12 August: Bus trip to Stourhead Gardens and Wells

2013 St Andrews

Sunday 4 August: Semi-guided walking tours around St Andrews

Monday 5 August: wine reception

Tuesday 6 August: Whisky tasting

Wednesday 7 August: Bus trip to the Royal Burgh of Falkland and Falkland Palace or bus trip to the Royal Burgh of Falkland and a walk in the Lomond Hills

Thursday 8 August: Musical evening and Scottish Country dance demonstration

Friday 9 August: Conference banquet in the Gateway Centre

2017 Birmingham

Sunday 6 August: Guided walking tours by local PhD students around the area about the University and the city centre.

Monday 7 August: Wine reception

Tuesday 8 August: Trip to the Two Towers brewery

Wednesday 9 August: Bus trip to the Stratford-on-Avon or bus trip to Warwick Castle

Thursday 10 August: Conference dinner

Friday 11 August: Musical evening


We give the dates, speakers and titles of the talks for the conferences at THIS LINK.

The Proceedings of each of the conferences were published by Cambridge University Press. You can see the Introductions to these proceedings at THIS LINK.

A history of the conferences is at THIS LINK.

A paper by C M Campbell about the Groups St Andrews Conferences and the Galway Group meetings is at THIS LINK.

Last Updated October 2017