Source: The Expat magazine May 2011, article by Denise & Colin
Get your free subscription and free delivery of The Expat 
This article has been edited for ExpatGoMalaysia.com 

Starting off with a look back over past events. The St. Patrick’s night information didn’t reach us before the deadline for last month’s magazine but it would be remiss of us not to give it a mention now. This event has become one of Penang’s most anticipated and polished nights in the calendar.

So, what better way to get your full attention and your foot tapping than the sound of Irish dancing? On Friday 4 March at the E & O Hotel, the Penang Irish Association brought to us a group of young Irish dancers from Singapore. Their twirling and high kicks made us positively dizzy but were a delight to watch. They certainly made a refreshing change from watching Michael Flatley on a “flat” projector screen!

There was a good crowd of people, a record attendance compared to previous years, and as always everyone had a great night.

As a pre-requisite of an Irish night, Irish stew and potatoes were on the menu along with a finale of Irish whiskey and Baileys to round off a lovely meal. As always at buffets I’m sure we ate too much and couldn’t wait to get on the dance floor to work it off.

The Irish Ambassador, Mr. Declan Kelly, and his wife joined the throng and he addressed everyone with an expat tale of his various international postings and how truly global the Irish community are. Ronald De Leon and family entertained us from pre-dinner cocktails to the end of the evening. Wandering minstrels to floor filling boogie-on-down music; what a talented group!

Thanks to PIA for putting on yet another spectacular event for us all to enjoy.

Did you see the Queen Elizabeth ocean liner when she visited Penang last month? No? Well not a problem as we’ve included a photo in the collection on this month’s page. In hopes of taking a glorious photo of the liner leaving port, we had afternoon tea at the E & O Hotel which was very nice but the rain that afternoon did its best to dampen the proceedings.

ACTIVITIES FOR MAY
Why not check to see if the new Penang Hill Railway is operational. At the time of writing this article in early April, Penang Hill Corporation were advising they were hopeful that the funicular railway would reopen to the general public in late April/early May. The new track takes you straight to the top, so no changing at the middle station anymore.

From 14 May to 30 June, there will be a “smell” in the air. It’s your opportunity to taste the King of Fruits, the Durian, at the Penang Durian Fair. The fair will be held at the Anjung Indahrest area (on Jalan Tun Sardon) Balik Pulau. Personally, Mr. Lamb loves durian but to remain in Mrs. Lamb’s good books he limits his consumption! As always, we welcome your feedback on what you’d like to see covered in Penang Promenade.