bacterial infections remain one of the top causes of human suffering and death globally. rising antibiotic resistance is threatening our ability to fight infections and to enhance the burden of disease. nearly all important bacterial pathogens depend on secretion systems for their ability to cause disease. these systems deliver virulence factors to the surface or directly into host cells, where they modulate host processes to the benefit of the bacteria.
recent major technical advances in super-resolution light and electron microscopy as well as new ‘omic’-technologies, e.g. chemical and interaction proteomics, are accelerating the functional characterisation of the secretion machineries and their substrates in bacterial pathogenesis. it is therefore an exciting time with new discoveries constantly pushing our understanding of the molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions to new levels.
in this meeting, taking place on the 3–4 november 2022 in belfast, uk, we will bring together world-leading experts on the structure and function of secretion systems as well as their protein cargos from diverse bacteria in gram-negative and gram-positive pathogens, providing the audience with an overview of the latest developments and fostering critical exchange, networking and new collaborations across the research community, which investigates protein secretion at the host-pathogen interface.
as part of the preparations for returning to delivering in-person events, 英格兰vs美国谁会赢？ council members and members of the virus division have worked with society staff to develop a framework of mitigations for the society to apply to all of its events throughout 2022, in order to ensure that these are as covid-secure as possible.
implementation of this framework is a shared responsibility; shared between the society, the venues we use for our events, and all potential attendees. attendance at any of our events is a personal choice, but it will be incumbent on all of us to deliver these mitigations in order for us to keep all delegates and staff as safe as we can.
the framework covers the following five areas.
the following mitigations will be implemented for all those attending a focused meeting in 2022. the society staff will continue to consult with the organising committee in the lead up to the event and these mitigations will be kept under review and may be amended to ensure they remain appropriate as circumstances change.
mitigation area
vaccines
all attendees are required to be fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine against covid-19 to attend a focused meeting in 2022. for many individuals, this will mean a primary course and booster vaccine, and with the booster administered at least 14 days before the meeting. however, if you do not meet this requirement or if you have any concerns around your vaccination status, please get in touch with us to discuss it further by emailing [email protected]
you can find further information on vaccines on the world health organization (who) covid-19 vaccine advice page, which includes a list of vaccines that have been approved for use against covid-19.
ventilation
best efforts will be made to promote the circulation of fresh air into each focused meeting venue. this will include use of air conditioning, if available at the meeting venue, or opening of doors and windows during appropriate intervals in the event programme if possible.
masks
ffp3 masks will be provided to all individuals attending a focused meeting in 2022 and everyone will be expected to wear them inside the meeting venue, except when eating or drinking and except for those that have medical exemptions.
testing
attendees will be provided with lft devices and are expected to test themselves daily before entering the meeting venue.
spacing
all attendees are reminded to adhere to social distancing where possible, particularly during communal activities such as lunch and poster sessions.
further information will be announced in the build up to the meeting on our social media channels and you can follow us on twitter @microbiosoc using the hashtag #hostpathsecretion22
image credit: steve gschmeissner / science photo library
below you will find more information about our invited speakers, who will present their work and research at the protein secretion at the host-pathogen interface meeting.
carmen buchrieser is currently professor at the institut pasteur, paris, france. she obtained her phd from the university salzburg, austria, and conducted postdoctoral training at the university of madison, wisconsin, usa and at the institut pasteur, paris france. in 2006 she was appointed associate professor at the institut pasteur where she is heading a research group studying bacterial pathogenesis by using legionella as a model. her major research interest is to understand how bacteria cause disease: what are the genetic factors conferring bacterial virulence, how do they evolve, what are the mechanisms by which they allow subverting host functions and more generally how do human pathogens emerge?
after studying molecular biology, biochemistry and structural biology, eric cascales earned a phd in molecular microbiology and biotechnology at the university of aix-marseille (france) under the supervision of pr. roland lloubès. his thesis work was dedicated to understanding the assembly and function of a molecular motor, the tolqra complex. after a short period in the laboratory of lucienne letellier (orsay university, paris) to learn bioenergetics methodologies, he studied the type iv secretion system, a conjugative-like apparatus used by agrobacterium tumefaciens to deliver oncogenic dna into plant cells, in the laboratory of peter j. christie (university of texas at houston, usa). eric cascales was appointed to the cnrs in 2005, he started his own research group at the cnrs in marseille to study bacterial nanomachines. the main interests in the cascales lab are to understand the mechanistic bases underlying the transport of macromolecules between bacterial cells or through membranes using a combination of bacterial genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology and fluorescence microscopy. current studies are focused on two different models: the type vi secretion system, an antibacterial weapon that uses a contractile mechanism to deliver effectors directly into target cells, and the type ix secretion system, a multiprotein complex that transports and anchors proteins to the cell surface.
gabriel waksman obtained his phd in 1982 from the university of paris. after a short spell in industry and a postdoctoral training at the rockefeller university in new york, he joined the faculty of washington university school of medicine (st louis, usa) in 1993. in 2003, he moved to london (uk) to take up the joint chair of structural and molecular biology at university college london and birkbeck college london. the same year, he was awarded a wolfson-royal society merit award and was appointed the head of the institute of structural and molecular biology at ucl/birkbeck. in 2006, he was appointed to the courtauld chair in biochemistry at ucl, became head of the department of biochemistry and molecular biology (now research department of structural and molecular biology) at ucl and was appointed head of the school of crystallography (now department of biological sciences) at birkbeck. he held these positions until 2019. he was elected to embo in 2007, a fellow of the academy of medical sciences in 2008, a fellow of the royal society in 2012, a member of the german national academy of sciences leopoldina in 2013, and a member of academia europaea in 2014. he maintains an active research programme in the structural and molecular biology of bacterial secretion systems funded by an investigator award from the wellcome trust. since 2019, he also heads the charity “all things small and green”, an advocacy group to raise awareness of the carbon costs of academic travelling and conferencing.
gunnar schroeder studied chemistry with a specialisation in biochemistry at the philipps-university marburg in germany. he then moved to the eth zurich in switzerland to carry out his phd in cellular microbiology of shigella flexneri infections in the group of prof. hubert hilbi. after a short postdoc at the eth, gunnar joined the group of prof. gad frankel at imperial college london as a postdoc, where he first worked on the molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions of enteric bacterial pathogens, but soon focussed on setting up a project investigating the functional biology of type iv secretion system effectors of legionella pneumophila, the cause of the severe pneumonia legionnaires’ disease. in august 2016, gunnar joined the wellcome-wolfson institute for experimental medicine at queen's university belfast as lecturer in microbial pathogenesis.
gunnar’s group uses and develops functional genomics and proteomics tools to reveal the molecular processes at the host-pathogen interface. employing legionella spp. and other opportunistic respiratory bacterial pathogens as model organisms his team aims to determine the function of secreted virulence factors, identify common and pathogen-specific infection strategies and define the molecular basis of susceptibility to opportunistic infections.
harry low is a wellcome trust senior research fellow and reader in structural biology with the department of infectious disease, imperial college, london. he obtained his phd from the mrc laboratory of molecular biology (lmb) in cambridge, followed by post-doc positions at both the lmb and birkbeck college, london. his lab has core interests in bacterial pathogenesis with a focus on secretions systems, membrane remodelling processes, and the development of novel antibiotics.
joan geoghegan is a royal society wolfson fellow and professor in microbiology and infection at the university of birmingham. her phd training at trinity college dublin involved the biochemical and biophysical characterisation of staphylococcal fibrinogen-binding proteins. as a postdoctoral researcher, she investigated the molecular basis of protein-mediated biofilm accumulation in staphylococcus aureus. in 2012 she established her research group studying staphylococcal pathogenesis at trinity college dublin and in 2020 she was appointed to the institute of microbiology and infection at the university of birmingham. professor geoghegan’s current research focuses on understanding the bacterial factors responsible for the success of s. aureus as a human coloniser and pathogen. she is interested in elucidating mechanisms used by the bacterium to interact with host proteins and cells and to resist clearance by the immune system and interference from other microbes. a major aim of this work is to identify new targets for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infection.
twitter: @staphlab
professor jose bengoechea completed his degree in biology and acquired further specialisation in microbiology at the university of navarra (pamplona, spain) during his phd. in 1998, he took a postdoc position in the laboratory of professor mikael skurnik (turku, finland) to receive advanced training in molecular microbiology. in 2002, after obtaining a “miguel servet” tenure-track contract, funded by the spanish ministry of health, professor bengoechea started his independent research career at university hospital son dureta (palma de mallorca, spain). in 2007, he earned a tenure position in the spanish research council (csic). professor bengoechea joined queen’s university belfast in july 2013, as a professor of molecular microbiology and he is currently the director of the wellcome-wolfson institute for experimental medicine.
professor bengoechea is an internationally recognised leader in the antimicrobial resistance field with a major focus on understanding how multidrug-resistant microbes avoid immune defences. professor bengoechea has established a unique reputation in the study of klebsiella pneumoniae infections. this pathogen has been singled out as an "urgent threat to human health" due to drug-resistant strains. his laboratory has pioneered the study of the interplay between klebsiella and the immune system, and research from his laboratory has provided the foundation for new treatment against this microbe, including the first-of-its-kind host-directed therapeutics approach. his research programme is supported by the bbsrc, and the mrc.
maria sandkvist is a professor of microbiology and immunology at the university of michigan medical school in ann arbor, michigan, usa. she completed her graduate studies at the university of umea, sweden and postdoctoral work at the university of michigan and the national institutes of health. her lab focuses on the molecular mechanism and role in the pathogenesis of bacterial envelope-spanning machines including the type ii secretion system in gram-negative bacteria such as vibrio cholerae and acinetobacter baumannii.
samuel wagner studied human biology at the philipps-university marburg and biomedicine at the karolinska institutet, stockholm, where he obtained his master’s in medical sciences in 2003. he earned his phd in biochemistry for his work on the biogenesis and overexpression of membrane proteins in escherichia coli with jan-willem de gier at the center of biomembrane research at stockholm university in 2008. as a spin off of his graduate work, he co-founded the biotech start-up xbrane biosciences, now xbrane biopharma as well as aberia bioscience. samuel started to work on the export machinery of bacterial type iii secretion systems as an embo and hfsp postdoctoral fellow in the lab of jorge galán at yale university. he joined the faculty of medicine at the eberhard karls university tübingen as an assistant professor of infection biology in early 2012 and was awarded the alexander von humboldt foundation's sofja kovalevskaja award in the same year. samuel became head of the section of cellular and molecular microbiology in 2015 and a tenured professor in 2018. today, he is vice-dean of the faculty of medicine of the university of tübingen, director of the interfaculty insitute of microbiology and infection medicine (imit) and director of graduate studies of the interfaculty graduate school of microbiology and infection biology (igim).
the core research interest of samuel's lab is in analysing the assembly, structure and function of bacterial virulence-associated secretion systems, in particular type iii secretion systems of salmonella typhimurium and type iv secretion systems of legionella pneumophila.
dr suzana salcedo studied microbiology in porto, portugal and received a phd in 2003 from imperial college london for her work on salmonella. she did postdoctoral training at the centre of immunology marseille-luminy, france and was recruited as an inserm permanent researcher in 2005 to study how brucella modulates innate immunity. in 2012, she was awarded a finovi young researcher grant to start her team at the laboratory of molecular microbiology and structural biochemistry, university of lyon/cnrs, france. her main research interest is studying how bacterial pathogens modulate cellular responses to cause disease, namely brucella and acinetobacter baumannii. by combining integrated molecular and cellular approaches, one of the team’s main focuses is identifying the specific bacterial proteins injected into host cells during infection, and characterizing the targeted host pathways. her current work focuses on studying the intracellular zoonotic pathogen brucella abortus and the multi-drug resistant nosocomial pathogen acinetobacter baumannii.
dr teresa thurston completed her phd in 2010 with dr felix randow, at the mrc laboratory of molecular biology, university of cambridge. during her phd, her work focused on how antibacterial autophagy functions as a cell-autonomous innate immune mechanism to restrict the growth of cytosolic bacteria. then, during her postdoctoral training with prof. david holden, her work focused on salmonella, and its effector proteins. she was awarded an early career research fellowship from the leverhulme trust in 2012 and an imperial college research fellowship in 2014. in 2018 teresa established her laboratory with a bbsrc david phillips fellowship at imperial college london to study host-pathogen interactions and the role of bacterial effector proteins in innate immune modulation. teresa also holds a satellite group at the francis crick institute, where she works in close collaboration with dr rittinger on the structural biology of bacterial effectors with funding from the mrc. in 2022 teresa was awarded an erc starting grant to expand her research programme to investigate kinase reprogramming in infection.
tracy palmer obtained a bsc in biochemistry and subsequently a phd in bioenergetics from the university of birmingham, uk. after a postdoc at the university of dundee, she was awarded a royal society university research fellowship in 1996 to set up her own research group at the john innes centre in norwich. research in tracy’s lab contributed to the description of the tat protein export system in bacteria, a discovery for which she jointly received the fleming medal from the 英格兰vs美国谁会赢？ in 2002 (with her longstanding collaborator ben berks). in 2004, she was awarded an mrc senior non-clinical research fellowship and she was promoted to professor of molecular microbiology in 2005. tracy joined the school of life sciences at the university of dundee in 2007 where she headed the division of molecular microbiology from 2009 to 2016. in 2018, tracy moved to newcastle university where she is a professor of microbiology and lead for the microbes in health and disease theme in the faculty of medical sciences.
in addition to her longstanding research programme on the tat pathway, tracy also works on the type vii secretion system in the human pathogen staphylococcus aureus. her research has revealed an unexpected role for this pathway in interbacterial competition, with important implications for shaping the microbiota. follow-up studies have confirmed it to be a widespread feature of this secretion system among gram-positive bacteria. tracy was elected a member of embo in 2017 and a fellow of the royal society in 2018. her research is supported by bbsrc, mrc and wellcome.
in 2001, when wilbert bitter started his own research group on tuberculosis in the vu medical centre, he decided to focus on the mycobacterial cell envelope that was crucial to understanding the pathogen in question and, ultimately, to control this disease. however, to be able to do this, not only the biochemistry and genetics of pathogenic mycobacteria had to be mastered, but also an amenable and reliable infection model. for this, the zebrafish was introduced and more specifically the zebrafish larvae infection model using m. marinum as a host. wilbert’s group was the first to describe the function of the esx-5 secretion system in pathogenic mycobacteria and he also coined the term type vii secretion for these systems (am abdallah et al., nature microbiology reviews 2007). subsequently, his group uncovered the composition and structure of type vii secretion systems, the secretion signal for substrates and the structure of the type vii secretion membrane complex. in recent years wilbert bitter has continued to unravel the host-pathogen interactions of mycobacteria and identified a new hypervirulence factor in clinical isolates of m. tuberculosis (ls ates et al., nature microbiology 2018), but also started to work on the identification of new compounds that affect cell wall functioning in m. tuberculosis (patent application no.: ep19193612, title: iinhobition of mycobacterial type vii secretion). wilbert bitter is editor of fems microbiology reviews and chair of the knvm/nvmm science committee to promote dutch microbiology and organise the yearly spring meeting. in 2010, he was appointed professor of molecular microbiology at the vrije universiteit and professor of medical microbiology at the vu medical centre, now called the amsterdam umc.
protein secretion at the host-pathogen interface poster abstracts book
abstract submissions for the protein secretion at the host-pathogen interface meeting are now closed.
both members and non-members of the 英格兰vs美国谁会赢？ are welcome to submit an abstract for the meeting. all offered oral and poster presentations will be selected from the abstracts submitted. once submissions are closed, they will be reviewed by the organising committee, and submitters will be notified of the outcome by email during the week commencing 22 august 2022.
by submitting an abstract to this meeting, you are indicating to the session organisers your commitment to attend the event in person.
abstracts must be a maximum of 250 words. the society has produced a guide to give delegates some tips on how to write a great abstract, which can be downloaded below:
how to write a great abstract
please note that the abstract is the only information session organisers use when deciding whether to accept your work for presentation as an offered oral or poster. if accepted, it will also be published in the abstract book for the meeting, so think carefully about what needs to be included.
microbiology is pleased to provide the ‘outstanding science prize’ to a scientific poster and an oral presentation at the protein secretion and the host-pathogen interface meeting. the winners, selected by members of the organising committee will win a cash prize and be featured on the microbe post. all posters and offered oral presentations displayed at this meeting are automatically entered for the prize.
presenters accepted for an offered oral presentation should prepare a presentation to the below specifications. presenters are advised to check the programme to view their presentation slot.
presenters accepted for poster presentation should prepare a poster to the below specifications. poster numbers are provided in the abstract acceptance email. the formal poster presentation session will take place on the evening of thursday 3 november.
society conference grants will be available to support eligible members wishing to attend this focused meeting.
applications are now open and will close on 25 august 2022. further information is available on the society conference grants page.
we are aware of ongoing uncertainty around event attendance as the pandemic continues. to find out more about our grant refund policies, please visit our grant rules page.
members who are ineligible for the society conference grant should apply to the travel grant scheme for support. applications for events taking place between 1 october –31 december 2022 will open at the end of june and close on 1 september 2022.
please contact [email protected] for any questions.
registration is now open.
members get heavily subsidised registration fees for annual conference, focused meetings and other society events – both online and in-person. join now to enjoy these discounts and many other opportunities that are designed for microbiologists at all stages of their careers.
everyone who attends the meeting is asked to read and adhere to our covid-19 mitigations framework. please click on the dropdown below to read the policies in place for the meeting.
as part of the preparations for returning to delivering in-person events, 英格兰vs美国谁会赢？ council members and members of the virus division have worked with society staff to develop a framework of mitigations for the society to apply to all of its events throughout 2022, in order to ensure that these are as covid-secure as possible.
implementation of this framework is a shared responsibility; shared between the society, the venues we use for our events, and all potential attendees. attendance at any of our events is a personal choice, but it will be incumbent on all of us to deliver these mitigations in order for us to keep all delegates and staff as safe as we can.
the framework covers the following five areas.
the following mitigations will be implemented for all those attending a focused meeting in 2022. the society staff will continue to consult with the organising committee in the lead up to the event and these mitigations will be kept under review and may be amended to ensure they remain appropriate as circumstances change.
|
vaccines |
all attendees are required to be fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine against covid-19 to attend a focused meeting in 2022. for many individuals, this will mean a primary course and booster vaccine, and with the booster administered at least 14 days before the meeting. however, if you do not meet this requirement or if you have any concerns around your vaccination status, please get in touch with us to discuss it further by emailing [email protected] you can find further information on vaccines on the world health organization (who) covid-19 vaccine advice page, which includes a list of vaccines that have been approved for use against covid-19. |
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ventilation
|
best efforts will be made to promote the circulation of fresh air into each focused meeting venue. this will include use of air conditioning, if available at the meeting venue, or opening of doors and windows during appropriate intervals in the event programme if possible.
|
|
masks
|
ffp3 masks will be provided to all individuals attending a focused meeting in 2022 and everyone will be expected to wear them inside the meeting venue, except when eating or drinking and except for those that have medical exemptions. |
|
testing
|
attendees will be provided with lft devices and are expected to test themselves daily before entering the meeting venue. |
|
spacing
|
all attendees are reminded to adhere to social distancing where possible, particularly during communal activities such as lunch and poster sessions. |
early bird discounted rates closed on friday 30 september, 23:59 bst
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ticket |
early bird |
full price |
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non-member |
£370 |
£420 |
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full member |
£270 |
£320 |
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concessionary member |
£220 |
£270 |
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student member |
£170 |
£200 |
upon registration, you should receive an automated confirmation email. please contact [email protected] if after 24 hours this has not been received.
all registration fees must be paid in full before the start of the event. any outstanding registration fees must be paid before any joining instructions containing information on how to access the event are sent out.
we are aware of ongoing uncertainty around event attendance as the pandemic continues. in order to give delegates the most confidence and flexibility, we will refund all registration fees in full if you cancel your booking, for whatever reason, at any time in the lead up to the event. if you wish to cancel your booking and request a refund before the event, please email [email protected]
this meeting will take place at riddel hall in belfast.
riddel hall
185 stranmillis road
belfast
bt9 5ee
please note there is currently no parking available on-site. attendees travelling with a vehicle are advised to arrange parking with their hotel or make use of local car parks.
travel to belfast is easy and fast. the city is well connected by road, rail and sea transport and with 2 local airports, the city is accessible by air from both great britain and overseas destinations.
air: the city of belfast is served by two airports, belfast international airport (bfs) and george best belfast city airport (bhd), which are located 17.5 miles and 5.7 miles from riddel hall respectively.
from belfast international, the journey to the city centre takes 30–45 minutes. taxis can be hired outside the terminal building and a number of car hire firms are available with the terminal. there is no direct train service from the airport.
scheduled flights out of george best belfast city airport ( bhd ) operate to england, scotland, the isle of man and the republic of ireland. the main airlines operating out of the airport are british airways, aer lingus, flybe, klm, brussels airlines and citywing. the journey from the airport to the city centre takes 15–20 minutes.
translink provides bus services from both airports to the city centre.
train: the nearest train station is botanic station, which is 1.1 miles from the venue, and is one stop from lanyon place station, which has a regular train service from dublin, with the average journey time being approx. two hours.
road: the venue is located on stranmillis road, just along the main university campus and botanical gardens. plan your journey using the postcode: bt9 5ee
belfast is a city rich in culture and history, so whether you’re looking to visit its historic landmarks and attractions or experience new culinary delights, there’s a lot waiting to be discovered. there are many things to see and do in the city’s cathedral quarter, which is packed full of interesting architecture and has a host of fabulous pubs, bars and restaurants.
if you’re planning on extending your stay after the meeting, there are plenty of attractions you could visit, such as the titanic museum, the alexandra graving dock or belfast city hall, one of belfast’s most iconic buildings. learn more about this city and its attractions at: visitbelfast.com
meet belfast offer exclusive offers and discounts that are available to meeting attendees to enjoy whilst in the city, including at attractions, city tours and restaurants. you can take advantage of these offers by visiting the meet belfast website.
please note that accommodation is not included in the registration rates for this meeting; however, we have negotiated discounted rates for attendees at local hotels. please see the below for details.
the malone hotel (0.7 miles from the venue)
limited rooms are available. rates are valid for the nights of 2, 3 and 4 november 2022.
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£86 b&b classic room single occupancy |
£106 b&b executive room single occupancy |
the discounted rates are only available when booking directly with the hotel. bookings can be made by phone or email: the malone hotel 028 90 388 000; [email protected]
please quote group code 019922 (英格兰vs美国谁会赢？ ). you will need to provide card details to secure the booking, and payment is due on arrival.
riddel hall is fully wheelchair accessible. the isdell courtyard (main lecture space) has an induction loop system. access guide for riddel hall.
the evening conference dinner will be held in the great hall, lanyon building, which is 0.8 miles from riddel hall. access guide for the great hall, lanyon building.
please be aware the pavement on the public path from riddel hall to the lanyon building is not level and is partially obstructed by trees.
if you have any further questions regarding accessibility at the meeting, please contact [email protected]
carbon footprint offsetting
delegate travel is the biggest contributor to the carbon emissions involved with focused meetings, we would therefore like to encourage all delegates to offset their carbon footprint.
a carbon offset is a way to compensate for your emissions by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere.
you can calculate and offset your carbon footprint from travelling to the meeting by using this carbon calculator, this supports international projects and sustainable development worldwide.
please contact [email protected] to enquire about exhibition and sponsorship opportunities.
invitation to exhibit - protein secretion at the host-pathogen interface
the first evening of the protein secretion and the host-pathogen interface meeting will include an opportunity to socialise and network at the conference dinner, details of which are below.
conference dinner and ceilidh dance, celebrating 50 years of 英格兰vs美国谁会赢？ irish division3 november | 19:15 | great hall, lanyon building, queens university belfast
included in the cost of your delegate registration.
a short distance from the main meeting venue, the activities continue with a special conference dinner in the great hall of the beautiful lanyon building.
the scientific organising committee are pleased to include a special celebration at the dinner, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 英格兰vs美国谁会赢？ irish division. attendees will hear some words and anecdotes from dr peter cotgreave, chief executive at the 英格兰vs美国谁会赢？ , to honour the occasion.
after dinner, put your best foot forward with some traditional irish music and dancing with the mcstocker ceilidh band.
no experience of ceilidh dancing is necessary as all the dances are called out and explained before the dance begins, and all the way through until you are exhausted - and happy!
