Recently I began recalling thoughts and taking notes to write on a series of events that, though they happened over 2 decades ago, I remember fondly today. In 2000 and 2001 as President of the Boston Jaycees I was involved with a partnership between my Boston chapter and the Belfast Jaycees in Northern Ireland. These events included hosting a delegation from Belfast in Boston, and being part of the delegation from Boston who went to Belfast. To say it was a truly unique experience is an understatement.

One experience of my trip to Belfast came to mind in the last week when word that the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II died. As guests in Belfast, we were invited to the Jaycees’ President’s Banquet, a black-tie affair at Belfast City Hall, which was the setting of this particular flashback.

Something I was told of before arriving in Belfast was the formality that surrounded people in leadership positions. As I was the “president” I was to expect heightened attention and ceremony that there goes with the role. What I experienced was something outside of what an average American would observe, even someone in a leadership role. At the Banquet, I was piped (as in bag pipes) into the hall in a procession and sat at the head table along with Belfast’s Lord Mayor and other leaders of the Belfast Jaycees and dignitaries. If only there was video of this.

As I sat down at my appointed seat, I was made aware of the various drinks in front of me and told not to drink them until the proper time. The menu for the event listed the toasts of the evening that had a corresponding drink to go with it.

One of the toasts listed was “a Toast to Her Majesty the Queen” as shown above from the original menu. Upon seeing this, I figured this would likely be a grand toast, even in the capital of Northern Ireland, which was just a few years into the peace as agreed to in the Good Friday Agreement. Of all the toasts, this was one I was most looking forward to... even more than the toast I myself would be giving afterwards.

When the time came for the Toast to the Queen, a past President of the Belfast Jaycees went to the podium. As he approached the microphone and hoisted his glass, I watched with eagerness as he started to speak the words of the toast:

“To the Queen!”

And that was all he said. Three words, followed by a drink and a round of applause. That was it. Next on to me.

I recall leaning over to the person next to me and saying, “that’s it?” to which she laughed. With all of the pomp and circumstance that I experienced in the short week I was in Belfast, this paled in comparison to it. But that’s all it was, and if anything, it saved room for my toast which I was told was a tad longer than what is standard.

As across the pond from me the life of Queen Elizabeth II is being celebrated along with all the drama of her heirs accompanying it, I raise the cup of dark roast coffee with whole milk I am drinking as I write this, thinking about my time in her kingdom, and say a humble, “to the Queen!”

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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