For the last 27 years (with the exception of the two pandemic years), Mrs Susan Colton, with the help of a team of faithful volunteers year by year, has entertained, in her and Bishop Colton’s home, several hundred representatives of civic life in Cork City and County, as well as local politicians and many who are involved in charities in voluntary work and organisations.

This has continued a tradition of hospitality started many years ago by previous Bishops of Cork and their wives and it has become a key feature of the civic landscape annually in the City and County of Cork. Throughout those decades, the scouts (originally of 2nd Cork, St Fin Barre’s Group) and latterly from Douglas and St Fin Barre’ Scout Group have performed an important act of service for successive bishops: the washing up afterwards. Douglas and St Fin Barre’s Scout Group came about in 2013 following the amalgamation of two great scout groups one based in Dean Street (beside the Cathedral) and the other in Douglas. Links have been maintained ever since through the personal involvement and connection of Bishop and Mrs Colton with many in the Scout Group.

Bishop Colton said:

Together with fellow scouts of my generation, many of them still very actively involved in the life of the Diocese, I did this washing up myself as a scout for about 5 Saint Patrick’s Day in a row in the 1970s during the time that Bishop Gordon Perdue was bishop.

My reckoning is that in our time, Susan has hosted nearly 6000 people here on Saint Patrick’s Day alone. Public representatives often refer to the occasion throughout the year as something they look forward to each Saint Patrick’s Day.

This event follows the Civic Service in Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral early on Saint Patrick’s Day, an act of worship which is the first event in the life of public representatives in Cork on our national day.

Being the last occasion that Susan and Paul Colton would host this event, the Bishop honoured two groups and one individual by presenting them with his long voluntary service plaques. Donald Trotter, who first came to Cork in 1964, was recognised for, not only his indefatigable years of voluntary work for scouting in Cork, but, in particular, for the connections he made between scouting and the churches and faith groups in Cork over the last 62 years. Douglas and Saint Fin Barre’s Scout Group were presented with an award recognising all those voluntary decades of washing up.

Finally, Bishop Colton spoke about each and every person who had baked and helped Susan over the years, some who came for just one year or a few. ‘Each of them helped enormously,’ he said ‘All I did was stand at the door and shake peoples’ hands.’ ‘Susan and you did all the work,’ he told them. In particular he singled out those who were on hand for nearly every single one of the 25 occasions: Jane Schiller, Olive Burns, Ruth Wolfe, and Margo Phillips. They each received a presentation.