Arthur's Day the brewing company to raise a glass to the memory of Arthur Guinness at 17:59 (5:59 pm), a reference to 1759, the year the Guinness Brewery was established. An 82c stamp of an Arthur Guinness portrait was also released by An Post to commemorate the anniversary. The last Arthur's Day was held in 2013. Guinness cancelling the event in 2014. A new music programme to help emerging artists in Ireland called "Guinness Amplify" was launched to replace the event The event was criticised as a marketing ploy to increase sales of Guinness with Arthur's day, without understanding or appreciation for
Signing of the Treaty of Lisbon of Portugal (in the role of President of the European Council), José Sócrates, respectively, held speeches stressing the historic significance of the day. Around noon the main signing ceremony began, with representatives from the 27 member states signing the treaty in the alphabetic order. Afterwards, renowned Portuguese folk artist Dulce Pontes performed a musical piece in the country's traditional Fado genre. The programme at Jerónimos Monastery ended with a traditional 'family photo' of the leaders outside the South Gate of the historical building. Representatives from the member states signed the treaty in the following order: The Portuguese presidency decided to