Prompted by @Ian Turner's unsolicited and snappy snap, sent just now and attached 👇, I was reminded that Portugal has had a proper ska scene running quietly for decades. It, of course, goes back to the 80s - bands like Despe & Siga and Contratempos were among the earliest, and Taxi, one of the most influential Portuguese rock bands of all time, came up through a ska and new-wave sound before going on to define a chunk of Portuguese rock history. The Ratazanas (see great video 👇) were the country's best-known reggae/rocksteady act, touring Europe and even backing Jamaican singers on the road. Since the 2000s there's a whole ska-punk wave too - Skarmiento, Skalibans, Banda Zé Ninguém, Funil & Abelhinha - plus bigger crossover acts like Da Weasel, who fused ska with pop, hip hop and rock and picked up two MTV Europe Music Awards along the way. Thanks to @Filomena Pascoal, we also have a special connection to Ús Sai de Gatas, a seven-piece out of Miranda do Corvo who've been going for 15 years, built around accordion, horns and full-on improvised chaos - and I was in one of their videos👇 The new single is literally called "Ska de Gatas," blending ska with traditional Portuguese percussion. --- Got a favourite Portuguese band I've missed? Genre doesn't matter. Let's hear it for the ones nobody outside Portugal has heard of, and share them here...

Olá boa noite @Debby Bradford, e "Parabéns a voce"! All together now...

In 1998, Lisbon celebrated the opening of Vasco da Gama Bridge by serving feijoada (a stew of meat and beans) to 14,763 people seated at a 5000-metre-long table. The event was sponsored by Fairy who used one bottle of its washing up liquid to wash all 14,763 dishes.

As the US political leadership is threatening to bomb the country of Iran "back the Stone Age", let's look at the relationship between Portugal and Iran (historically 'Persia' under the Safavid dynasty and later periods): *Early Modern Period (15th–18th centuries)* 1489–1492: First indirect Portuguese contacts with the Persian Gulf region. Explorer Pêro da Covilhã visits the area while scouting trade routes for King João II. 1507: Portuguese forces under Afonso de Albuquerque conquer the strategic island of Hormuz (Ormuz) in the Persian Gulf, establishing control over key trade routes. This marks the beginning of direct Portuguese–Safavid interactions, often marked by both cooperation (against common Ottoman threats) and rivalry. 1513: Afonso de Albuquerque sends ambassadors (Miguel and João Ferreira) to Shah Ismail I of Persia, initiating formal diplomatic exchanges. 1515–1622: Portugal maintains a presence in Hormuz, using it as a trading and military outpost. Multiple embassies travel between the Portuguese Estado da Índia and the Safavid court. Relations involve trade, anti-Ottoman alliances, and occasional conflicts. 1622: Combined Anglo-Persian forces (English East India Company assisting Shah Abbas I) recapture Hormuz from the Portuguese, ending over a century of Portuguese dominance in the Gulf. A subsequent Portuguese attempt to retake it in 1625 ends in a naval stalemate. 1630–1722: After the loss of Hormuz, Portugal shifts focus to Bandar-e Kong on the Persian mainland as a trading center under agreements with Safavid Iran. This sustains commercial ties for about a century. 1736 onward: Relations decline sharply under Nader Shah Afshar. Official political and trade contacts largely cease for decades. *19th–Early 20th Century* Mid-19th century (Qajar period): Sporadic re-engagement, but no sustained official diplomatic framework until the 20th century. *Modern Diplomatic Era (20th–21st centuries)* 1932: Portugal opens its first consulate in Tehran.

On this day, in 1515, a Portuguese fleet commanded by Afonso de Albuquerque captured the strategic Persian fortress of Hormuz (Ormuz) in the Strait of Hormuz. Renamed the Fort of Our Lady of the Conception, it secured vital control over spice trade routes between Europe, India, and the Middle East, marking a high point of Portuguese maritime empire-building in the Indian Ocean.