Welcome to our Scottish Newsletter - Issue 2.

Burns Night

Robert Burns has captured the imagination not only of his own country folk, but people all over the world for over two hundred years. The only poet to be commemorated annually on his birthday by a night of good food, pleasant company, poetry, songs and speeches. This special night is called a Burns Supper.

Burns Suppers are held not only in Scotland but also in places as far away as Russia and China by people who relate to the common humanity of his verse. I talked yesterday to a man who had attended a Burns Supper in Canada where there were 500 people present! Acknowledged as Britains greatest songwriter and the man, who if not created it in its entirety, pieced together Auld Lang Syne.

What kind of man was Robert Burns? What was his background and what fashioned his beliefs? Robert's family originally came from Kincardineshire where they were tenant farmers. They moved to Ayrshire in 1750.William Burness (Robert's father) married Agnes Broun the daughter of a tenant farmer in the area, who at 24 was 12 years younger than him. Robert was born on the 25th January 1759 and was their first born son.The family lived in Alloway near the county town of Ayr in a house that was built by William, on a holding of 71/2 acres. This cosy home was where Robert first heard readings of the Bible and the folk songs of Scotland from the pleasing voice of his mother. An elderly widowed relative called Betty Davidson stimulated young Robert's imagination with tales and songs about devils, ghosts, fairies, brownies, witches, warlocks and all sorts of other imaginary creatures Roberts father was a man of strong character who knew the value of a good education. Although the family were not well off Robert and his brother Gilbert were given the opportunity to broaden their knowledge by means of a private tutor. This tutor John Murdoch remarked of Burns, 'made rapid progress in reading and was just tolerable in writing'. Although his writing potential seems to have gone unnoticed at this early age, his mind was obviously hungry for knowledge and his immense powers of observation were being cultivated.

At 15 yrs.of age Robert had spent a good part of his youth helping his father on the farm and was in a position of responsibility. It was at this young age Robert wrote his first poem " Handsome Nell" for Helen Kilpatrick of Dalrymple a bewitching creature for whom he first "committe the sin of rhyme". So it was Roberts eye for the lassies that provided the inspiration for his first poem.What a debt mankind owes to Helen Kilpatrick and all the other lassies that caught his eye. During his short life, of 37 years, Robert Burns penned such beautiful poetry and songs that it was said "even the angels would weep at their beauty".

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