Robert Burns

Robert Burns

About Robert Burns Also known as Rabbie Burns and the Bard of Ayrshire

He is famous for writing many poems and songs and is known as the national poet of Scotland

He was born in a town called Alloway in Ayrshire, Scotland on the 25th January 1759 and died on the 21st July 1796, aged 37

He was the oldest child and had 6 siblings

They all worked on their father’s farm when they were growing up and the family were quite poor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qMxIBqpryG0

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Poetry and Songs Rabbie wrote his first poem when he was 15 years old

about a girl he was working on the farm with

He married a woman called Jean Armour in 1785 andhad 9 children with her and 4 other children withdifferent women. His youngest child, Maxwell Burns,was born on the day of his funeral.

Burns wrote poems in an old dialect of Scottish called ‘Scots’ but some poems are also in English

Greenock Burns Club The Burns club in my hometown, Greenock, is known as “The Mother Club”

because it was the first Burns club and was established in 1801

Some of the original members included some of the friends of Robert Burns who wanted to celebrate the bard’s birthday 5 years after his death

What happens at a Burns supper? A Burns supper is a traditional Scottish feast and celebration held on the 25th

January to remember the birth of Robert Burns, the Scottish national poet.

A Burns supper takes place in the evening and begins with the organisers and special guests being piped in then there is a welcome speech made by the host of the event.

After this the haggis is piped in with the person whocooked the haggis holding it on a big tray. It is placed on the main table and everyone stands while ‘Address to a Haggis’ – a poem by Burns - is read out

When the address is finished, a knife is plunged into the haggis and a toast is made with some whisky which signals the start of the meal

After the haggis is eating there is a small speech said to thank the people who cooked the meal and someone then talks about Burns’ life

Then there is some dancing, singing and reciting of Burns’ poetry. The poems most commonly read out are ‘Tam O’Shanter’ and ‘To a Mouse’

Finally, the organisers of the supper thank everyone who has attended and everyone stands to sing Auld Lang Syne, a song written by Burns that we also sing at midnight on Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) – 31st December

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-cs-TMSkFg

Celebrating Burns Night in Schools In 2013 the schools in the region of Inverclyde held a Burns supper and

around 120 pupils took part in the celebration

Everyone was welcomed before the haggis was piped in then the address to a haggis was made by a student from my old high school

After this, another student talked about the life of Robert Burns

Then there was a lot of dancing and poetry reading

To finish the night everyone joined hands to sing Auld Lang Syne

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum There is now a museum in the cottage where Burns was born and you can

visit to look around the home he lived in and also the area where the family farm was

In the museum there are more than 5,500 artefacts of Robert Burns including the original books he wrote

My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose O my Luve's like a red, red roseThat’s newly sprung in June;O my Luve's like

the melodieThat’s sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,So deep in luve am I:And I will luve thee still, my dear,Till a’ the seas gang dry:

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:I will luve thee still, my dear,While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee well, my only LuveAnd fare thee well, a while!And I will come again, my Luve,Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.