It was travelling en route to Mauchline on the Ayr road that I first saw the sign to the Highland Mary Monument. This was in the hamlet of Failford. On retracing my steps a few days later, I duly parked up with no difficulty just beyond the Failford Inn and walked down to the path… Continue reading The Highland Mary Monument in Ayrshire
Category: Robert Burns
This category relates to the life and work of the Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Poosie Nancy’s in Mauchline
It was the small lounge bar that was open in the hostility in Mauchline in Scotland known as Poosie Nancy’s. I can confirm that the connotation is one of the rudest words in any language. With camera in train I sauntered over to the good lady of the hostelry and ordered a half of cider.… Continue reading Poosie Nancy’s in Mauchline
Robert Burns in Irvine
Robert Burns and his younger brother Gilbert were encouraged by their father to grow acreage of flax on the family farm at Lochlea. There was also some level of encouragement from the government to raise the crop, though the viability of the crop would subsequently be challenged by imported cotton from America. The treated flax… Continue reading Robert Burns in Irvine
Robert Burns: A mother’s legacy
Quite deliberately and quite effectively, the recent biography (The Bard) of Robert Burns by Robert Crawford stresses the important role of his mother in introducing him at an early age to the legacy of Scottish word and song. As a child Burns was possessed of a highly retentive memory as evidenced by his ability to… Continue reading Robert Burns: A mother’s legacy
Lochlea Distillery, a link with the Bard
In an age of social media, it is all too apparent that the best way to inform an audience is by way of personal presentation. This was the observation of learning about the rather unique Lochlea Distillery, established on the site of a farm once worked by Robert Burns in Ayrshire in Scotland. The occasion… Continue reading Lochlea Distillery, a link with the Bard
The Robert Burns Memorial in Irvine, Scotland
It was a blustery, overcast day with threatening rain, but the gathering at the Robert Burns memorial in Irvine in Scotland recently on Sunday 28th January was in fine fettle. The mood could be described as ‘canty’. Essentially organised by the Irvine Burns Club which was founded in 1826, the memorial itself was unveiled in… Continue reading The Robert Burns Memorial in Irvine, Scotland