So they had a dinner of sheep's heid, sheep's head, and haggis. Ricky Ross: When did the tradition of Burns suppers begin?ĭavid Hopes: The tradition of Burns suppers started in 1801 in this very room in what was then the lounge of a bar because Burns cottage was a pub for over 100 years. There have been many revivals, for example, around anniversaries of his birth and death, but his fame has been on a steady increase since 1786.
I mean he was really popular after the publication of his first book back in 1786 and the growth in Burns' popularity from that point has been exponential I'd say. Has there been a revival of Burns work or has he always been popular?ĭavid Hopes: I think he's always been popular. Ricky Ross: I've come to the cottage where Robert Burns was born in Alloway in Ayrshire to ask David Hopes, Director of the Burns Birthplace Museum, why Burns is still an important figure in Scottish culture. The hard work this job entailed and his dissolute lifestyle took their toll on Burns' health and he died on 21 July 1796, aged 37, on the day his son Maxwell was born.
He liked a drink and due to his lifestyle, the money made from writing did not last long.īy 1787, he was working as a farmer again and in 1788, despite his increasingly radical views, he took a job in the Excise Service. He published a second edition of his poems but his popularity did not make him wealthy. It became known as the 'Kilmarnock Edition' after the town in which it was published and all copies were sold within a few weeks.īurns had been planning to emigrate to Jamaica but, encouraged by the success of his book, he stayed in Scotland where he took the Scottish literary world by storm. He began writing while working on his father's farm and his first works were songs declaring his love to local girls.īurns' first collection of poetry, 'Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect', was published in 1786 and includes favourite 'To A Mouse'. He was well-read and was educated both at school and at home. He was born in a small town in Ayrshire in 1759, the son of a tenant farmer. He also led a colourful and varied life which exposed him to different sections of society.
His life growing up among the ordinary people of Scotland meant he could write about nature and hardship as well as love and family. So who is this national bard? He was a farmer's son who could speak to the common man.
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