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Robert Burns Night
Since its Burns night next week, we have detailed Robert Burns facts and Burns night events for you.
Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
Ayrshire Explorer tour, suitable for one day
Robert Burns - The Bard
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, Robden of Solway Firth, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as simply The Bard) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a "light" Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt.
He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world, celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was voted by the Scottish public as being the Greatest Scot, through a vote run by Scottish television channel STV.
Alloway
Alloway is a village on the outskirts of Ayr and is famous for being the birthplace of Scotland’s Baird, Robert Burns. You can visit the home in which Burns was born, restored to the way it looked when Burns was a child. Visiting his childhood home is almost like the beginning of a pilgrimage for many Burns enthusiast and fans.
Alloway is the setting of one of Burns’ most famous poems, Tam o’ Shanter. For anyone who has read the poem, taking a walk around the village can be very entertaining. To learn more about Burns and the Tam o’ Shanter poem, there is also a visitor centre with a Tam o’ Shanter experience, it is best to do this before you tour the village. After visiting Burns Cottage and visiting the centre, you can visit the Auld Kirk, where Tam saw the witches dancing with the “deil”. You can also visit the Brig o’ Doon , a late medieval bridge over the pretty river Doon, where Tam’s poor horse Meg loses her tail, when they manage to escape the Nannie witch. A Burns monument and gardens finish off a tour of the village quite nicely.



