Celebrating the immortal bard, Robert Burns

Although Burns was only 37 when he died, he had a full and eventful life. He was born in a tiny cottage built by his father, a self-educated tenant farmer named William Burness (Robert Burns spelled his surname Burness until 1786). His mother Agnes Broun was a delightful, hard-working woman who is known to have entertained her children with legends from local traditions and folk songs. She outlived both her husband and her famous son.

Burns had little formal education, being largely home-taught by his father, although he did attend a school in Alloway operated by John Murdoch. His father focused on reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history. With Murdoch, Burns studied grammar, French, and Latin and mathematics. Until his works became published, he supported himself as a labourer.

Considered by many of his contemporaries to be a bit of a rogue when it came to his romantic relationships, he was still well respected for his literary prowess. His poetry provided him an opportunity to circulate with the educated, wealthy and influential people of the day. It is believed that he only had one legal wife Jean Armour, although he had children by four other women. His last child, a son named Maxwell, was born the day of Burns’ funeral. After his death his literary fame ensured that Jean and her children were financially secure.

Literary scholars regard him as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death Burns was a source of inspiration for both liberalism and socialism. Although he wrote extensively in Gaelic, much of his work is also in English or what some term a ‘light’ Scots dialect. Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem and song, ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is sung on New Year’s Eve or Hogmanay, and another song, ‘Scots Wha Hae’, served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of Scotland.

The Digby Area Board of Trade is again celebrating the birth of Robbie Burns with a dinner in Annapolis Basin Conference Centre on Saturday Jan. 24, with the welcome reception at 6:15 p.m., at dinner 7 p.m., and a kitchen party to follow.

Special guests at the dinner are Scotland’s justice minister Kenny MacAskill and former Nova Scotia premier Sen. John Buchanan.

This is the third year for the board’s dinner, and as the Burns celebration has grown each year, the organizers have moved from James Horsfall Memorial Hall to the larger venue of Champlain Hall. Organizing committee co-chairs John DeMings and Kevin Ellis insist that the event has all that Burns would have considered as the necessities: Haggis, the Scotch whisky, songs, bagpipes and of course the most important ingredient, fun.

Tickets are $50 per person and overnight accommodation is available at the conference centre. A limited number of tickets are still available. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact either of the co-chairs at 245-4715 or 245-2541 or Julie MacLean at Digby Clare CBDC (Growth Opportunities) at 245-6166.