Places to Go and Things to See

It has been a wonderfully busy weekend, and more of that later, but I want to put out a little info to you on some places of interest I was visiting yesterday so as you tour around Burns Country you may look in

Before leaving Dumfries yesterday, I called in at St Michael's Church. At the SSCBA Gala Dinner, in the Easterbrook Hall on Sunday night, I had spoken to Betty Haining about arranging a visit and we met there to find the Church had opened for visitors at this special time, (it is a pity the town's Robert Burns Centre did not have the same initiative), as they do through the summer. I saw the new stained glass depictions of Burns and Jean Armour, and the beautiful marble bust of the Bard all newly unveiled the day before, 25th January, and had a great guided tour of the church with all the information on the history of the Parish Church.

The fine new marble bust of Robert Burns in St Michael's Church, Dumfries

My next stop was the Globe Inn, recently refurbished after some structural restorations, and was lucky enough to latch on to a tour guided by their resident expert, Jane Brown. The Globe and the Burns world are very fortunate to have someone with the enthusiasm and knowledge of Jane there to guide tourists.

We journeyed home through Thornhill where the Thornhill and District Burns Club have mounted a fantastic display in Thomas Tosh gallery, showing the story of Burns as an Exciseman in the parishes of Nithsdale. A wonderful telling of the story detailing Burns onerous excise duties, mainly prior to his transfer to Dumfries. with great displays giving a lot of local connections. Many congratulations to Thornhill and District. I was given a CD entitled Pass the Haggis, a dozen or so Burns Poems and Songs performed by local children, produced by pupils of Wallace Hall Academy to celebrate the 250th, well done Wallace Hall.

I congratulate the proprietor of Thomas Tosh for the outstanding exhibition.

Last evening I was at the National Library in Edinburgh, as they launched the touring of their great exhibition of Burns Life, entitled Zig Zag. This brings together a number of exhibits from around the country, and shows them off in an easily interpreted format. It has been on show in Edinburgh for some time to much acclaim, and now is off touring Scotland, opening shortly in Dumfries before making it to Aberdeen and Glasgow later in the year. Try to catch it somewhere along the way.

This weekend marks the opening of an exhibition in Perth Art Gallery and Museum, "The Spirit of Burns", featuring the works of Jim Douglas. The exhibition runs for some time and will be supported by a series of afternoon talks on various Burns subjects. I look forward to looking in on this soon. If you are in Perth between 29th January and 14th February, Perth Theatre have a production of Tam O' Shanter, which they bill as a wild musical ride. That will surely be worth a visit.

I add here an email I recieved reviewing the Perth Theatre show, certainly sounds like one to see.

I went to see the Tam o’ Shanter play/musical last night at Perth Theatre.
I whole heartedly concur with Donald Mac review, in that it was a superb interpretation of some of the poems and songs of Robert Burns, and brought into the 21st century by a lively set of 11 young actors, dancers and musicians.
Special mention to the performance of “The Jolly Beggars: A Cantata”
And also the dance sequence in the auld Kirk at Alloway was imaginative and energetic as performance I have ever seen.
I think that it was greatly entertaining, amusing and informative both to the wider public not only a hard core of Burns people.
I think it is a total credit to Gerry Mulgrew and Perth Theatre for this production and hope and wish that it gets at least a showing in the west of Scotland and at best a national or international tour.
I recommend that if you have not seen it to go as it only on for 2 more days... and may not reappear, as to quote the man
“Or like the snow fall on the river,A moment white - then melts forever”

Elliot Boyle

The President's Mailbag

My mailbag has been bigger of late, every day there are one or two extra pieces and all of them very welcome, from expressions of fraternal greetings as the anniversary approaches to invitations to attend all manner of splendid events. This morning an unusual delivery of a parcel containing a wooden box. The antiqued box, just bigger than an old style foolscap page and about 4" deep, just as one would imagine might be used to keep safe a few particular treasures. Inside I found a letter, folded and closed with an image of Burns Seal in blue wax, on opening, in the style of an antique handwriting, it is my letter of invitation to the Homecoming Burns Supper this Saturday in Alloway. Below, wrapped in a piece of hessian, are several other wee keepsakes. A sprig of dried flax, wheat, heather and a red rose, picture postcards ? addressed to Robt Burns at Mossgiel, one with a view of some highland loch, dated October 1786 and signed Highland Mary, and the other a view of Edinburgh dated Jan 12th 1788 and signed Clarinda, both tied in a red ribbon, a label written Mossgiel, two small silhouettes framed in card, more postcards tied in string with fragments of verses and a picture of Auld Alloway Kirk, a whisky advert, a travelling dram cup, a handkerchief with a lipstick print on. and a small facsimile of the letter RB sent from Dumfries on 18th July 1796 to James Armour. There is a "modern" label on the exterior commenting on the unknown owner of these personal items, and the paper label in the centre of the top is monogrammed RB.

I do not normally celebrate the kitch of the Burnsiana around but I rather like this little collection, regardless of the minor stretches with the supposed historical timeline.

Another wonderful happening today. In late November I first noticed the Presidential Chain of Office required some repairs, one of the secondary internal joints was off, a link on the main chain was suspect, and in early December it parted, so repairs were urgently required. As we are all aware the jewellers who manufactured it in 1914 disappeared from the scene around 1972, but estimates were sought and by the time these were received and and considered the regalia specialists were closed for the winter holiday, but on their return instructed to proceed. The first message was that they worked on an eight week lead time, but would endeavour to have the work done in three or four! Much groveling, cajoling, and pressuring followed. and just over two weeks later we have our chain back. Not only have the repairs been expertly done the whole has been totally refinished and looks positively splendid, I am sure when many see it next they will hardly recognise it, such is the shine off this wonderful golden jewel and chain.

I will bear it with pride on my forthcoming duties, and I am so thrilled that it is back in pristine condition for this most important anniversary.

The University of Glasgow Conference.

It has been a while since I blogged, not that I have been sitting at home doing nothing, quite the opposite, so busy that I haven't had time to blog. much the same now but I can't let this time of the year go by without mentioning the most notable events that I am attending, I have rather resolved not to give an endless list of this Burns Suppers and a' that, you will get a few, but my Blog tonight is mainly about the most magnificent conference held last week at the University of Glasgow, Centre for Robert Burns Studies, "Robert Burns 1759 - 2009". This was a massive conference even by Glasgow standards where the annual event has been going on for many years, but under the auspices of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies the event has reached new heights. Over 3 days, 15th - 17th, over 75 speakers participated, some very eminent academics from literally all corners of the globe, interspersed by a few independent enthusiasts, such as myself who was very honoured to give a paper in such an expert programme.

I will not list everything that happened, perhaps just a few highlights, From the time Principal Sir Muir Russell introduced Fiona Hyslop MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Education) to launch the programme we were treated to many great delights, such as on day 1 we opened with Prof Leith Davis from Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, and finished with the great Prof G Ross Roy of the University of South Carolina. Outstanding on day 2 were Prof Susan Manning from Edinburgh, Prof Fiona Stafford, Oxford, and Prof Chris Whatley Dundee, closing day 3 was Prof Robert Crawford, St Andrews and that was after excellent presentations from John Cairney, and David Purdie.

The main plenary sessions were interspersed by panels where delegates had the difficult task of selecting from a huge array of papers to go and hear. Often the questions and discussion flowed over into the coffee and lunch breaks. It was three very full days, running at times from 9.30 and finishing at 6.00 or 7.00pm. When I say finishing then that is not strictly the case.

The conference was supplemented by three outstanding and unique events, On Thursday evening in Oran Mor, Sheena Wellington entertained with a selection of the Merry Muses, (one of the themes of the Conference) and there was a performance of the Jolly Beggars cantata. Friday had a world premiere of a piece of music newly composed by James MacMillan, commissioned by the Centre for Robert Burns Studies, and a selection of Burns songs, to arrangements by Haydn, which the University has been working on for a number of years. Saturday of course finished with a dinner, billed as an Alternative Burns Supper, perhaps reflecting the fresh thinking going on in the centre. I had the good fortune to be at a table with the Chancellor, Sir Kenneth Calman, Glasgow's Lord Provost Bob Winter, and Prof Francis Johnson, of Stony Brook University, Long Island who with his wife presented a goblet owned by Burns to the Centre. (I should have mentioned that earlier the centre had been presented with a Kilmarnock edition). The star attraction of this alternative supper was a superb rendition of Tam O' Shanter by Karen Dunbar.

A fantastic end to three intense days of exchange of Burns knowledge, Dr Gerard Carruthers, Dr Kirsteen McCue, and all the staff, administrative & academic, of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies have to be heartily congratulated for putting together such an outstanding three days marking this great anniversary.

I look forward to more Conferences at the centre.