It’s time to feast on haggis and wash it down with whisky, as we raise a glass in memory of Scottish poet, Robert Burns.
A familiar face surrounding anything Scottish, Robert Burns, also known as Rabbie Burns or simply the bard was born on January 25th, 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire. He was to become Scotland’s most famous writer and poet.
Each year people around the world join the Scots, coming together to celebrate his life and remember his work.
A traditional supper of haggis, neeps and tatties is eaten with no table complete without a bottle of Scotch whisky.
These famous foods are typical in Scotland and it is partly down to Robert Burns and his work.
‘To a Haggis’ in 1786 referred to the oats and meat as a nutritious food for hardy warriors and ‘Scotch Drink’ in 1785 contributes to this becoming the nation’s iconic drink. Whisky was not the first choice of tipple for the Scots back then.
Burns lived a short yet complex life. Not only did he write poetry, he was a songwriter, most famously worldwide for completing Auld Lang Syne, annually played as we let in the New Year. He was also known for farming, his time working for the government as an exciseman, his political stands, his use of the Scots and English languages that are flawlessly entwined and as a lover.
Burns is known to have fathered at least 12 children with 5 women, 2 of with he had planned to marry and all of which he has written about in his works or correspondence. Not all his children nor one of his betrothed survived and in fact, Burns himself also passed away at the young age of 37, in 1796.
So, raise a Scotch, recite a poem and immerse yourself in the life and times of the bard, Rabbie Burns.
