On the Trail of Robert Burns

John Cairney

• Publisher: Luath Press
• eBook ISBN:
  9781804252154
• Year: 2024

Is there anything new to say about Robert Burns? John Cairney says it's time to trash Burns the Brand and come on the trail of the real Robert Burns. He is the best of travelling companions on the convivial, entertaining journey to the heart of the Burns story. Alloway – Burns' birthplace. Tam O' Shanter draws on the Alloway Kirk witch stories first heard by Burns in his childhood Mossgiel – Between 1784 and 1786 in a phenomenal burst out of creativity, Burns wrote some of his most memorable poems including 'Holy Willie's Prayer' and 'To a Mouse' Kilmarnock – The famous Kilmarnock edition of Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect published in 1786 Edinburgh – Fame and Clarinda (among others) embraced him. Dumfries – Burns died at the age of 37. The trail ends at the Burns Mausoleum in St Michael's Church graveyard. Internationally known as 'the face of Robert Burns', John Cairney believes that the traditional Burns tourist trail urgently needs to find a new direction. In an acting career spanning 40 years, he has often lived and breathed Robert Burns on stage. On the Trail of Robert Burns shows just how well he has got under the skin of Burns' character. This fascinating journey around Scotland is a rediscovery of Scotland's national bard as a flesh and blood genius.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Index Map
• Map A – West of Scotland and West Highlands
• Map B – Edinburgh
• Map C – The Borders
• Map D – Highlands and North East
• Preface
• CHAPTER 1: The Burns Country
• CHAPTER 2: Edinburgh
• CHAPTER 3: The Borders
• CHAPTER 4: Return to the West
• CHAPTER 5: The Highlands and the North East
• CHAPTER 6: Edinburgh Re-Visited
• CHAPTER 7: Ellisland
• CHAPTER 8: Dumfries (1791–1794)
• CHAPTER 9: First Galloway Tour
• CHAPTER 10: Second Galloway Tour
• Postscript
• Bibliography
• Back Cover