All talks are held Wednesdays in the Robertson Room or, when necessary, the Temporary Exhibition Gallery at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Alloway. Talks start at 2.30pm and finish at 3.30pm. 40/45 minutes for the talk and the rest of the allocated hour for Q & As.
Booking on Eventbrite is advised. Any unreserved places on the day will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Speakers and titles may be subject to change. Please check here or on our Facebook posts for updates.
Melvyn Gibson
RBBM Volunteer and Highlight Talks organiser
2025
5 November 2025
Calum Colvin OBE, acclaimed and internationally respected Artist, Professor of Fine Art Photography at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, discusses and illustrates for us Burnsiana, a project involving an open-ended series of works, a series of exhibitions and books born from an appreciation of the poetry, life and times of Scotland’s favourite son, Robert Burns.
19 November 2025
Jolyn Crawford and Davie Hunter – Burns’ Songs and The Story or Stories. Music and background information on the creation and origins of the tunes and lyrics. Jolyn and Davie perform together as Brigadoon at Burns Cottage and other local venues.
10 December 2025
Steven Veerapen, author of books on history and of historical fiction, teaching English Literature at the University ofStrathclyde, considers James VI and I : Man, Myth and Monarch – a lurching, cowardly fool, forever fiddling with his codpiece and drooling – literally – over handsome male favourites or charming and forceful enough to oversee a period of stability with no major rebellions, during which the renaissance flourished.
7 January 2026
Freedom and Whisky Gang Taegither: Changes to Scotch Drink documented in the works of Robert Burns
About this event:
Macon McCormack, historian, will speak on the political, economic, and social tensions that transformed whisky in eighteenth-century Scotland, discussing how the writing of Robert Burns reflected this transformation. This highlight talk explores what is known about Scotch whisky production and consumption in Scotland during Burns’ lifetime, including the roles of women in distilling and inn-keeping, and highlights Burns’ omissions regarding illicit activity in his career as an exciseman. This tumultuous period in history shaped Scotch whisky, and like the poetry of Burns, was carried with the diaspora across the world to become a global commodity which radiates the heritage of Scotland with each dram.
21 January 2026
Rebecca Brown, co-founder of the charity Folklore Scotland, brings us Song Of The Stag – Folklore And Fiction, a journey through the ways that storytelling can make an impact on community, history and even politics.
4 February 2026
Tamara Fulcher, Communications and Marketing Lead Officer, Galloway and South Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, arrests our attention with A Passion for Living: The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere.
18 February 2026
Dave Dewar, teacher and playwright – Andrew Carnegie: From Rags To Riches: Andrew Carnegie left Dunfermline aged 12 with his family to emigrate to America. By age 35 he was a millionaire, by 65 he was the richest man on the planet. He then gave it all away.
4 March 2026
Niamh Gilfillan, Learning Officer at the Robert BurnsBirthplace Museum, in Perspectives of the Highlands of Scotland in the 18th and 19th Centuries considers sources such as travel journals(including those of Robert Burns) and Gaelic poetry from the 18th and 19th centuries, to examine the various understandings of one of the most controversial geographical and cultural landscapes in the British Isles.
18 March 2026
James Ryan, the National Trust for Scotland’s “resident fossil hunter” at Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum in Cromarty – Hugh Miller: The David Attenborough of his Day. Fossil hunter, folklorist, man of faith, stonemason, geologist, editor, writer and social justice campaigner – Hugh Miller was one of the great Scots of the 19th century. Now as we celebrate the 185th anniversary of his most famous book “The Old Red Sandstone”, join James as he uncovers the life and legacy of this brilliant man.
1 April 2026
Chris Waddell, Learning Manager at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum – ‘Ilk Cowslip cup shall kep a tear’ – Green initiatives at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. Inspiration, in part, from Elegy on Captain Matthew Henderson by Robert Burns
15 April 2026
Author L Bruce Keith, retired Chartered Surveyor and Environmentalist – Scotland Beneath The Surface: exploring the natural and man-made heritage under our feet. Based on his book of the same title.
29 April 2026
Peter MacKay/ / Pàdraig MacAoidh poet, senior lecturer(University of St. Andrews),broadcaster and, since 2024,Scotland’s Makar considers, as a Scottish poet, not just a Gaelic one, both in his own time and now Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair, the greatest Gaelic poet of the 18th century, Gaelic tutor to Bonnie Prince Charlie, Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair’s Jacobite vehemence – as well as sexual explicitness (exceeding that, for some 19th century critics, of Burns or even Rochester) meant that his work was subjected to political and moral censure in the 18th and 19th centuries.
13 May 2026
Dr Aonghas MacCoinnich, Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow – Evidence for Gaelic in Carrick and How It Died Out . Carrick(roughly South Ayrshire) is one of the three, old divisions of Ayrshire – Cunninghame, Kyle and Carrick
27 May 2026
In a talk entitled From Imitators To Innovators: Children And Language Change Jennifer Smith, Professor of English Language and Linguistics at Glasgow University argues thatLanguage is uniquely human. As such we are the only species that has the ability to talk about the weather, what we will eat for dinner tonight, why we did not like the film we saw at the weekend. Language is also constantly changing – a granny sounds very different to a grandchild – and children are at the centre in driving language change. How exactly does this happen?
In her talk Professor Smith examines the speech of children from the north-east of Scotland in the key years of language development: first in preschool (aged 3-4) with their caregivers, and then in preadolescence (12-13) with their peers. In doing so, we can track the dynamics of language change as the children move from imitation in the caregiver-dominated speech of the home to innovation in the community-dominated speech of the wider world.
10 June 2026
Hugh Farrell, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum Volunteer, presents The Burns Supper 1801 to 2026.
A look at the Suppers held in Burns Cottage 1801 – 1809 and 2016 -2026. Hugh’s talk will reference his experiences of participating in and organising these events over the 6 decades from 1972 – 2025.
24 June 2026
Clark McGinn, author and honorary research fellow, Centre for Robert Burns Studies, in ‘Burns and Black Lives’ (based on hisbook of the same title)through meticulous research and a compelling narrative, examines Burns’ connections to the transatlantic slave trade, highlighting the paradoxes and moral conflicts during the poet’s time. He does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, presenting a nuanced portrait that challenges readers to reconcile Burns’ literary genius with the ethical ambiguities of his time.
Past Talks
Sunday 29 January 2023, 2.30pm, Robertson Room
Dane Love, writer and publisher – Legendary Ayrshire. Many of Ayrshire’s traditional tales are being forgotten in an ever-modernising world. Dane Love takes a look back at the folklore and customs of the county, rediscovering the places and stories that were honoured in some way by the Ayrshire folk of the past. He will take us to places traditionally associated with early saints, and thus venerated for centuries, as well as rocks and stones that were perhaps places of pilgrimage. Ancient wells and strange caves can be found all over the county, and this talk will introduce us to many of them. The speaker will tell of traditional tales of ghosts and hauntings, fairies and witches, as well as the ancient festival of Beltane, still long revered even after Reformation ministers deemed it as un-Christian.
Wednesday 8 February 2023, 2.30pm, Robertson Room
Tom Hughes – Museum Officer – Access, Dumfries and Galloway – Yonder Clouden’s Silent Towers: Robert Burns and Lincluden Abbey. Exploring the importance of this medieval site in Scottish history, and how it inspired several of Burns’ works.
Wednesday 22 February 2023, 2.30pm, Robertson RoomProfessor Jeremy Smith – Mythmaking Through Letters: Materiality in the Correspondence of Robert Burns with special reference to letters exchanged between Burns (Sylvander) and Mrs Agnes Maclehose(Clarinda)
Wednesday 8 March 2023, 2.30pm, Robertson Room
Doctor Pauline Mackay, Centre for Robert Burns Studies, Glasgow University – Creating Burns Beyond Reality. In this talk Dr Pauline MacKay, a world-leading expert on Robert Burns Studies and currently Lecturer in Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow and Associate Director at the Centre for Robert Burns Studies, reflects on the process that led to bringing Burns into the virtual, the questions that have arisen along the way, and the aspirations for using immersive teaching in the future. Burns Beyond Reality allows the user to travel both back in time as well as into the imagery of Robert Burn’s famous poem Tam O’ Shanter. While there, the user can handle virtually curated artefacts relating to Robert Burns material culture and examine them within the context of the poem.
Wednesday 22 March 2023, 2.30pm, Robertson Room
Dr Lesley Orr, Research Fellow at the Centre for Theology and Public Issues, University of Edinburgh, historian, theologian and activist for gender and social justice, Co-convener of the Common Weal think tank and member of the Iona Community. -in Reflections on being a (distant, feminist) cousin of Robert Burns examines connected family histories, particularly from Kirkoswald; Burns as a Scottish icon and more generally his significance, as a man and as a poet/song collector, in relation to women – during his lifetime, but also changing perceptions of and about those relations, in the light of changing social and cultural attitudes.
Wednesday 12 April 2023, 2.30pm, Exhibition Gallery
Luke Sargent, Head Gardener, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum – The History and Development of the Gardens at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
Wednesday 26 April, 2023, 2.30pm, Robertson Room
Bill Rogers, former guide at Culzean Castle and speaker on a variety of topics across the West of Scotland – A Virtual Tour of Culzean including the Eisenhower Apartments- from dark and forbidding medieval Tower House to eighteenth century Robert Adam architectural masterpiece and holiday home for an American President.
Wednesday 17 May 2023, 2.30pm
Allan McKelvie will present; ‘Robert Burns and Sedition’ discussing the evidence for Burns’s radical opinions, how the authorities of the time viewed such beliefs and how Burns avoided the fate of other radicals who suffered imprisonment and deportation for expressing anti-establishment views in a time of revolutions, political upheavals and the emergence of new ideas and aspirations.
Wednesday 31 May 2023, 2.30pm, Robertson Room
Dr Ian Fraser, Archive Manager, Historic Environment Scotland – presents The Lost Tomb of Robert the Bruce by considering the research and reconstruction of the warrior King’s tomb, envisaged and reimagined as the last resting place of the corporeal remains of the Scots monarch featured in a famous work by Robert Burns.
Wednesday 14 June 2023, 2.30pm, Robertson Room
Speakers from The Whithorn Trust – The Whithorn Way: The History, Regeneration And Return Of A Pilgrim’s Way. The signposted (blue signs) route of the Whithorn Way passes near the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum on its way through Alloway.
28 June 2023
John Burnett, retired Principal Curator of Modern Scotland, National Museums of Scotland, author of several books on Scottish history and folklore including Robert Burns And The Hellish Legions presents – Halloween: a Great Poem Rediscovered – examining the worth and significance of a work by Robert Burns.
13 September 2023
Stanley Sarsfield, Retired Cultural Coordinator at East Ayrshire Council, discusses Scotland’s Other, William McGonagall: The World’s Worst Poet? including how some of McGonagall’s best worst works are the verses he wrote in tribute to Scotland’s National Bard, Robert Burns. Hear and be amazed by McGonagall’s avoidance of poetic structures, metric insensitivity and daring efforts at rhyming couplets. Smiles and tears are guaranteed in equal measure.
27 September 2023
John Rattenbury, Volunteer Guide Organiser at the Burrell Collection, presents The Power Of Pee. Urine is almost a magical substance. It has symbolic and mystical meaning, medical and health uses, and a vast array of applications in technical and scientific areas. Find out more about the power of pee!
Sunday 1 October 2023 2pm to 3.30pm
JKL DUO perform and discuss their CD, The International Poet, instrumental interpretations and compositions based on songs by Robert Burns. JKL DUO are flautist, Kerry Lynch and guitarist, Jacopo Lazzaretti. The International Poet CD will be available, on the day, for sale at £10 each.
4 October 2023
Bill Boyd, retired teacher and education consultant in On Robert Fergusson talks about the poet and man who Robert Burns acknowledged as his inspiration. Fergusson was much admired amongst his contemporary 18th century writers but has often been called Scotland’s forgotten poet.
11 October 2023
Carolyn O’Hara, writer and teacher in Sir John Steell, a Ground-breaking Sculptor, explains why, despite his ground-breaking work and global success, Steell is little known today, and lies in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh. Steell produced the white marble bust of Robert Burns found in Poet’s Corner within Westminster Abbey.
1 November 2023
Ken O’Hara, actor, artist and musician performs and interprets a selection of poems and songs by the Bard in – Aspects of Burns in Words and Music.
15 November 2023
Playwright David Dewar, in Robert Burns – his Dumfriesshire years and his landlord at Ellisland, inventor Patrick Miller sets out the story of both men and how they relate to each other.
29 November 2023
Alan Riach, poet, writer, Professor of Scots Literature at Glasgow University addresses Robert Burns: Radical Romantic. At the heart of the storm created by the Enlightenment and Romanticism that tore through Scotland, Europe and indeed the whole western world, from around 1698 (the birth of Alasdair mac Maighstir Alasdair) to around 1850 (the death of Wordsworth), Burns was at the centre of a constellation of poets, in Gaelic, Scots and English, whose work spanned the era. If we’re going to call him a ‘Romantic’ poet, we need to redefine the meaning of the word. ‘Radical’, however, is pretty clearly definable, and in this context, Burns’s embodiment of its meaning becomes increasingly, powerfully clear.
20 December 2023
Professor David Purdie, co-editor of The Burns Encyclopaedia in What killed Robert Burns – And What Did Not? discusses the medical history of the Bard, what treatment he received, what took him from us at the age of 37, and the attacks on his character launched by Press Obituaries and by his early biographers. The talk will be fully illustrated by images from the National Archives in Edinburgh.
10 January 2024:
DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THIS TALK WAS CANCELLED
n her talk Musicologist Dr Morag Grant discusses Burns and ‘Auld Lang Syne’. ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is the most famous of all the songs associated with Burns — but to what extent is it Burns’s song at all? This talk will look at how the song we now know today relates to a number of eighteenth-century predecessors, and at how Burns transformed it. It will also consider what happened to the song after the poet’s death, and the part played by a number of other people in helping it become one of the most well-known songs in the world.
24 January 2024
Tom Barclay, retired Local History Librarian, takes us back to The Great Burns Festival of 1844 to explore how and why it was organised, what was involved, the spectacle it delivered and where it took place in Alloway and Ayr.
7 February 2024
Poet and Writer Hugh McMillan in The Leaves of the Years will explain and illustrate why Ayrshire born and educated poet Willie Neill was probably the finest poet writing in Dumfries and Galloway in the 20th century.
21 February 2024
Author and Playwright Catherine Czerkawska talks through Writing About Family History: Pleasures, Problems and Pitfalls with reference to her books The Last Lancer: A story of Loss and Survival in Poland and Ukraine and A Proper Person To Be Detained: a murder in Leeds with a detour to Glasgow and a connection to the author’s family.
A selection of books by the speaker, including the above titles, will be available for purchase at a reduced price of £10 for each book. Catherine will be happy to sign her books.
6 March 2024
Author L Bruce Keith presents Bridgescapes (based on his book of the same title) a journey through Scotland celebrating the country’s bridge building heritage. References to and quotations from Robert Burns.
20 March 2024
Joan McAlpine, Project Director for the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, in The Management of Robert Burn’s Legacy at Ellisland discusses the exciting work, already undertaken and scheduled, to preserve and present the life and work of Scotland’s National Bard at the farm, Museum and Heritage Centre there.
3 April 2024
Gordon Wilson, Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, illustrates and discusses The MacGeorge Collection: Scottish Steamers in the 1930s covering the variety of vessels, piers and operators to be seen in this, the heyday of Scottish steamers.
17 April 2024
Jennifer Smith, Professor of Sociolinguistics at Glasgow University in Mapping Scots In The Twenty First Century considers how users of Scots, dialects of Scots and English with Scots variants structure sentences, phrases and words.
1 May 2024
Hamish Husband investigates and considers the significance and history of Scotland versus England: 150 years of Friendly Rivalry at the fitba/football. In 2022 Scotland celebrated the World’s first international football match which was played in 1872 at a Glasgow cricket ground. Annual Scotland and England games continued for over a century. Hear all about it.
15 May 2024
Roger Griffith discusses The Glencairn Aisle and Ayrshire’s Glorious Tombs A memorial plaque at the Glecairn Aisle, Kilmaurs commemorates James Cunningham, the 14th Earl of Glencairn, friend and patron of Robert Burns who is himself likely to have visited the aisle on one of his journeys to visit Frances Dunlop The other ‘Glorious Tombs’ existing at Ballantrae, Largs, Dunlop and Ayr will be mentioned in passing.
29 May 2024
Gerry Carruthers, Professor of Scottish Literature at Glasgow University, in Robert Burns: The Ellisland Effect examines the poet’s time at Ellisland Farm and it’s impact on his work.
12 June 2024
Robert Crawford, poet, scholar, critic, retired Professor of Literature at St Andrews University, in – Writing Robert Burns Biography – talks about what is involved in the enterprise of bringing Burns’s life and work to the page. Robert Crawford’s The Bard is an acclaimed example of the genre. It is recognised as doing Robert Burns a great service.
26 June 2024
Dr Steven Reid, Glasgow University, in The Memorialisation of Mary Queen Of Scots discusses what preserves the her memory and why. Robert Burns contributed to this phenomenon with his poem, Lament of Mary, Queen of Scots, On The Approach Of Spring.
11 September 2024
Jean Swinley, Robert BurnsBirthplace Museum Volunteer – James Barke: Immortal Memory and Other Novels looks at the life and literary output of the writer James Barke with particular emphasis on his books about Robert Burns and his role as an editor of Burns’s work.
25 September 2024
Ian Campbell, Emeritus Professor, Scottish and Victorian Literature, Edinburgh University – Letters of a Lifetime: Thomas and Jane Carlyle. Thomas, Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher wrote a Life of Robert Burns and his birthplace in Ecclefechan is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The author Virginia Wolff called Jane one of the “great letter writers”
9 October 2024
Martin Travers, leading Scots language playwright and co-founder of Braw Clan, the Scots language theatre company in Scots Language Theatre – will discuss with Clare Yuille, the Creative Director of Braw Clan, why he writes Scots language theatre, his creative process, and his forthcoming play “Robert Burns Talks To God At The Dawn Of His Death.”
23 October 2024
Rosemary Murdoch, Irvine Lassies Burns Club and Guide at Wellwood Burns Centre and Museum inIrvine,addresses The Duchess of Gordon: Highlighting Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon,who was an influential woman of her time. Includes a “talking picture” and introduction to her dinner party guests in her salon in Edinburgh.
13 November 2024
L Bruce Keith, author – Are We There Yet? is about Scottish milestones. Distance markers, early measurement systems in Scotland, early maps, great journeys throughout the country over the centuries and Scottish sportsmen and women who’ve gone the extra mile in terms of speed and endurance to set new world records for the “fastest” and the “farthest”.
20 November 2024
Billy Kay, Ayrshire born Writer and Broadcaster and an important figure in the modern Scots revival, in his talk Born in Kyle, based on his recently published memoir of the same name about growing up in the Ayrshire of the 1950s and 1960s, refers to “O aw the airts the wind can blaw, I dearly like the West.”(I Love My Jean) as an Ayrshire anthem, one of many by Burns which gave people their strong Scottish identity and considers the language, culture, history, folklore and literature of his Ayrshire home and reads passages in a powerful Scots that is shot through with a sense of belonging…and a sense of humour! He will also talk about the history of Scots from his book Scots The Mither Tongue and its global reach via the Scottish diaspora as detailed in his book, The Scottish World.
Billy will have copies of his books for sale on the day(Cash Only) and will be happy to sign and dedicate them. Paperbacks £10 and hardbacks £15.
27 November 2024
Jean Swinley, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum Volunteer, inImmortal Memory And Other Novels, looks at the life and literary output of the writer James Barke with particular emphasis on his books about Robert Burns and his role as an editor of Burns’s work.
11 December 2024
Laurna Cron, Secretary of R.A.W. S(Remembering The Accused Witches Of Scotland) – Witch Hunts and Trials in South Ayrshire: focussing on Ayr In the 1640s and 50s, looking at how the Church, Cromwell and the Covenanters had an impact on those accused of witchcraft at that time.
8 January 2025
Musicologist Dr Morag Grant, University of Edinburgh, in Auld Lang Syne: A Song and its Culture (based on her book of the same title), explores the history, evolution, significance, enduring popularity and resonance with individuals and communities around the World of this iconic Burns’ song,
22 January 2025
Kyle MacFarlane, Cinema CharityDirector – The Return Of The Broadway Cinema, Prestwick – History, Restoration And The Preservation Of The Scottish Cinema Project
5 February 2025
Kate Phillips, retired international rights specialist and author of “Bought and Sold, Scotland, Jamaica and Slavery” – considersWhy Robert Burns, believer in the rights of man, had plans to manage slaves in the sugar plantations of Jamaica?, explains why so many young Scots sailed from Clyde ports to jobs whipping slaves in Jamaica and looks at the reasons, the risks and hardships involved, as well as the fortunes made and the children left behind as a result.
19 February 2025
Professor Adam Cumming, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Chair of Scotland’s Churches – Ayrshire Churches And The Burns Connection: Church development in Ayrshire with special mention of both the Auld Kirk of Ayr and its predecessor as well as the changing nature of worship with reference to Robert Burns and his World.
5 March 2025
Jack Rigg, artist and teacher, in – A Road Well Travelled – traces in his paintings and words the paths and trails that Robert Burns travelled between his farms at Mossgiel near Mauchline and Ellisland in Dumfriesshire.
19 March 2025
Jim Carruth, Poet, Glasgow Makar, Farmer – Experiences Of A Modern Day Farmer Poet – Poems And Talk About The Challenges And Changes Facing Farmer’s Today
2 April 2025
Bill Rogers, Guide and Public Speaker – The French Connection: Ayr’s Twin Town Saint Germain En Laye And Where Robert Burns Comes In To The Story
23 April 2025
Rab Wilson, Poet and Former Screever at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum – ‘Collier Laddie ‘; A memoir and anthology of mining poetry relating to the ’84/’85 Miners’ Strike.
7 May 2025
John Hodgart, Poet, Writer, Teacher, Scots LanguageChampion – Ayrshire In Rhyme: A Collection Of Poems In Scots Covering Every Town And Village In Ayrshire
21 May 2025
Carlos Llazza Corrales, writer, translator, tutor at Glasgow University, in ‘The Sound of a Rhinoceros: On Translating Robert Burns Into Spanish’, talks about his translations of Burns, and discusses the role of literary translation in creating a Scoto-Hispanic literary space.
4 June 2025
Fiona and Richard Williamson, amateur genealogists from North Ayrshire Family History Society, – The Estates of Rozelle, Belleisle And Cambusdoon: A circular walk around Alloway with the main focus on family history and the families who owned the large mansions in Alloway.
18 June 2025
Emma Grae, award winning Scots language author of the novels ‘Be Guid Tae Yer Mammy‘ and ‘The Tongue She Speaks‘ considers The Scots Leid As A Means Of Cultural Unification With The Past And Present.
2 July 2025
Kinlay Laidlaw BSc.(Hons), DipBldgCons (RICS) MRICS and Janice Foster BEng (Hons), MSc Arch, CEng, MCIBSE in Burns Monument, Alloway: A Conservation Story talk about innovative repairs to a fascinating building. For the first time, a new chapter of the story will provide insight, from moisture monitoring techniques, into what is happening inside a structure that has been welcoming visitors for over 200 years and the significant efforts being made to preserve the Monument for future visitors.
Julie McNeill, Poet-in-residence for St Mirren FC and Gaffer of the Hampden Collection, in We Are Scottish Football introduces poetry from and about terracing, goalmouths, David Marshall’s left hand and the road to the Euros, the voice of the women who defied the ban on females playing fitba and the humble bowling club that holds the secrets of the Scotch Professors. Stuff that hasn’t made the history books… till now. We’re taking the baw back hame.
24 September 2025
Shelagh McLachlan, Trustee and Secretary of the Alloway Railway Tunnel Art, Alloway Railway Tunnel Art : telling the story from Concept to Completion
8 October 2025
Title: Scottish Languages Bill – what does it mean for Scots?
After decades of campaigning, Scots language activists have now achieved a major milestone: Scottish Languages Bill, passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament on 17 June 2025, gives the Scots language an official status in Scotland. But what does this mean for the Scots language communities across the country? Is there going to be a single Scots standard? Would there be official signage in Scots? Can a business now get a fine for refusing to accept Scots as the language of the workplace? In this talk, Professor Joanna Kopaczyk-McPherson from the University of Glasgow reflects on her work as the Academic Officer of Oor Vyce, the grassroots campaign for the official recognition of Scots, and analyses the specific provisions for the language which have made their way into the bill.
22 October 2025
James Thomson, former senior Police Officer, retired Management and HR Consultant, author and with official links to BurnsClubsand the RBWF, presents Tam O Shanter: The Story Of A Tale based on his bookIn and Out of Tam o’ Shanter, The Story of a Tale which examines and explains that great epic poem.
Friends of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 