Affectionately known as 'the Ploughman Poet', Robert Burns is Scotland’s national bard. Although born a few centuries ago in Ayrshire in 1759, his works remain a testament to Scotland’s literary history. Poems and lyrics of his are still being celebrated worldwide today as we rally around the last day of the year to sing Auld Lang Syne.
He loved the Scottish Highlands, as penned in one of his poems “my heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go”. When not immersed in his literary works, he tried his hands at farming, which turned out to be a rather ill-fated venture for him. So at the age of 29, he took a job as an exciseman. It offered travel through the Highlands, it paid the bills, and put him in close contact with distilleries for that odd dram or two. However, this was not a profession he came to love and quite despised as illustrated in one of his poems, appropriately named “The Deil's Awa wi' th' Exciseman” (The Devil has Taken the Exciseman)
The memory of Robert Burns lives on, so dive into some haggis this Monday the 25th to celebrate his birthday with a healthy dram to wash it all down.
Slàinte Mhath !