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THE BACCHANAL OF BURNS NIGHT - 250 ANNIVERSARY OF BARD'S BIRTH

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Bianca
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« on: January 26, 2008, 10:12:49 am »

 










                                                The Bacchanal of Burns Night





By HUGH PORTER
/LONDON
Fri Jan 25, 2008
 
The skirl o' the bagpipes, even more dramatic by virtue of being played indoors, accompanies the "great chieftain o' the puddin-race" born aloft to the table by a chef. Then, a wild-eyed Scotsman recites Robert Burns' poem Address To a Haggis, and upon reaching the line, "An' cut ye up wi' ready sleight," he plunges a dagger into the taut sheep's stomach amid cheers from the diners. In a ritual repeated by Scots across the globe on Burns Night, January 25, the birthday in 1759 of their most cherished poet, the attack on the main course continues:

 
"Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!


Further slashing releases a gray speckled mixture of lungs, heart, liver and oatmeal, prompting more cheering and more whisky before everyone tucks into the contents of the haggis, along with tatties and neeps (potatoes and turnips).


Eddie Tait might be called a professional Scotsman, and at this time of year, the 34-year-old founder of the networking group Scots In London eats a lot of haggis. "It's no good for the waistline," Tait complains weakly as he savors another forkful of his country's national dish. The traditional Burns Supper has changed little in over 200 years. Its essential elements are poetry, song, whisky, dancing, bagpipes, the recounting of raffish tales from the poet's short life, the odd misty-eye and, of course, haggis. "It's not just a night anymore, or even a week, it's a whole bloody month!" Tait complains, again unconvincingly, as he raises his glass for yet another toast. The former Morgan Stanley banker has taken well to his new line of work - last year Tait attended 11 Burns Suppers stretching into February. It's early January when TIME donned the de rigueur kilt to join him as a Burns Supper guest at London's illustrious private Caledonian Club. "A little island of Scotland in Belgravia," as past chairman Alex Wilson puts it.


But celebrating Scotland's Bard is not just the preserve of organized societies, expats, or golf clubs. Elsewhere in London, pubs are throwing haggis buffets, Ceilidh dances are sold out, and traditional formal suppers are spreading over the calendar. As singer and TV presenter Fiona Kennedy points out in her after-haggis speech at the Caledonian Club, back in her hometown of Aberdeen, Burns Night now stretches over so many days that it's referred to as Ramadram.


The popularity of Burns celebrations reflects the enduring affection for the man and his work. "After all, we don't have Wordsworth wakes, Tennyson teas or Shakespeare suppers do we?" asks Wilson. It may be less than a month since the world joined hands to bring in the New Year with Burns' song "Auld Lang Syne," but this is the night when Scots celebrate the full canon, performing to each other the spooky tale of "Tam O'Shanter," or evoking the patriotic sentiment of "Scots Wha Hae" or the tender beauty of "A Red, Red Rose." "All parts of Scottish society could identify with him," says Wilson, who is also a past president of the Burns Club of London. "He would have been quoted everywhere by the common people. He wrote [poetry] in their language, while he wrote his letters in perfect English."

Burns Night is also an occasion for Scots at home and abroad, from Ewan McGregor to Gordon Brown, to affirm their identity as part of a fiercely proud people. Scotland's official national day is actually St. Andrew's day, November 30, but it's not a holiday and passes barely noted. Scots would rather celebrate their heroes, it seems, than themselves, and Burns Night is just such excuse for patriotic revelry refracted through the egalitarian everyman poet who so captured the national psyche.

Robert Burns was born into a grueling existence, laboring as a peasant farmer in Ayrshire in southwest Scotland, yet he still managed to study and became fluent in Latin and French. Still, he is most treasured as the champion of the common man, having written passionately on social injustice, his country, nature, food, drink and, not least, women.


Burns was often outspoken and radical, as works such as "A Man's A Man For A' That" (A Man's a Man For All That) show:


"Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine -
A man's a man for a' that.
For a' that, an a' that.
Their tinsel show, an a' that, The honest man, tho e'er sae poor, Is king o men for a' that."


Still, the feted Edinburgh society of the time couldn't get enough. Novelist Henry Mackenzie called him "the heaven-taught ploughman". And how the ladies fell for the rough romantic with the wicked turn of phrase. "There is no doubt about it, he was a ladies man," says Wilson. "He was gifted in every respect." Burns fathered at least a dozen legitimate and illegitimate children in his 37 years.


A bronze bust of Burns in the midst of guilt-framed romantic Highland scenes presides over the Caledonian Club dining room. Tom Quinn is singing "Rantin', Rovin' Robin" accompanied by Clive Gavin on piano as the members and guests digest. When wearing trousers, by day, both men are senior managers for the Royal Bank of Scotland.


As for Caledonian Club elder statesman and Burns authority Wilson, he sups at home on Burns Night. "My wife was born on the 25th of January and she doesn't like haggis," he says.

View this article on Time.com
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Bianca
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« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2008, 10:17:48 am »





Well, I guess those of you who know me are wondering why an Italian-born person
would even be aware of Robbie Burns Night.

Well, my real name is:


(ex) Mrs. ROBERT BURNS


Somehow I didn't think it fair that our children would know only their Italian Heritage, so I en-
deavoured to learn all I could about their father's. 

Eventually, we belonged to Associations of both and we certainly used to go to the Robbie Burns
Night Celebrations. 

Lots of fun!!!
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« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2008, 10:27:52 am »



Scottish master butcher Neil Watt inspects one of his haggises prior
to its going on sale in his butcher's shop in Montrose Scotland.

Haggis production is in full swing in preparation for Burn's night.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2008, 10:29:49 am by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2008, 10:39:57 am »




                

              PIPING IN THE HAGGIS
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« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2008, 10:43:03 am »




             

              THE SPEARING
« Last Edit: January 21, 2009, 08:49:42 pm by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2008, 01:51:34 pm »

                           





Robert Burns is Scotland's best-loved bard and Burns Suppers have been held in his honour for over

200 years. This site gives you the complete guide to Robert Burns the man, his poems, his travels,

haggis, whisky and much more.
   
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« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2008, 01:55:56 pm »






   
Little did tutor John Murdoch know that the young pupil who "made rapid progress in reading and

was just tolerable at writing" would grow up to become Scotland's national Bard.
 





     
  Born in Alloway, Ayrshire, in 1759 to William Burness, a poor tenant farmer, and Agnes Broun, Robert Burns was the eldest of seven. He spent his youth working his father's farm, but in spite of his poverty he was extremely well read - at the insistence of his father, who employed a tutor for Robert and younger brother Gilbert. At 15 Robert was the principal worker on the farm and this prompted him to start writing in an attempt to find "some kind of counterpoise for his circumstances." It was at this tender age that Burns penned his first verse, "My Handsome Nell", which was an ode to the other subjects that dominated his life, namely scotch and women.

When his father died in 1784, Robert and his brother became partners in the farm. However, Robert was more interested in the romantic nature of poetry than the arduous graft of ploughing and, having had some misadventures with the ladies (resulting in several illegitimate children, including twins to the woman who would become his wife, Jean Armour), he planned to escape to the safer, sunnier climes of the West Indies.

However, at the point of abandoning farming, his first collection "Poems- Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect - Kilmarnock Edition" (a set of poems essentially based on a broken love affair), was published and received much critical acclaim. This, together with pride of parenthood, made him stay in Scotland. He moved around the country, eventually arriving in Edinburgh, where he mingled in the illustrious circles of the artists and writers who were agog at the "Ploughman Poet."

In a matter of weeks he was transformed from local hero to a national celebrity, fussed over by the Edinburgh literati of the day, and Jean Armour's father allowed her to marry him, now that he was no longer a lowly wordsmith. Alas, the trappings of fame did not bring fortune and he took up a job as an exciseman to supplement the meagre income. Whilst collecting taxes he continued to write, contributing songs to the likes of James Johnston's "Scot's Musical Museum" and George Thomson's "Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs." In all, more than 400 of Burns' songs are still in existence.

The last years of Burns' life were devoted to penning great poetic masterpieces such as The Lea Rig, Tam O'Shanter and a Red, Red Rose. He died aged 37 of heart disease exacerbated by the hard manual work he undertook when he was young. His death occurred on the same day as his wife Jean gave birth to his last son, Maxwell.

On the day of his burial more than 10,000 people came to watch and pay their respects. However, his popularity then was nothing compared to the heights it has reached since.

On the anniversary of his birth, Scots both at home and abroad celebrate Robert Burns with a supper, where they address the haggis, the ladies and whisky. A celebration which would undoubtedly make him proud.



Indexes of Burns' birth and marriage certificates can be found at
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
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« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2008, 02:01:30 pm »






This selection of Burns poems and songs has been made by Dr James A. Mackay as representative

of the bard's finest work.
 





     
  Dr James Mackay is widely regarded as the world's greatest authority on the life and works of Robert Burns and his definitive biography, Burns, won the 1994 Saltire Society Book of The Year Award. He is also the author of Robert Burns: The Complete Poetical Works, Braveheart: William Wallace and Michael Collins: A Life.

Tam O'Shanter

Holy Willie's Prayer

Address to a Haggis

Auld Lang Syne

A Man's A Man for a' That

My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose

The Cotter's Saturday Night

Address to the Unco Guid

To A Mouse

Epistle to a Young Friend




Source: Robert Burns, The Complete Poetical Works, edited by James Mackay (Alloway Publishing).
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« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2008, 02:05:55 pm »






Burns Suppers have been part of Scottish culture for about 200 years as a means of commemo-

rating our best loved bard. And when Burns immortalised haggis in verse he created a central link

that is maintained to this day.





 
     
  The ritual was started by close friends of Burns a few years after his death in 1796 as a tribute to his memory. The basic format for the evening has remained unchanged since that time and begins when the chairman invites the company to receive the haggis.

 


   
                                              THE FORMAT FOR A BURNS SUPPER
 
 



Chairperson's opening address



A few welcoming words start the evening and the meal commences with the Selkirk Grace

The company are asked to stand to receive the haggis. A piper then leads the chef, carrying the haggis to the top table, while the guests accompany them with a slow handclap. The chairman or invited guest then recites Burns' famous poem To A Haggis, with great enthusiasm. When he reaches the line 'an cut you up wi' ready slight', he cuts open the haggis with a sharp knife.

It's customary for the company to applaud the speaker then stand and toast the haggis with a glass of whisky.

The company will then dine. A typical Bill o' Fare would be:





****-a-leekie soup
*
Haggis warm reeking, rich wi' Champit Tatties,
Bashed Neeps
*
Tyspy Laird (sherry trifle)
*
A Tassie o' Coffee





The Immortal Memory



One of the central features of the evening. An invited guest is asked to give a short speech on Burns. There are many different types of Immortal Memory speeches, from light-hearted to literary, but the aim is the same - to outline the greatness and relevance of the poet today.





Toast To The Lasses



The main speech is followed by a more light-hearted address to the women in the audience. Originally this was a thank you to the ladies for preparing the food and a time to toast the 'lasses' in Burns' life. The tone should be witty, but never offensive, and should always end on a concilliatory note.





Response



The turn of the lasses to detail men's foibles. Again, should be humorous but not insulting.





Poem and Songs



Once the speeches are complete the evening continues with songs and poems. These should be a good variety to fully show the different moods of Burns muse. Favourites for recitations are Tam O' Shanter, Address to the Unco Guid, To A Mouse and Holy Willie's Prayer.

The evening will culminate with the company standing, linking hands and singing Auld Lang Syne to conclude the programme




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~








                                                              T O   A   H A G G I S




Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o'a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin was help to mend a mill
In time o'need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
Bethankit! hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad make her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckles as wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash;
His nieve a nit;
Thro' blody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' hands will sned,
Like taps o' trissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer
Gie her a haggis! 
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« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2008, 02:12:46 pm »








                                                      BURNS AND 'A THAT





‘Burns an’ a’ that’ is an annual festival celebrating the bard and contemporary Scottish culture.
 
     
  The festival is a week long event and takes place in Burns home county of Ayrshire. It attracts over 30,000 people to a series of events including a gala concert, festival club, open air concerts, fireworks displays and theatre productions. There is also a full fringe programme in a range of venues throughout Ayrshire.

The Robert Burns Humanitarian Award is presented annually at the festival to recognise the efforts of those who put humanitarian concerns above all others. Previous winners include Sir John Sulston for his work on the human genome project; Yitzhak Frankenthal, co-founder of The Parent's Circle which represents bereaved families campaigning for peace in the Israeli-Palestine conflict; and Sir Clive Stafford Smith who has represented clients in capital trials in the southern states of the US.



Find out more about this year’s festival at
www.burnsfestival.com
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« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2008, 02:16:06 pm »












'Gie her a Haggis!'






Jo Macsween tells Melanie Henderson about the family business and her own special love of the
national dish.
 
     
   The naturally queasy may balk, while those with heavily girded stomachs experience thunderous rumblings.
Just as the turkey leftovers have all been well and truly curried, the mince pies are growing mould in the tin and
the chocolate boxes have long been pillaged, thoughts of Scotland's most famous dish come to mind. Sated or
not, soon it will be time to sample again that pudding of puddings that swells straining paunches still further.
Still, like the festive binge, it's only once a year.

It was not always so. For although Rabbie Burns was obviously more than fond of the "glorious sight" that was "warm-reekin' rich" on his tea table, it wasn't a feast that would have been reserved for special occasions -
or indeed for his own birthday dinner. In fact, says Jo Macsween, it was a common enough stand-by not yet elevated by rousing Scots elegy.

"It would have been a bit like having fish on a Friday. You would have eaten it about once a week. But it was
no trivial issue to Burns. He talks a lot about the dishes that look down on haggis" - French ragout and fricassee - "And he's saying that after you've had haggis you're fit to fight anyone.

" If that's the case, then Jo Macsween should be fit to take on a band of black belts. It's doubtful whether even Rabbie at his hungriest consumed more haggis than she does. Forget cornflakes, sandwiches and pasta suppers,
all she needs as her daily staple is haggis, haggis and haggis. However, getting through 1/2 lb a day of the stuff
is all part of the job. As a director of Macsween of Edinburgh, the company that almost exclusively means haggis in Scotland, it's something of a bonus to be a walking advert. If she didn't devour it herself, how would she persuade households everywhere to eat her grandad's formula for the celebrated rustic recipe come January 25th?

"I do absolutely adore haggis and it's just as well," she says. "I would gladly sit down to it with neeps and tatties for lunch every day. It's a very genuine love."

At a crucial point in its making, the Macsween haggis, still made in a natural casings with two types of oatmeal
and a heady concoction of spices (psst ... there's coriander in there), can go no further unless it is tasted by a family member. And Jo is only too happy to carry out this key quality control duty.

Along with her brother, James she has been key to the expansion that has taken the company from its roots in
the capital's Bruntsfield Place to what is claimed as the world's first purpose-built haggis factory - on an industrial estate just off the city bypass. But the young Macsweens have long been involved in assisting their father John, the chairman, and their mother, Kate, financial director in the business, to build the reputation that has seen them scoop numerous awards, as well as contracts from the UK's most famous outlets - Harrods, Fortnum and Masons, Selfridges and Edinburgh's own Jenners among them.

"We've all really been in the company since we were table high. My dad used to say to me 'What are you doing in the holidays?' I'd say 'Working for you?' and he'd say 'Good, that's the right answer'"

"My elder sister isn't in the business, she's a doctor. But even she says 'You know, working for dad was one of the best trainings I could have had.'

"I've had over a decade of Burns seasons here. I never know how long it is exactly - I just know how many sleepless nights I've had in January!"

Within the next few weeks, around 250 tons of haggis will exit through Macsween's back door - around 10 tons a day - and temporary staff are recruited annually to deal with the boom.

Macsween of Edinburgh was established in 1953 by John Charles Macsween, who had formerly worked at William Orr & Son, a meat emporium that was a real institution in its time. When they ceased trading, he took the bull by the horns, so to speak.

"I really admire grandad," says Jo. "He'd have been in his late 40s / early 50’s at the time and it wasn't any age to be starting a business.

"Haggis wasn't a large part of what he sold, but it did very well. When dad joined in 1957 he saw the potential for increasing production, which was just as well because the supermarkets had started to hit us. He went out there and knocked on doors and eventually got the orders coming - and once you have names like Harrods and Selfridges, everyone listens."

Not everyone, however, has listened to the haggis battle cry over the years. Why, they say, do we savour such
an ugly food that, after all, was just cheap peasant fare in its day? Many are, of course, put off by the mere knowledge of what it's made of (sheep's 'pluck,' consisting of heart, liver and lungs or 'lites').

"If someone has had a bad food experience, they always remember it," says Jo. "It's like going back to cold cabbage at school, and I can understand that. So there is a process of education - and we're totally convinced that once you taste it you'll change your mind. It's a case of reaching out in an almost evangelical way."

And she's in no doubt at all about what moved Rabbie to rapture. "It's got everything going for it. It's warming,
it's delicious and it's nutritious. It just makes you feel so good."

One fan who'd agree is Clarissa Dickson-Wright, one half of TV's Two Fat Ladies, who has written a book about
the dish - The Haggis: A Little History (Appletree Press) - and believes, controversially, that it came from the Vikings.

"We actually sponsor her when she's filming. She has supplies in her freezer and she has it after a hard day.
She says 'It's just the greatest stress buster!'

"Haggis is such a mythical thing. We owe Burns a great deal. I mean, you don't see poets writing odes to hamburgers or pork chops. And of course, it's the nationalistic thing as well."

Ah yes, the fervour that inspires impassioned dinner speeches and provides a good excuse for much whisky
sinking. That's something Macsween is keen to encourage. The company takes many inquiries from prospective Burns' Night organisers, and freely gives advice, as well as supplying instructional booklets and alternative
recipes (among them barbecued haggis and haggis in filo pastry).

"I see that as absolutely essential. It's part of the job to preserve tradition. I do get unusual requests.
Someone phoned me once and quoted me a couple of lines of Burns and said 'Which poem is that from? I'm
entering a competition' So because I wasn't busy I went and found out and he was delighted. You get lots of requests from distant parts saying things like 'Do you know that bread with the burnt top? I haven't had any of
that for a while. Can you put some in?' Or 'How about some of that custard you get over there?' You have to
know where to draw the line!"

John Macsween did not draw the line, however, over catering for vegetarians bored with yet another spinach lasagne on Rabbie's birthday. Asked by Scottish poet Tessa Ransford to develop a veggie haggis for the opening
of the Scottish Poetry Library, his initial reaction was 'Tough.' But he rose to the challenge, coming up with a product that now amounts to 20-25% of the business, even though it was originally intended as a PR stunt.

What would Burns have thought of that? And what would he have thought about the humble haggis as a 'luxury' item? Or the Burns' night phenomenon itself?

"Well, there was a play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe that tried to answer that. It was about Burns coming
back from the dead and seeing his image on napkins and shortbread tins - it would be very strange for him, I
think. But I think he'd be very chuffed. It's a tremendous tribute, but one that's deserved. You can quote Burns
for almost anything. It's a bit like the Bible - you can use him to back up almost everything you say."

No doubt he'd have had a special verse or two for the Macsween haggis, a brand that's surely as honest and
sonsie as the one he thought "Weel wordy" of immortal grace.
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« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2008, 02:22:48 pm »









Scottish Recipes: H A G G I S



It is a shame that the "Great chieftain o' the puddin' race" should be regarded (by some) with such
a mixture of horror and humour. The vision of sheep's stomachs and other intestines seems to put
some people off, but it has long been a traditional way of using up parts of the animal which other-
wise might go to waste. Made properly, it is a tasty, wholesome dish, with every chef creating his
or her own recipe to get the flavour and texture (dry or moist) that suits them. Personally, I like a haggis which is spicy from pepper and herbs, with a lingering flavour on the palate after it has been consumed.

One cookery book I came across suggested that the best way to get haggis was to buy it in the butcher's shop! Certainly, these days haggis can even be ordered online (see the Rampant Scotland Food Links). Finding a butcher who can supply sheep's heart, lungs and liver may not be easy al-
though nowadays beef bung (intestine) is used instead of sheep's stomach. Since this is used also
to make European sausage, they are out there for other nationalities as well.





Recipe Ingredients:




Set of sheep's heart, lungs and liver (cleaned by a butcher)

One beef bung

3 cups finely chopped suet

One cup medium ground oatmeal

Two medium onions, finely chopped

One cup beef stock

One teaspoon salt

œ teaspoon pepper

One teaspoon nutmeg

œ teaspoon mace





Preparation Method:



Trim off any excess fat and sinew from the sheep's intestine and, if present, discard the windpipe. Place in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or possibly longer to ensure that they are all tender. Drain and cool.
Some chefs toast the oatmeal in an oven until it is thoroughly dried out (but not browned or burnt!)

Finely chop the meat and combine in a large bowl with the suet, oatmeal, finely chopped onions, beef stock, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mace. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well. Stuff the meat and spices mixture into the beef bung which should be over half full. Then press out the air and tie the open ends tightly with string. Make sure that you leave room for the mixture to expand or else it may burst while cooking. If it looks as though it may do that, prick with a sharp needle to reduce the pressure.

Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for three hours. Avoid boiling vigorously to avoid bursting the skin.

Serve hot with "champit tatties and bashit neeps" (mashed/creamed potato and turnip/swede).
For added flavour, you can add some nutmeg to the potatoes and allspice to the turnip/swede.

Some people like to pour a little whisky over their haggis - Drambuie is even better! Don't go over-
board on this or you'll make the hggis cold.

At Burns Suppers, the haggis is traditionally piped in and Burns' "Address to the Haggis" recited
over it.


http://www.glasgowguide.co.uk/scottish_recipes_Haggis.htm
« Last Edit: January 26, 2008, 02:51:20 pm by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2008, 02:24:10 pm »






From his home in Alloway to the 'bricht lichts' of Edinburgh, Burns travelled the country in search

of inspiration and, of course, libation! 










1 Burns Cottage and Museum, Alloway 2 Burns Monument and Gardens, Alloway

3 Tam o'Shanter Experience, Alloway 4 Alloway Old Kirk, Alloway

5 Burns House Museum, Mauchline 6 Highland Mary's Monument, Mauchline

7 Brig o' Doon, Alloway 8 Poosie Nansie's Tavern, Mauchline

9 National Burns Memorial Tower, Mauchline 10 Mauchline Castle, Mauchline

11 Burns House, Dumfries 12 Burns Mausoleum, Dumfries

13 Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries 14 Broughton House and Garden, Kirkcudbright

15 Craigieburn House and Garden, Moffat 16 Ellisland, Dumfries & Galloway

17 Globe Inn, Dumfries 18 Cessnock Castle, Ayrshire

19 Brow Well, Ruthwell 20 Dean Castle, Kilmarnock

21 Stair, Ayrshire 22 Bachelors' Club, Tarbolton

23 Souter Johnnie's Cottage, Kirkoswald 24 Highland Mary's Statue, Dunoon

25 Burns Club and Museum, Irvine 26 Vennel Museum, Irvine

27 House of Mergie, Kincardineshire 28 Gordon Castle, Morayshire

29 Castle Grant, Morayshire 30 Kilravock Castle, Morayshire

31 Finlaystone House, Renfrewshire 32 Blair Castle, Kilwinning

33 Clackmannan Tower, Clackmannan 34 Harviestoun Castle, Harviestoun

35 Writers' Museum, Edinburgh 36 Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh

37 Blair Castle, Blair Atholl


All information courtesy of Goblinshead, publishers of the Wee Guide To Robert Burns 
     
       
     


Burns Heritage Park


Scots national bard Robert Burns is renowned the world over and as people toast his work on Burns Night, Lorraine Wakefield visits his birthplace and the Burns National Heritage Park. 
     




On The Trail of The Bard


Hamish Burns follows in the footsteps of his namesake, from his childhood on the farm to the wild nights and romantic encounters of his early adult life.
 



     
Capital's Tribute To Burns


It may be more than 200 years since Robert Burns last visited the Capital but as Gary Flockhart discovers, Edinburgh still plays a key role in the legend of the Bard.


http://www.rabbie-burns.com/
« Last Edit: January 26, 2008, 02:40:22 pm by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #13 on: January 26, 2008, 02:31:31 pm »









1745 The Jacobite Uprising attempts to restore a Stewart king to the British throne 
       
   1748 The Burnes(or Burness) family leave Kincardineshire - William to Edinburgh 
       
   1750 Burns' father moved to Alloway 
       
   1757 William Burnes marries Agnes Brown of Kirkoswald 
       
   1759 Robert Burns born in Alloway, 25 January 
       
   1760 Birth of Robert's brother Gilbert: other children follow 
       
   1766 The Burnes family move to Mount Oliphant, near Alloway 
       
   1772 James Murdoch employed to teach Burns 
       
   1776 The American War of Independence begins. The Burns family move to Lochlie farm 
       
   1777 William Burnes moved family to Lochlie 
       
   1780 Bachelors' Club formed 
       
   1781 Robert Burns becomes a Freemason. Burns moves to Irvine to learn the trade of flax-dressing 
       
   1784 Death of William Burnes. Robert moves his family to Mossgiel and changes the spelling of the family name to Burns; probably meets Jean Armour in this year 
       
   1785 Burns completes many of the poems for the Kilmarnock edition including The Cotter's Saturday Night 
       
   1786 The Kilmarnock edition of Burns' poems is published; Jean Armour gives birth to twins; death of Highland Mary; Burns goes to Edinburgh 
       
   1787 First Edinburgh edition of poems published by William Creech; first volume of the Scots Musical Museum (edited by Burns) published - five more follow 
       
   1788 Burns returns to Dumfriesshire and takes lease on Ellisland; marries Jean Armour 
       
   1789 Storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution; Burns becomes an Exciseman 
       
   1791 Burns gives up Ellisland and moves his family to Dumfries (11 Bank Street) 
       
   1792 Burns promoted to Dumfries Port Division; on 29 February the smuggling ship Rosamond is seized 
       
   1793 The Burns family move to Mill Vennel, now 24 Burns Street; The Second Edinburgh edition of his poems published by William Creech - this includes Tam o'Shanter; Thomas Muir of Huntershill is sentenced to 14 years' transportation; King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette are executed in France 
       
   1794 Burns promoted to Supervisor; re-issue of the Second Edinburgh edition 
       
   1795 Burns joins the Royal Dumfries Volunteers; in September his daughter Elizabeth dies and Burns becomes gravely ill with rheumatic fever 
       
   1796 Meal Riots in Dumfries; Burns continues to work until June in rapidly deteriorating health; on 3 July goes to Brow on Solway on medical advice but fails to revive; dies in Dumfries on 21 July 
       
   1817 On the night of 19 September, Burns' remains moved to the Mausoleum in St Michael's Kirkyard from their original resting-place 
       
   1834 Death of Jean Armour, who is buried beside Burns in the Mausoleum 
       


  All information courtesy of Goblinshead, publishers of the Wee Guide To Robert Burns   


  Rabbie isn't the only great scot - find out about other famous Scots here

 
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« Last Edit: January 26, 2008, 02:33:05 pm by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2008, 02:34:25 pm »








                                      T R A C E   Y O U R   F A M I L Y   T R E E



http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


TO RESEARCH    " B U R N S " :


see:  CAMPBELL of ARGYLE
« Last Edit: January 26, 2008, 02:38:47 pm by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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