So, Robby Burns 250th birthday was yesterday, January 25th. We’ve heard a lot about the Scottish poet lately, from Robby Burns Anniversary Stamps to a Global Toast on Robbie Burns Day, to newly discovered letters from Robert Burns which painted the bard in a less than flattering light.
And now Prince Charles has confirmed he will participate in a special audio project which is underway to include all of Burns’ 600 and some odd works in a recorded recitation. Joining the Prince in lending their voices will be actors Robert Carlyle, Alan Cumming, Robbie Coltrane and Brian Cox. The project is estimated to take three years.
“‘This is the start of an extraordinary, celebration — a once in a 250-year celebration — of the lasting legacy of Robert Burns and the country that he loved,’ said Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond, who plans to have a traditional Burns night supper in the Bard’s hometown of Alloway on Sunday evening.
Salmond will be digging into a meal of haggis — minced sheep’s heart, liver and lungs mixed with onion, oatmeal, suet, stock and salt, all boiled in the animal’s stomach.
Urgh. No word on whether First Minister Alex Salmond is in hospital today, though he may have been seen buying rather a lot of Pepto-Bismol.
