‘Alhallow Evin’ in Scotland
The appearance of carved pumpkins (or turnips in Scotland), spooky decorations and plentiful sweet treats marks the arrival of Halloween. In the Christian calendar, Halloween, or its many variants Hallowe’en,…
The appearance of carved pumpkins (or turnips in Scotland), spooky decorations and plentiful sweet treats marks the arrival of Halloween. In the Christian calendar, Halloween, or its many variants Hallowe’en,…
A wife’s head is immaterial, compared with her heart” Robert Burns This year we are able to present an exciting addition to the Burnsiana in our collections – a letter from Robert Burns to a friend and mentor, dated…
This piece opens with a confession, offered by a penitent Sassenach: until very recently I thought that Robert Burns was a novelty poet, somewhat in the mould of an 18th century Spike Milligan. Sorry, I had no idea……
Sometimes you come across someone in the story of the University who just makes you stop and stare, whose erudition and achievements in enabling the work of others fills you with admiration and awe. Such a man is Sir…
Recipes from Meg Dods’ Cook and Housewife’s Manual have featured in a couple of earlier posts in this series, but Burns Night (25 January) provides the perfect excuse to explore this remarkable book in a little more…
Our commemorative Burns’ Day blog post included a late 19th century photograph published by Valentine & Sons of Dundee featuring the Robert Burn’s boyhood cottage in Alloway. Built by his father in 1757, the “auld cley…
People in Scotland, and all around the world, will be cutting into a haggis today or lifting a wee dram to the memory of Robert Burns. St Andrews does not have a huge amount of holdings in relation to Burns, but we…