Write a commentToday Newry, Mourne and Down District Council will celebrate the life and work of the seminal Scottish Poet, Robert Burns in the Downshire Civic Centre, Downpatrick. The event comes ahead of Burns Night celebrations throughout the district.
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Rabbie Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scottish language. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic Movement and a source of inspiration to the founders of liberalism and socialism. Aside from his own compositions, Burns collected folksongs from across Scotland. His poem and song ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is sung at Hogmanay and ‘Scots Wha Hae’ has served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem.
Burns was a commentator on the most immediate and most enduring concerns of humankind. He wrote about his own community and the beauty and tragedy of those lives. His championing of the intellects of women (leaving aside his undeniable womanising) and his defence of both Catholic and Protestant minorities make Burns a highly relevant creative presence in the 21st Century.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council will honour the poet with a celebration of his work; the Selkirk Grace will be said before the haggis will be piped into the Mourne Room, where the ‘Address to the Haggis’ will be recited before being served with tatties and neeps.
The Council’s Irish Language Unit has co-ordinated this event in conjunction with the Good Relations Unit with funding from the OFMDFM.
