Robert Burns is one of Ayrshire’s best-loved sons. And wherever you go in the area, there are links to Burns – from his birthplace in Alloway, to his childhood home in Tarbolton, to his martial home in Mauchline. But what if you could see the historical links between Ayrshire and Burns come to life in front of you?
That’s exactly what’s on offer with the Burns Trail tour that runs through Kilmarnock. The town was hugely influential to Burns, as the place where he met friends, attended social clubs, and crucially, had the first version of his poetry published. The Kilmarnock Volume was a book I had heard of, but I’m ashamed to say that despite being a Burns myself, I was unaware of the bard’s extensive links to the town.
Fortunately, that all changed after a tour with Kilmarnock resident and Burns expert, Jim Thomson. He took me to various landmarks around Kilmarnock town centre, bursting with stories about Burns and John Wilson, the printer who published the Kilmarnock Volume that made Burns a star. We wandered to the Dick Institute (a free museum run by East Ayrshire Leisure), where original Burns manuscripts are present, as well as a replica of the printing press used to make the Kilmarnock Volume.
Jim also took me to the site of the famous Angel Inn, a pub where Burns enjoyed drinking with friends, which was squashed in the 1970s to build a shopping block that housed a Woolworths. There was a plaque to commemorate this site, but it has since been taken down, meaning that it would be impossible to know the historical significance of the site without local knowledge like Jim’s.
That is the beauty of a tour like this, uncovering the rich history of the town that most people would walk past unaware. Jim’s enthusiasm was infectious, and he told me countless anecdotes about Burns and his peers, as well as reciting his poetry along the way.
The tours are being run on Monday 22 July, Friday 26 July and Saturday 27 July, between 1 and 3pm, as part of the 2024 First Edition Festival. This week-long festival celebrates the publication of the first Kilmarnock Volume – on 31 July 1786 – to celebrate Burns’ links to the town. As Jim himself explains, without the decision of John Wilson to publish Burns’ work, his poetry may never have been brought to public attention. The importance of their relationship is highlighted by a statue near ‘The Cross’ in Kilmarnock, which Jim took me to on the trail, while the First Edition festival is designed to emphasise the wider importance of the town within Burns’ life.
Various events are running throughout the 2024 festival, including live Burns performances, haggis cooking demonstrations, open mic events, a gala dinner, and coffee mornings, to name but a few. The organisers hope that some of the many tourists visiting Troon for The Open will engage with the festival during their stay, with Kilmarnock just a short drive from the golfing action.
And whether you are a Burns enthusiast or a total novice, there is something to be gained for everyone on the wonderful Kilmarnock Burns Trail. You’ll never look at the town in the same way again…
This article was brought to you in association with East Ayrshire Leisure
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