Who was Robert “Robbie” Burns? He has long been revered as the national poet of Scotland and the country’s favourite son. Each 25th January, his birthdate is celebrated with traditional Burns Night suppers and events which end with the singing of Old Lang Syne, which he wrote as a poem in 1788.
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A mural of Robert Burns on the sea wall at Ardeer beach, near to his birthplace of Alloway in Ayrshire. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA HOW to get beneath the skin of a man whose poetry and songs have been beloved around the world for more than two centuries? Be it the spine-tingling imagery of his famed poem Tam o Shanter, his prolific musings on love or an unrivalled prowess for capturing the majesty of the Scottish landscapes, the life and works of our Bard Robert Burns continue to fascinate, intrigue and enthral 225 years after he died. Dr Pauline Mackay, a lecturer in Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow, has dedicated her academic career to studying the Ayrshire poet, revisiting his best-loved classics, uncovering lesser-known pieces and attempting to unpick myths and misconceptions.