#rabbleReels: Robert Burns – The People’s Poet

In Blog, Culture, Historyby Fedayn2 Comments

Screen Shot 2014-01-25 at 21.37.29

It’s Burns Night and we’ve linked a BBC Documentary about his life as well as a couple of other pieces of interest.

He was a man ahead of his time in many ways, his influence more widespread than might be imagined. Called the ‘People’s Poet’ by Russian peasants, he wrote ‘The Rights of Woman’ before the French Revolution and Bob Dylan regards him as his inspiration.

Burns had some Irish connections (exerpt below from ‘The Irish Insights of Robert Burns’)

In his life-time, brief through it was, Burns received quite a few congratulatory letters from folk in Ireland. The first came from John Fowler, residing in a small remote market town called Ballybay, Co Monaghan. The letter was sent on February 15, 1798 and Fowler offered his services in obtaining subscribers for the poet’s works. Others sent him gifts. Samuel Thompson of Belfast sent him a pound of snuff and it is probably the same stuff that Buns tell George Thompson he is using while pacing his room and composing a lyric. Miss Bruntins, also of Belfast, beat Sam Thompson to it with two pounds of Dublin snuff and in 1792 a letter was sent by Henry Joy, a printer in Belfast.

This could well have been the famous 1798 United Irishman, Henry Joy McCracken, who led the men of the Antrim glens in the great uprising, and was executed for his patriotism.

Enjoy your haggis.

Comments

Leave a Comment