A quieter Scotland gives thanks to its Bard
Alexander Mccall Smith’s exclusive Burns night poem
Author Alexander Mccall Smith has produced a new poetic tribute to the national Bard as people around the world prepare to celebrate a very different Burns night.
Written for The Scotsman and reproduced above, a video of Mccall Smith reading the poem Missing You Already will be shown during our online Scran Live: Burns Night event this evening.
The event, which begins at 7pm, will see the The Scotsman’s popular food and drink Scran podcast staged live on video, streamed both to the Scotsman’s website and Facebook.
Readers will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact as Scran host Rosalind Erskine joins The Scotsman’s heritage writer Alison Campsie for an evening of music, famous faces, laughter and – obviously – food and drink.
Haggis expert James Macsween will talk about the history of our popular national dish.
You can warm yourselves up at home with a dram or two as Speyside distillery Benriach’s Stewart Buchanan makes some whisky pairing suggestions, while chefs will share expert cooking tips and advice for Burns Night leftovers.
As well as Mccall Smith’s appearance, the event will feature music from Dumfries indie rock and folk singer Grant Dinwoodie and a range of special guests telling us how they are celebrating Burns Night, including an appearance from Outlander star Sam Heughan.
We will look at the history and some of the little known stories around Burns as well as the origin of the traditions associated with his birthday of 25 January.
And there will also be the opportunity to win a bottle of East Lothian’s Fidra Gin and a bottle of The Benriach Original Ten whisky during the show.
Exclusive discount codes meanwhile for The Scotsman subscriptions and Fidra Gin will also be revealed during the event.
Events to celebrate Burns Night, which this year marks 225 years since the Bard’s death, have increasingly moved online with a series of virtual Burns suppers being staged amid the national lockdown which prevent people gathering together.
However, this is the first time that The Scotsman has staged such an event for its readers at home and around the world, and also a first for the podcast team.
The hour-long event this evening is free to join and there are full details on how to sign up at www.scotsman.com.