17th Jul 09

Ae Fond Kiss - The Story of Robert Burns - Edinburgh Fringe Show 2009 by Simon Beattie 6th - 29th August 2009 (7:30pm) at the Old Powerhouse at the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange Midlothian. Ae Fond Kiss is 'a highly entertaining romp through the life and loves of Robert Burns' Told by the man himself this musical play features many of Burns' great works and includes new arrangements of some of his songs. Performed. in-the-round,

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9th Jul 09

11 July 2009 - 31 August 2009: Zig-Zag exhibition at Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries A major interactive touring exhibition uncovers the myth behind the man widely regarded as Scotland's 'national bard'. 'Zig-Zag: the Paths of Robert Burns' lets us follow him on his travels and learn more about his work as a poet and collector of folk songs. It also examines Burns's relationships with women and the religious, political and social establishment. The exhibition uses Robert Burns's own words to show how he knowingly created his own myth. Its title is based on a letter Burns wrote in 1787. Looking at the course of his life, the poet wrote that 'keen Sensibility and riotous Passions may still make him zig-zag in his future path of life.' Unique items from museums and galleries across the country, as well as the National Library of Scotland's collections feature in the exhibition. Highlights include Burns's drinking cup and drinking horn, the manuscript of the well-known song 'Auld Lang Syne', the first printed edition of his poems, manuscripts of poems including 'Tam O'Shanter', 'Holy Willie's Prayer' and 'Ae Fond Kiss', the journal of Burns's travels in the Highlands, Alexander Nasmyth's portrait of Robert Burns, the Glenriddel Manuscripts and Burns's copy of the 'Scots Musical Museum'. We are also planning an exclusive addition to the exhibition at Gracefield, which will be the painting of Bonnie Jean, a portrait of Jean Armour and her granddaughter that originally hung in Jean's own home in Dumfries until she died in 1834. This will be the first time that the painting has returned to Dumfries in 175 years. The main exhibition is on tour in 2009 to mark the 250th anniversary of Burns's birth and is part of Homecoming Scotland 2009, a year-long programme celebrating Scottish culture and heritage. It has been organised by the National Library of Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland and brings together works from the National Burns Collection, now recognised as a collection of national significance under the Museums Galleries Scotland Recognition Scheme. If you would like to join a mailing list to receive further information about the exhibition and related events please email arts@dumgal.gov.uk or call Gracefield Arts Centre on 01387 262084. Gracefield Arts Centre 28 Edinburgh Road Dumfries DG1 1JQ Zig-Zag Opening Hours: Monday- Friday 10am - 7pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 2pm - 5pm

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2nd Apr 09

Thursday 2 - Saturday 4 April 2009: Robert Burns: Contemporaries, Contexts & Cultural Forms, a conference at The University of South Carolina, USA

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6th Mar 09

Friday 6 - Sunday 8 March 2009: Burns in European Culture, a conference at The Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

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27th Jan 09

Tuesday 27 January 2009 at 7pm: Drawing Burns's Bawdy Poems: free talk and presentation by Bob Dewar, illustrator of a new edition of The Merry Muses of Caledonia at The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh

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24th Jan 09

Saturday 24 January 2009: Midwinter Magic - family fun at the National Library of Scotland's exhibition, Zig-Zag: the paths of Robert Burns

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24th Jan 09

Saturday 24 January - Saturday 7 February 2009: "Shall Brithers be for a' That", an exhibition at The Leith Gallery, Edinburgh

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22nd Jan 09

Thursday 22 - Friday 23 January 2009: Robert Burns in Global Culture, a conference at The Royal Society of Edinburgh

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21st Jan 09

Wednesday 21 January 2009: World Burns Night - free multicultural celebration of Burns in music, words and good company at Tolcross Community Centre, Edinburgh

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15th Jan 09

Thursday 15 - Saturday 17 January 2009: Burns International Conference 2009 at the University of Glasgow

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15th Jan 09

Thursday 15 January 2009: Free talk by Andrew O'Hagan at the National Library of Scotland on the inspiration he draws from Robert Burns

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13th Jan 09

Tuesday 13 January 2009: Robert Crawford introduces his new biography of Burns in a talk at the National Library of Scotland

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