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Follow the stars to Scotland's national hero
Thursday 8th November 2007
Poet John Keats, film star Clark Gable and boxing legend Muhammad Ali have something in common – they all made the pilgrimage to the humble cottage in Alloway, Ayr, in south-west Scotland where Robert (Rabbie) Burns was born in 1759. By the time of Burns' death in 1796, at the age of 37, he'd become Scotland's best-loved poet and a symbol of Scottish pride.
His birthday, 25th January, is celebrated by Scots everywhere, with a Burns Supper of haggis, tatties and neeps (potatoes and swedes). The haggis should be accompanied to the table by the bagpipes, followed by a whisky toast and recitation of Burns' poems. He's probably best known the world over as the author of the traditional New Year's song Auld Lang Syne (translated as 'Times Gone By').
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