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Wednesday 25 January 2012

Cards for Burns Birthday

On 25 January 1759 Robert Burns was born in Alloway, three miles from Ayr. Tonight people will celebrate the anniversary of his birth at Burns Suppers all over the world.

It is a sheer coincidence that I visited a market stall today in Stockton-on-Tees and discovered a wallet of postcards from Ayr, six in all, four of them related to Burns.





Good Luck from Ayr 
Burns Cottage
Auld Brig O'Doon, Alloway, Ayr
The Brig o' Doon was the late medieval bridge used as the setting for the final verse of Burns poem Tom O Shanter.where Tam, on horseback. is being chased by Nannie the witch. He is just able to escape her by crossing the bridge (over a running stream) narrowly avoiding her attack as she is only able to grab the horse's tail which comes away in her hands. Today a plaque stands next to the bridge:

Brig O'Doon Plaque
The fourth card contains the memorial to Burns.

Burns Monument and Auld Brig O'Doon

For those postcard collectors among you the cover of the 'concentina' wallet is missing and there is no other information included to enable me to identify the age, date or origin of the cards or who created them.

Photo:

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing Bob, really enjoyed looking at these postcards today! My older daughter (teaching English in Korea) is dating a Scot, and my younger daughter here in Canada is dating a young man who is a dead ringer for Robbie Burns. What's the odds?!

21 Wits said...

I'm surprised google didn't post this to celebrate his birthday...my home page is google on my desk computer so I can catch the latest of what's going on ...they always put such a cool photo and supply the info...we'll have to have a toast in honor of Burns birthday anyway! What a nice tribute of photos celebrating his life, very nice Bob!

Little Nell said...

I never knew that about Brig O Doon. I’d only ever heard of the strange musical Brigadoon, which, as far as I know, is nothing to do with Burns.

Bob Scotney said...

Little Nell; If you google Bridadoon you come up withe this on Wikipedia - "Lerner's name for his imaginary locale was probably based on a well-known Scottish landmark, the Brig o' Doon (Bridge of Doon),in Alloway, Scotland, in the heart of Robert Burns country. According to Burns's poem "Tam o'Shanter", this 13th-century stone bridge is where the legendary Tam o' Shanter fled on his horse Meg in order to escape from three witches who were chasing him."

Sheila @ A Postcard a Day said...

I have the first of your postcards which I posted for Burns Night in 2009. That one was postmarked 1966.

Sheila @ A Postcard a Day said...

I should have said a very similar card, because the smaller pictures are different.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Bob .. what a great collection for Burns night .. fun to see - and hope you had a good Burns Night .. cheers Hilary