First Minister Alex Salmond
Homecoming Burns Supper
Brig O'Doon, Alloway
January 24, 2009
I am delighted to welcome you here tonight, on this historic occasion, to celebrate the life and work of one of the greatest Scots of all time.
A man whose life was short, but whose legacy spans centuries. Whose poems and songs celebrate and dignify the human condition.
A democrat, a patriot, a ploughman, a poet, a hopeless romantic. Robert Burns was many things. But an ordinary man, "for a' that".
Tonight, as we celebrate the genius of our national poet - a stone's throw away from his home, a few hours away from the 250th anniversary of his birth- we herald in a momentous year for Scotland. Homecoming 2009.
Another great Scotsman and scholar, John Stuart Blackie, said that "when Scotland forgets Burns, then history will forget Scotland".
Popularity of Burns
In two and a half centuries, Robert Burns' popularity is undiminished. Indeed it is greater than ever. The man who modestly said of himself: "my name has made a small noise in the country", now commands universal appeal.
This weekend countless armies of Burns' societies around the world will be raising a glass to Scotland's national poet.
From Bahrain to Bangkok via Banff, Buchan and Bishopbriggs, the haggis will be addressed. The Immortal Memory of Burns revered. The lasses toasted.
Across the world, across all the continents, over 40 million regard themselves as Scots, and many millions more have joined the extended family of aspirant Scots.
I should note at this point that the newly inaugurated President Obama joins a distinguished list of American Presidents that can claim Scottish lineage - including, among others, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
The size and influence of the Scots Diaspora is vast - and the passion for Scotland runs deep. That is indeed why the life and work of Robert Burns is a truly global celebration.
You may find yourself overwhelmed, and more than a little "ramfeezled", if you consider the full extent of Burns' legacy.
There are more international monuments to Robert Burns than to any other writer - around 200 in all, as far afield as the United States, China, Australia, New Zealand - and aye, even Scotland.
I am particularly fond of the statue of Burns in Central Park. It was erected in 1880 by the New York Caledonian Club and stands on a plinth of the finest Peterhead granite.
The cultural legacy of Robert Burns is everywhere - and can be seen on so many landmarks of popular culture. John Steinbeck wrote of "the best laid schemes o' mice and men". J.D. Salinger found inspiration in Burns's poem "Comin' thro' the Rye".
And Frank Capra knew to end his Oscar-winning "It's a Wonderful Life" with the Burns' hymn to universal friendship, Auld Lang Syne. As the world's most popular song, it ushers in each New Year, sung by millions worldwide - regardless of whether they can hold the tune, or even know the words!
Burns' fans include everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Kofi Annan. Bob Dylan has described him as his "biggest inspiration". And for six long years he was the light in the darkness for Beirut hostage Tom Sutherland.
Robert Burns even managed to infiltrate the Kremlin in Russia, and that was during the Cold War. A feat which Sean Connery failed to deliver in his days as James Bond.
Now, the Kremlin Burns' supper is televised every year, and is always broadcast from Russia with love!
Why we celebrate Burns
No other cultural or literary figure is commemorated quite like Robert Burns. His popularity transcends class, country, culture and time.
Over 200 years since his work was written, it has been translated into every known language. And it is as resonant today as it ever was.
We continue to celebrate Burns, because his work celebrates us. And we should continue to engage with Burns, because his work can engage us on the deepest levels.
His poetry endures because it charts the experiences and emotions at the heart of every human life: His simplicity, his empathy, his desire for justice, his love of country and kin.
Burns was a poet of the human condition. Whether he is writing about falling in love or remembering old friends, the sentiments are timeless.
It is his honesty and integrity that we respond to. A "man o' independent mind" he spoke exactly what he felt, even when it was dangerous for him to do so.
His is the voice of Scotland: "bold, Independent, unconquer'd and free".
A voice that, amid times of doubt, helped to sustain - and indeed distinguish - the Scots language and Scottish culture.
In the last years of his life Burns was engaged in a furious, almost desperate, mission to preserve and sustain Scottish culture.
His hundreds of letters, poems and songs did so much to renew the foundations - the distinctiveness, dignity, validity of Scottish culture - and ensure that Scotland's spirit would never be lost.
And for all the statues erected to the immortal Robert Burns he has not lost his place at the table as one of our own.
Homecoming 2009
Tonight, on the eve of our national poet's 250th anniversary year, Scotland prepares to honour him with the biggest party our country has ever seen.
This is a once in a life time celebration - a once in a 250 year celebration - of the lasting legacy of Robert Burns, and of the country that he loved.
A celebration of our literature and language. Of our culture and history. Our national sport. Our national drink - and whisky as well! And the many, many innovations and achievements which our nation has given the world.
The Scottish Government and Visit Scotland have put together over 300 unique and inspirational events to mark this historic occasion. And it all starts tonight. Continuing through the year, the length and breadth of country, all the way to St Andrews' day in November.
With so many spectacular events, there is only one place to be this year. Right here in Scotland.
Where else can you be part of the world's greatest international Clan Gathering? A historic reunion which will see thousands of people from 140 clans marching through Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile to the sound of some of the world's finest pipe bands.
Where else can you enjoy the Open Golf Championship this year but at Turnberry? The best tournament in the world, returning to where the sport was invented. This homecoming year, golf is coming home.
The programme stretches from Celtic Connections, already underway in Glasgow, to November's Intercontinental Rally in Stirling and Perthshire. From the Scottish Tides - Polish Spring, through the Spirit of Speyside Whisky festival, to Dougie MacLean's Perthshire Amber. The list goes on.
In May, right here in Ayrshire the 'Burns an' a' that' Festival will open with the eighth annual Robert Burns Humanitarian Award. And I am delighted that Guy Willoughby of the Halo Trust and the members of the award panel are here this evening.
Across the country - from the Highlands and Islands to the Borders - Scotland will be alive with unmissable events. Creative Connections in Shetland. The Isle of Barra's Whisky Galore festival. The Nairn Book and Arts festival. The University of Aberdeen's writers' festival.
Wherever you live there is something happening right on your doorstep. The Guildtown Bluegrass music festival. The Royal National Mod in Oban. The Hawick Reivers Festival. The Cupar Highland games.
We are inviting everyone, everywhere, at home and abroad, if you have an affinity for Scotland and pride in your Scottish heritage, come and join us this year.
Sir Walter Scott asked: "Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land!"
Tonight, and throughout this Homecoming year, Scotland's message to the world is plain: now is the time to come home, to "the birth place of valour, the country of worth".
The impact of the Year of Homecoming
We know that in Scotland, and across the world these are difficult and uncertain times.
What will provide sustenance for any nation, and indeed spur recovery, is using its assets fully and creatively.
Scotland is a nation blessed with a wealth of assets. And among these, our culture, our remarkable global reputation, the legacy of our foremost poet - these carry tremendous value.
The Year of Homecoming will enrich the value of Scotland's cultural assets - bringing forth new talent, creating new events and new collaborations, and showcasing the best of Scottish talent worldwide.
And what's more, Homecoming 2009 promises to provide a significant boost for Scottish tourism and the Scottish economy.
We aim to attract at least an additional 100,000 visitors to Scotland this year - and an extra £40 million in revenue.
That is by no means the ceiling of our ambitions, because there is scope to do even better and spread the word even wider - to get the whole of Scotland involved in our historic Homecoming Year.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen, as we begin tonight's festivities, and this historic year for our country, it is interesting to speculate what Burns himself might have to say on the occasion.
He might have said: "While we sit bousing at the nappy, An' getting fou and unco happy".
Or he might have said: "From scenes like these, old Scotia's grandeur springs, That makes her loved at home, revered abroad".
Burns was indeed a man who spoke for all occasions.
A man born of humble rank, whose legacy today goes far beyond riches.
Tonight, we celebrate not just the man of the moment, but Scotland's human being of the millennium.