Dear Mister Burns

Irvine Bay Regeneration Company, together with Homecoming Scotland and North Ayrshire Council, is supporting a unique event staged by Irvine Burns Club and running as part of the Homecoming Scotland finale celebrations. 

Dear Mister Burns will form the heart of a celebration weekend in Irvine, featuring ceilidhs, concerts and other Burns-related activities.

The exhibition, being staged in Irvine Burns Club’s Wellwood Museum and the local Harbour Arts Centre from Thursday 26th to Monday 30th November, is a fascinating collection of handwritten letters to Irvine Burns Club from leading historical figures, including Charles Dickens, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Theodore Roosevelt, and Sean Connery. It includes letters of acceptance dating from 1828, shortly after the Club was formed, until the present day and demonstrates the global legacy of Burns as an international Scottish icon.

Billy Dickson, President of Irvine Burns Club said: “When potential visitors with an interest in Robert Burns think of The Burns Country, few include Irvine on their itinerary. Yet, in a letter written in December 1787, Burns himself identifies his stay in Irvine as being the time ‘…that gave me an idea of my own pieces which encouraged me to endeavour at the character of A Poet...’.  Events are being held throughout Irvine during the Homecoming Scotland finale celebrations, including ceilidhs, concerts, poetry readings in pubs and Burns for Bairns activities - but it is the uniqueness of Scotland’s best-kept Burns secret that is the star attraction.

“Homecoming Scotland, North Ayrshire Council and Irvine Bay Regeneration Company are involved as funding partners, along with several local organisations, companies and individuals and we are very grateful to all of them for their support.”

Speaking on behalf of Irvine Bay Regeneration Company, Patrick Wiggins, Chief Executive, said: “Urban regeneration is about changing attitudes as much as changing landscapes and “Dear Mister Burns” and its associated events and activities will create a sense of civic pride in their town for the local community in Irvine as well as providing an opportunity for visitors to experience and enjoy something that is quite unique. We are delighted to be involved in supporting an event that will have a long-term positive impact within Irvine by recognising the town’s significant contribution in the shaping of Robert Burns.”