Immortal memories - John Cairney

"The annual Burns Supper, held on or around his birthday, January 25, has become something of a cult in virtually every country in the world where "Scottish" is spoken - and even where it is not. This is an occasion when people gather around a dinner table to give tribute to a Scottish poet who died more than 200 years ago. It really is an extraordinary phenomenon".;Thus begins John Cairney's work focusing on Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns. To be asked to deliver the "Immortal Memory", the chief toast and centrepiece of the traditional Burns Supper, is recognised as a privilege cherished by Burns enthusiasts the world over. "Immortal Memories" is an extensive collection of these toasts, spanning 200 years from the first Burns Supper in Alloway in 1801 to the Millennium Burns Suppers of 2001.;For over thirty years Cairney has been recognised as the embodiment of Burns thanks to his portrayal of the poet in the 1968 Scottish TV production Burns. He has delivered toasts "To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns" or performed his Burns one-man-show in almost every country in the world.