‘Burns Week’ Success for Agency

01 February 2011

On Tuesday 25th January the Ulster-Scots Agency officially launched ‘Burns Week’ in the Ulster-Scots Information and Visitors Centre on Great Victoria Street, Belfast. Guests at the launch included Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Nelson McCausland MLA.

The launch marked the beginning of a four-day event which toured Ulster and visited four locations – the Ullans Centre in Ballymoney, Co Antrim on Wednesday 26^th January, Omagh Library, Co Tyrone on Thursday 27^th January and Donegal County Museum, Letterkenny, Co Donegal on Friday 28^th January.

The lunchtime event each day was very well attended and guests thoroughly enjoyed the cultural extravaganza which included Burns poetry recital, Ulster-Scots music, a Piping display and Ulster-Scots dance.

Guests also had an opportunity at the event to sample one of the Agency’s unique ‘Haggis pies’ – our own twist on the haggis, neeps and tatties experience.  The pies were enjoyed by all who joined us at the events and many people enquired who had made them for us, to which we were happy to pass on that Truffles Bakery on Sandy Row in Belfast had supplied them.

Speaking about the four-day event, Hazel Campbell; Ulster-Scots Agency Interim Chief Executive said: “The Agency has been overwhelmed by the level of community and media interest in the four-day Burns celebration throughout the Province of Ulster.  The event proved popular with all sections of the community and had a wide appeal to people of all ages.  We look forward to sharing the Burns experience in more areas in the future.”

The Agency would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at The Ullans Centre in Ballymoney, Omagh Library and the Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny for their help and assistance each day and making each event such a success.   

The Agency’s ‘Burns Week’ marked the first of many celebratory tributes to Robert Burns that have taken place over the past month.