Club Greetings

Club greetings are exchanged every year with Burns Clubs worldwide, and you can read the most recent one, from our 2024 Dinner in the News Section.  The club tradition is to send these greeting in verse, in 18th Century Scots language. Tom Gibson was the club bard for 30 years until our bi-centennial dinner in 2005. He passed the post on to Bob Carruth and was presented with a special memento at the dinner in recognition of 30 splendid years.

Here are three examples of Tom’s very topical greetings:

2002 Greeting

A GREETING WI’ DATES MAUMIE AN’ WAIRSH Oan June 21st – the year’s langest day – The auldest Burns Club coachéd its way Tae Auld Reekie. A bit splore we’d hae Alang the M8. Then, stravaigin’ like wyse wains at play, Aff doun the Coogate! Scotland’s new Museum we’d favour – An’ Canongate, wi clishmaclaiver! […]

1996 Greeting

Twa Hunner’ Years Syne On a dank, dreich day by the Nith, Ae chiel passed awa’ in Dumfries – Tho’ plackless then, in wardly worth, He was bless’d in his Maker’s peace – And in your mind an’ mine Richt up to this day, Twa hunner’ years syne. On a sad, soor day by the […]

1990 Greeting

In the Aichties — for the Nineties In the Aichties — We heard o’ yon Walesa chiel — Mandela, Sakharov as weel, An mair, withstood Oppression’s heel, Aye constant in faith. Like Rab. they dreamed ae promise leal Wi’ he’rts shair as daith. In the Aichties — Grim terrorism an’ blindest hate Brocht Lockerbie an […]

Bob Carruth carries on the club tradition with his first greeting being sent in January 2006:

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Burns Greeting 2024

The Year is Twenty TwentyFour The year is Twenty Twentyfour. Twa thousand and twa dozen Assailed a’ sides wi’ tales o’ woe, nae wonder heids are buzzin’ Mental health in disrepair. Aye, lockdown played a part But the issues go much deeper, so let’s go back to the start. We are famous for our friendliness […]

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Burns Greeting 2023

Burns an’ Hygge A winter o’ discontent for aw’ As honest workers strike a blaw Guid thochts can aften melt awa Amid viral spike Oor nation’s herts left tae thaw Snaw aff a dyke Too mony in this nation’s care In hoddin’ grey wae cupboards bare Tak’ shame in haein’ food bank fare Guid times […]

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Burns Greeting 2022

WRITTEN IN THE STARS As the Wolf Moon wanes each Janwar It dims beside a blazing star That lights the night, brightest by far With verses glimmering Take in this literary quasar Stanzas shimmering No Hubble scope or lens required Just gaze skyward for rhymes inspired With naked eye, see poems fired From Mercury to […]

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Burns Greeting 2021

CCXV Paisley Burns Club (1805-2021) A Lockdown Tonic As Janwar’s winds blaw snell an’ keen So, let the oldest club convene Nae sherry sweet tae open the scene Tae oor Burns tribute Touch o’ a button lichts the screen Nae supper on mute But din an’ clatter in oor room Wae laptops glowin’ thro’ the […]

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Burns Greeting 2020

CCXV Paisley Burns Club (1805 – 2020) A decade gone in just a wink Wae scarcely time tae sit an’ think Politics taks us tae the brink New Brexit dawning While hopes fur peace start tae sink Missiles an’ bombing At oor Burns Club, we ride the storm Tak shelter in oor cottage warm The […]

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Burns Greeting 2019

Ellisland, 13 December 1789 One dark, dank December night When ills of life had laid him low Burns picked up his nib to write Of human spirit’s ebb and flow A bard scarce able to lift his head His mind amok with ‘nervous disease’ Black thoughts of solace among the dead As pain and anguish […]

Burns Greeting 2018

The Culture of Encounter Calls that our culture Embraces encounters And sparks connections With our fellow man But we put up walls Close off the borders Build up the barriers When in the same boat And big guns then boast Mine is the biggest And breenge to the brink Through tough-talking Tweets But Janwar’, our […]

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2017 Greeting

As the Club Bard is this year’s President, the 2017 Club Greeting was written by our previous Bard, Tom Gibson. Greeting – As Aye! Janwar’ winds whaizle ower the Braes, Sheughs brimfu’ wi’ rain an’ wi’ snaw Whitters o’ strunt we’ll quaff in praise O’ yon Robin, wha’s lang synes awa’! Lang synes awa’ but […]

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Burns Greeting 2016

La plume est plus forte que l’epee The Tree o’ Liberty Had shed its precious fruit Before November’s callous blast Silenced Bataclan’s boards And cast the City of Lights Into sorrowful shadow With ‘Je Suis Charlie’ Ready scorched in its bark A wicked storm Shook its proud roots And bent its famous boughs In this […]

2015 Greeting

A LION ONCE RAMPANT A lion once rampant With blue tongue and claw Limps into the New Year A thorn in his paw His proud mane is matted Hishide in tatters War, it has raged on Constitutionalmatters

2014 Greeting

Paisley Burns Club Greeting An autumn storm is on it way But Westlin’ winds are not to blame Clouds are gathering day by day And independence is its name September brings the time to choose When citizens must make their mark The stakes are high, to win or lose For Auld Scotia the choice is […]

2013 Greeting

A statue to the poet and ornithologist Alexander Wilson stands in the grounds of Paisley Abbey, and a memorial sits on the banks of the River Cart at the Hammills waterfall. It is inscribed “Remember Alexander Wilson 1766-1813. Here was his boyhood playground.” NATURE’S EBB AND FLOW In his boyhood playground by the Cart A […]

2012 Greeting

Come late autumn, when our secretary Jack has set a deadline for when the annual greeting is due, I usually welcome any inspiration. A deadline and the ensuing panic certainly helps focus the mind. At the October meeting of the club, Stewart MacDougall read from an old BBC collection of the nation’s favourite poems. Stewart […]

2011 Greeting

To have a farmer stand here and complain about the weather will raise few eyebrows amongst the audience tonight – in fact, you should almost expect weather to be top of the list should you ever choose to engage in conversation with a son of the soil. There are few industries where weather is so […]

2010 Greeting

It seems that every year I stand up here to give the Club’s annual greeting I am celebrating the birth or recognising the death of someone and this year is no different. 2010 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of our Club’s founding secretary, the Paisley poet and songwriter Robert Tannahill.    As well as […]

2009 Greeting

“Scotland’s Year of Homecoming will be officially launched tonight with a Homecoming Burns Supper, hosted by First Minister Alex Salmond, in Alloway. Call me cynical, but with so much of Scottish life and culture worth celebrating, not least the 250th anniversary of our Bard’s birth, are we no in danger of missing the point.” Rabbie’s […]

2008 Greeting

A National Conversation Three hunner’ years hae come an’ gin Since Dariens’ solution When Queensberry an’ Godolphin Proposed their blessed Union Lang years past ’til Dewar’s dream Deliver’d devolution Noo Salmond meets wae high esteem He wants a conversation The common man has nae belief In oor Westminster maisters The passin’ months bring nae relief […]

2007 Greeting

As Man to Man Oor Bard’s enlighten’d philosophy Embrac’d the right to liberty He dreamt o’ equality An’ fur yin an aw Britherhood an’ fraternity Was whit he foresaw. So lookin’ doon on Scotland’s streets Do drouthy neebors neebors meet An’ strangers wae a handshake greet

2006 Greeting

Paisley Burns Club Greeting 2006 As guid friends gaither the world o’er Tae celebrate oor Burns’ lore Whiles contemplatin’ whit’s in store I look the ither way Sic a year I’ve never ken’t afore Whit would Rabbie dae?

2002 Greeting

A GREETING WI’ DATES MAUMIE AN’ WAIRSH Oan June 21st – the year’s langest day – The auldest Burns Club coachéd its way Tae Auld Reekie. A bit splore we’d hae Alang the M8. Then, stravaigin’ like wyse wains at play, Aff doun the Coogate! Scotland’s new Museum we’d favour – An’ Canongate, wi clishmaclaiver! […]

1996 Greeting

Twa Hunner’ Years Syne On a dank, dreich day by the Nith, Ae chiel passed awa’ in Dumfries – Tho’ plackless then, in wardly worth, He was bless’d in his Maker’s peace – And in your mind an’ mine Richt up to this day, Twa hunner’ years syne. On a sad, soor day by the […]

1990 Greeting

In the Aichties — for the Nineties In the Aichties — We heard o’ yon Walesa chiel — Mandela, Sakharov as weel, An mair, withstood Oppression’s heel, Aye constant in faith. Like Rab. they dreamed ae promise leal Wi’ he’rts shair as daith. In the Aichties — Grim terrorism an’ blindest hate Brocht Lockerbie an […]