George Square commemoration.

President Kenneth Osborne and incoming president, Jim McDougall were delighted to join other representatives of the Glasgow and District Burns Association at the annual wreath laying ceremony in George Square on Saturday 1st February. The event, to mark the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns was postponed owing to the shocking weather which affected Glasgow on the original date of Saturday 25th January.  However, we still had  a short celebration at the statue, followed by coffee and friendly conversation at a nearby cafe.

The statue was erected on 25 January 1877. It was said that 10,000 people formed a procession from Glasgow Green to attend the unveiling, and as many as 30,000 lining the streets. The bronze statue is the work of sculptor George Edwin Ewing, and was cast by London art founders Cox & Sons. Four bronze reliefs by the sculptor’s brother, James Alexander Ewing, depict scenes from the bard’s poems.