Burns Night 2025 rocked with the warmest of welcomes at the Wyndham Arms, Kingsbury Episcopi. There were tasty haggis vol-au-vents, which were addressed with a recitation of Robert Burns’ famous poem, Address to a Haggis. There was music, ceilidh dancing and wonderful company. It was truly an evening of Burns Night fellowship. Barnbuskers Band had a great time playing the tunes to a crowded floor of dancers under the excellent guidance of caller Bridget Flett. It was an evening that Robert Burns would have enjoyed and been proud of.
The fun started soon after 7pm and after a few tunes and a couple of dances led by the dance caller, the fiddlers went down to the kitchen to meet up with the haggis vol-au-vents. The fiddlers then paraded them around the bar area and up the stairs to the function room where the haggis was addressed to great applause!
The address to the haggis was as follows.
‘Tonight, we are gathered here to honour Robert Burns—Scotland’s national poet and one of the most beloved figures in Scottish history. Born on January 25th, 1759, Burns was a farmer’s son who used his extraordinary talent for words to capture the beauty of nature, the struggles of ordinary people, and the joys and heartaches of life.
But Burns Night isn’t just about poetry—it’s about celebrating the spirit of community, culture, and connection that Burns stood for. It’s a night for storytelling, laughter, music, and, of course, a dram or two of whisky!
Traditionally, Burns Night includes a feast centered around haggis, toasts, and recitations of Burns’ works, all steeped in Scottish pride. Even if we don’t have all the usual trimmings tonight, the heart of this celebration is in sharing good company and honouring the legacy of a man whose words still resonate with us today.
So, whether you’re here as a longtime fan of Burns or just curious about what this night is all about, you’re in for a wonderful evening filled with poetry, music, and maybe even a wee bit of dancing.
Let’s raise our glasses to all of you here and to good fellowship and good company.
And now a bit more about Robert Burns. He was not just a poet for the elite or the well-educated; he was a man of the people. Despite his growing fame, Burns always remained deeply connected to his roots and his community. One story that captures this is when he visited the small town of Dumfries, where he lived later in life.
Burns had a habit of spending his evenings in the local taverns, not because he was looking to escape, but because he loved to share stories, poems, and songs with the townsfolk. He’d sit with farmers, labourers, and merchants alike, treating everyone as equals and delighting them with his wit and warmth.
In one such gathering, a humble farmer nervously asked Burns to recite one of his poems. Rather than brushing him off or being too proud, Burns stood up and performed To a Mouse, one of his most famous works about the shared struggles of humans and animals. By the end of the recitation, it’s said that the room was filled with applause and admiration—not just for the words, but for the man who believed that everyone, no matter their station in life, was worthy of poetry and connection.
So tonight, as we gather to honour Burns, let’s remember his belief in community, equality, and the power of sharing words to bring people together.
A toast to Robert Burns—the poet of the people!
And now we have the joy of addressing the haggis in the immortal words of Robert Burns.
Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace As lang’s my arm.The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
While thro’ your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.An’ cut you up wi’ ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin’, rich!Then, horn for horn, they stretch an’ strive:
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a’ their weel-swall’d kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
‘Bethankit!’ hums.Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi’ perfect scunner,
Looks down wi’ sneering, scornfu’ view
On sic a dinner?Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither’d rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro’ bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade, He’ll mak it whissle;
An’ legs, an’ arms, an’ heads will sned,
Like taps o’ thristle.
Ye Pow’rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o’ fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu’ prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!
Well that was Robert Burn’s wonderful poem addressing the haggis!
Now lets give our toast to the haggis before the dancing starts.’
To the Haggis!
Then there was lots more music, dancing, drinking, good fellowship … and eating tasty haggis vol-au-vents. It was truly a Burns Night 2025 to remember at the Wyndham Arms, Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset. Robert Burns would probably have loved it and Barnbuskers Band certainly enjoyed playing their part!
Sadly, all good things come to an end but next years Burns Night will eventually arrive. If you are in the Kingsbury Episcopi, Somerset area, the Wyndham Arms arrangements for Burns Night will be well worth checking out for a warm welcome. If you are elsewhere in Somerset or Devon and would like Barnbuskers ceilidh band to play at your Burns Night on or around January 25th 2026 then we’d love to hear from you via Barnbuskers contact page! If you just love ceilidh dancing, as we do, then why not join Barnbuskers mailing list to be contacted about Barnbuskers future ceilidh dances in Somerset or Devon when we have them!
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