Billy Kay

with Rod Paterson

Scotland in the World

Sunday 21 September, 14.30

The Burn House

Tickets £6.50/Under 16s £2

Writer, broadcaster and presenter Billy Kay was born in Galston, Ayrshire in 1951. He studied modern languages at the University of Edinburgh but his increasing fascination with his own culture made him switch to a degree in Scottish literature.

Growing up in the heart of the Burns country, Billy is steeped in the Burns tradition of poetry, song and language. Along with traditional singers like Rod Paterson and Jock Tamson’s Bairns, Billy has presented events based on Burns, Scottish culture and Scottish history at festivals such as Celtic Connections in Glasgow and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC. His books include the classic work Scots: The Mither Tongue, while his latest volume, The Scottish World, was launched at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2006.

Billy has his own independent company, Odyssey Productions, for which he has presented and produced an average of ten new features per year on BBC Radio Scotland. He has won five international awards for his programmes, which have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, RTE Ireland, ABC Australia, CBC Canada and Radio Netherlands World Service.

Billy Kay is passionate about Scotland and its people’s phenomenal influence around the world and communicates that passion with a great deal of humour and love.

Visit Billy's homepage here

Event very kindly sponsored by J Logan Milne (Brechin) Ltd