Address to the Haggis

24 Jan 2023

Back in 2014, as a Scotsman who could read, I was invited to perform the Address to the Haggis at a Burns night in Bedfordshire.

I would be performing in England to a very international audience, who would have little knowledge of Scots. I explored whether it would be worth reading a translation, but so much of the original rhyme and metre gets lost in translation, so ditched that idea. I decided, rather than performing the original, I would have a bash at composing my own version (a homage rather than a translation) using more recognisable language.

So here is my attempt — aiming to make the topic more accessible to non-Scots speakers.