Billy Kay

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Here are some bottles celebrating the tradition and great figures within it like Sir Walter Scott and Lord Cockburn.

Had a braw day yesterday watchin a skeely United shawin wi ma frien Ally Heather. Got drookit gaun hame but got dried oot in time for a claret cunnar gaitherin, priein the best fae the wyneyairds o Sooth America. Micht jist hibernate happily noo for the rest o ma life😀

Here are some bottles celebrating the tradition and great figures within it like Sir Walter Scott and Lord Cockburn.

A Scottish ship from a 17th Century Diorama of the fleet on the Quai des Chartrons in Bordeaux. Because of the Auld Alliance, the Scots were given privileges in the claret wine trade that lasted centuries and whose echoes are still being felt today. I write about it here:

A passage from Scots The Mither Tongue on the medieval Scots makars Dunbar & Henryson who created some of the best poetry in Europe back then. This damsel in The Twa Mairrit Wemen & the Wedo is scathing about her husband’s declining virility! Get the whole book on Audible.

Had a braw day yesterday watchin a skeely United shawin wi ma frien Ally Heather. Got drookit gaun hame but got dried oot in time for a claret cunnar gaitherin, priein the best fae the wyneyairds o Sooth America. Micht jist hibernate happily noo for the rest o ma life😀

A passage fae Born in Kyle on an event in 1967 that garred ma faither grue acause the queen wis involved an kittled up his Scottish identity. Ye can lug intae the haill memoir on Audible or get a haud o the book fae Amazon or me.

Let’s raise a glass (or two) to the pleasures that our connections with Europe exchange with us. #KneeDeepInClaret 🍷🍷🍷

A Scottish ship from a 17th Century Diorama of the fleet on the Quai des Chartrons in Bordeaux. Because of the Auld Alliance, the Scots were given privileges in the claret wine trade that lasted centuries and whose echoes are still being felt today. I write about it here:

A passage fae Born in Kyle on an event in 1967 that garred ma faither grue acause the queen wis involved an kittled up his Scottish identity. Ye can lug intae the haill memoir on Audible or get a haud o the book fae Amazon or me.

Feelin affie virtuous the day. Wi ma caur in the garage, I lowped on the bus tae Tayport, got a jag on baith airms at the Larick centre, syne stravaiged hame takin the brawest route. Guid caller air and exercise forbye!

Cam across this fine chield on ma dauner this forenuin. (Gin it’s no a chield but a fine quine, feel free tae correct me)

Feelin affie virtuous the day. Wi ma caur in the garage, I lowped on the bus tae Tayport, got a jag on baith airms at the Larick centre, syne stravaiged hame takin the brawest route. Guid caller air and exercise forbye!

Cam across this fine chield on ma dauner this forenuin. (Gin it’s no a chield but a fine quine, feel free tae correct me)

Oot ma dauner the ither day I cam across this thrang aside the Tay and wis mindit o ane o ma favourite auld Scots saws, that describes ma wice wee granddochter Caterina tae a T: “She’s as fly as the Fife kye an they can knit stockins wi their horns!”

Oot ma dauner the ither day I cam across this thrang aside the Tay and wis mindit o ane o ma favourite auld Scots saws, that describes ma wice wee granddochter Caterina tae a T: “She’s as fly as the Fife kye an they can knit stockins wi their horns!”

A special date in the diary, for everyone who loves the beauty of the Scots tongue, spoken and sung. On January 16 at Celtic Connections in Glasgow I’m joined by the wonderful Robyn Stapleton, beautifully accompanied by Neil Sutcliffe. Braw! www.celticconnections.com/search-resul...

Nae post office noo in Newport, sae took the bus tae Tayport tae post a book, syne stravaiged hame aside the Tay. Fair wabbit noo, but enjoyed the dauner.

Historian F. Schmidt: the increase in strength which this Scottish admixture instilled into the German was of the very highest importance... the compound of stubbornness & shrewdness which characterises the folk of E Prussia has its roots in the natural disposition of the Scot.

Nae post office noo in Newport, sae took the bus tae Tayport tae post a book, syne stravaiged hame aside the Tay. Fair wabbit noo, but enjoyed the dauner.

A special date in the diary, for everyone who loves the beauty of the Scots tongue, spoken and sung. On January 16 at Celtic Connections in Glasgow I’m joined by the wonderful Robyn Stapleton, beautifully accompanied by Neil Sutcliffe. Braw! www.celticconnections.com/search-resul...

Historian F. Schmidt: the increase in strength which this Scottish admixture instilled into the German was of the very highest importance... the compound of stubbornness & shrewdness which characterises the folk of E Prussia has its roots in the natural disposition of the Scot.

If you’re in Dundee Burns Club this afternoon, you’ll Hear me read this with the company joining in And singing his magnificent song O Aw the Airts. It will Be gorgeous. If you cannae be there, well, you can hear Me narrate Born in Kyle on Audible…or come to Celtic Connections in January

If you’re in Dundee Burns Club this afternoon, you’ll Hear me read this with the company joining in And singing his magnificent song O Aw the Airts. It will Be gorgeous. If you cannae be there, well, you can hear Me narrate Born in Kyle on Audible…or come to Celtic Connections in January

Hope tae see a wheen o ma friens at Dundee Burns Club the morn’s efternuin.

Tho mainly set in Ayrshire, Born in Kyle also has stories I collected in exotic airts like West Fife, Moscow, the American Deep South, France and Dundee. The Fife story is fey, the Dundee one is full of soul, while the Moscow one links the great John Maclean to a pub in Lithgae.

The case for Scots as expressed in my book Scots The Mither Tongue with the memorable MacDiarmid lines “Tae be yersel’s an tae mak that worth bein/nae harder job tae mortals had been giein” I narrate the whole book on Audible.

The case for Scots as expressed in my book Scots The Mither Tongue with the memorable MacDiarmid lines “Tae be yersel’s an tae mak that worth bein/nae harder job tae mortals had been giein” I narrate the whole book on Audible.

Tho mainly set in Ayrshire, Born in Kyle also has stories I collected in exotic airts like West Fife, Moscow, the American Deep South, France and Dundee. The Fife story is fey, the Dundee one is full of soul, while the Moscow one links the great John Maclean to a pub in Lithgae.

Gin ye fancy an efternuin amang guid companie wi story an sang tae entertain ye, sign up an jyne us in the hert o Dundee. Ye’ll be made welcome an I’m gey shuir ye’ll enjoy the crack! Tell yer friens, guid fowk! Signed copies o aw the books available there tae.

Gin ye fancy an efternuin amang guid companie wi story an sang tae entertain ye, sign up an jyne us in the hert o Dundee. Ye’ll be made welcome an I’m gey shuir ye’ll enjoy the crack! Tell yer friens, guid fowk! Signed copies o aw the books available there tae.

Looking forward to my event @DundeeBurnsClub on Sunday. The club has become a vibrant hub for Scottish culture in the city, so I’m delighted to address this knowledgeable audience once again. Efter aw, there wis mair than ae lad born in Kyle! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/billy-kay-...

Looking forward to my event @DundeeBurnsClub on Sunday. The club has become a vibrant hub for Scottish culture in the city, so I’m delighted to address this knowledgeable audience once again. Efter aw, there wis mair than ae lad born in Kyle! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/billy-kay-...

A guid passage fae Born in Kyle for a Sunday mornin. As weans, we gaed tae the wee evangelical kirk in Gawston whaur ye didnae jist sing the hymns, ye yaised her haunds an yer airms tae gie an action packed portrayal! Ye can lug in tae me readin the haill quair on Audible.

Oot for a daunder atween shouers and by here, dae ye no need a stoot hert for the stey braes o Derval?!

Gin ye fancy total immersion in the guid Scots tongue o Ayrshire, jyne me in ma hame toon o Gawston on Sunday efternuin. A puckle places still available but tak tent or they’re tint.

Gin ye fancy total immersion in the guid Scots tongue o Ayrshire, jyne me in ma hame toon o Gawston on Sunday efternuin. A puckle places still available but tak tent or they’re tint.

Thoroughly enjoyed the @playpiepint.bsky.social show Whaur’s Yer Wullie Shakespeare Noo @traversetheatre.bsky.social Brian Logan’s play is a romp set in 18th C Edinburgh with appearances by historical figures like Hume and Witherspoon. Stimulating, entertaining, engaging and an excellent cast.

“East’s east, west’s west but hame’s best.” Twa weeks the day I’ll be hame in Gawston bletherin aboot ma memoir o growin up there an mindin fowk o their literary pedigree wi John Barbour’s epic The Brus an Burns’ Holy Fair baith mentionin the toun. Hope ye can jyne me there.

If you are in East Ayrshire on Sunday afternoon, there are still a few places available for my book sessions in Galston. Contact the library to book your place. See you there.

If you are in East Ayrshire on Sunday afternoon, there are still a few places available for my book sessions in Galston. Contact the library to book your place. See you there.

A wee readin fae the chapter The Last Gemme in ma memoir an love letter tae an Ayrshire childhood, Born in Kyle. Ye can get the book fae me or Amazon & Kindle or lug intae me narratin it aw on Audible.

wee hame toun o Gawston wis mentioned in Barbour’s Scots epic The Brus set in the 14th century, an seiven hunner years on I’ll speak an read in the same dear mither tongue Barbour yaisit lang syne. “The King lay into Gallistoune that is richt even anent Loudoun.” It’s a week the day, guid fowk 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️

While @joao_kay was driving us home from Inverness, I was taking photos of the beautiful Atholl countryside for her friends in Portugal. One of my favourite Jacobite songs is “Cam ye by Atholl, lads wi the philabegs.”

A lovely gig at the Ness Book Festival in Inverness with the lovely Robyn Stapleton yestreen.