Italian pupils go wild for Robert Burns

Jun 24 2011 by John Hutcheson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

HE’S long been the icon of Ayrshire.

And his name has always been famous around the globe.

Now Rabbie Burns is being re-invented as a hero – to schoolkids in Italy.

For children at one school in the pretty Sicillian town of Enna love all things Bard.

And they even belt out Auld Lang Syne in broad Scots accents.

The teenage pupils, studying Burns as part of their English project, have fallen for the charms of Alloway’s finest export.

And they’re also roping in Ayrshire holidaymakers to help them brush up on their poetry.

Bob Johnstone and his wife Kitty, who ended up singing Burns songs with the students, were stunned by their grasp of Rabbie’s work.

Bob, of Prestwick, explained: “A friend of ours, Giovanni, is a professor in English at this school in Enna.

“He invited us to go and talk to the pupils while we visited Sicily on holiday – and it was an experience I’ll never forget.

“Their understanding of Burns and his language was incredible. I dare say they had a better grasp of it than a lot of children back home in Ayrshire.

“Burns seems to be something of an icon to them and they can’t get enough of him.

“I explained that, here in Scotland, some people aren’t a fan of him because of his womanising and drinking image.

“But they absolutely loved that, so I joked that he maybe had a bit of Italian blood in him.”

Bob and Kitty’s Italian adventure ended with classic Burns songs reverberating around the classroom.

And the children even wrote essays talking about their inspirational meeting with real-life people from Burns’ home county of Ayrshire.

Bob, 74, confessed: “We were treated a bit like celebrities because we came from Ayrshire and, to them, this was something magical because of Burns.

“To hear the way we talked and sang the songs was obviously a big deal to them. It was a pretty surreal experience for us.

“I sang sons like Auld Lang Syne and My Love is Like a Red Red Rose – and the children were belting it out with me.

“It was amazing to hear them doing it with their Italian accents and just goes to show the power of Burns to this day.”