A celebration of the culture of the South West of Scotland featuring spoken Scots by Billy Kay and traditional songs by Robyn Stapleton, part of Celtic Connections 2027.
Billy Kay and Robyn Stapleton bring Born in Kyle to the Tron Theatre on Saturday 16 January, part of Celtic Connections 2027. It's a collaboration of spoken Scots and singing, with Kay talking about the culture, history, folklore and literature of his home in the Irvine Valley and reading passages in a powerful Scots shot through with a sense of belonging and a sense of humour. He describes life there when he was a child in the 1950s, and the show is billed as a celebration of the culture of the South West of Scotland.
Kay's connection to the region runs deep. In his memoir of growing up in Ayrshire, he refers to the Burns song 'O aw the airts the wind can blaw, I dearly like the West' as an Ayrshire anthem, one of many by Burns that gave people their strong Scottish identity. He's joined on stage by Robyn Stapleton, from Galloway and described as one of the country's finest exponents of Scots song, with Neil Sutcliffe accompanying them. Between Kay's spoken word and Stapleton's singing, the two voices trace the landscape of the South West.
It's a pairing that sits well together: Kay has spent years promoting the Scots tongue, and Stapleton is one of the bonniest sangsters in Scotland today. The performance brings together the spoken and the sung, with Kay's memories of the Irvine Valley and Stapleton's singing working in tandem. The whole thing is presented as part of Celtic Connections, the festival that takes over the city every January.
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Born in Kyle runs at 2:00pm on Saturday 16 January at the Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HB. Tickets are £20.16, which includes the booking fee.
